It's 6.3, but the one last September was 7.1 and not nearly as severe due to the depth and time of day.
Unfortunately, because a lot of the buildings have only just survived a massive quake, so a lot of them are simply collapsing this time around, including the Christchurch Cathedral, which is of significant architectural significance (NZ has no buildings older than the 1840s, but the beauty of so many Chch ones is something it's very hard to see destroyed). Also, Christchurch has not been so prone to quakes before so this has not been as prepared for as in other parts of the country.
Worse though is the loss of life. So far 65 fatalities are confirmed and that will probably rise. We can only hope it isn't too high.
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Unfortunately, because a lot of the buildings have only just survived a massive quake, so a lot of them are simply collapsing this time around, including the Christchurch Cathedral, which is of significant architectural significance (NZ has no buildings older than the 1840s, but the beauty of so many Chch ones is something it's very hard to see destroyed). Also, Christchurch has not been so prone to quakes before so this has not been as prepared for as in other parts of the country.
Worse though is the loss of life. So far 65 fatalities are confirmed and that will probably rise. We can only hope it isn't too high.