China seeks higher payments for children lost in NZ quake

The embassy is arguing that China's one-child policy makes those lost lives more valuable. The quake led to the deaths of more than 60 foreign students, out of a total toll of at least 166 casualties.

Seven Chinese nationals and 24 missing were among the 60+ staff and foreign language students killed in the CTV building.

Both the Chinese ambassador Xu Jianguo and embassy officials were reported by Radio New Zealand to have asked for higher compensation payments because the one-child policy made China unique.

"You can expect how lonely, how desperate they are, not only losing loved ones, but losing almost entirely their source of economic assistance after retirement," embassy official Cheng Lee said.

Higher payments would be "a demonstration of the importance the New Zealand government attaches to the Chinese international" students, he added.

However New Zealand Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce said it would be difficult to provide special compensation to one group of victims under New Zealand law.

The opposition Labour Party leader Phil Goff joined her in emphasising that all the dead must be treated equally.

"I'm sorry, you can't base your policy on that, there may be many students here that are only children in their families whether they be Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Filipino," he said.

The number of names of the dead released so far is 117.

Quake recovery is expected to cost the country at least NZ$15bn ($11bn; £7bn).

In the meantime, the New Zealand government has kicked off a Royal Commission of Inquiry into how entire office blocks collapsed in the 22 February quake.

Prime Minister John Key said the inquiry would focus on why two buildings - the CTV and Pyne Gould office blocks - failed to withstand the magnitude 6.3 earthquake.

"So many lives have been lost as a result of the February 22 earthquake that we must find answers, particularly about why such a significant loss of life occurred in two buildings," Key said in a statement.