The state of emergency was lifted at midday in the Christchurch City Council, Waimakariri and Selwyn district areas.
"We are now moving from a state of emergency to a state of urgency," Mr Parker said.
The 7.1 earthquake that rocked parts of Canterbury on September 4 caused widespread devastation but no one was killed and only a handful of injuries were recorded.
With the lifting of the state of emergency the councils will now be operating under the new powers brought in under the Canterbury Earthquake Response and Recovery Bill, which Parliament brought into law under urgency earlier this week.
However, Mr Parker said transferring from a civil defence situation took things back closer to business as usual.
"This doesn't change the fact that many people are still facing great difficulties, and resolving this issues will continue to be a focus as we rebuild our region. As mayors we have jointly dedicated ourselves to finding as many lasting solutions as possible."
The functions of the emergency operation centre at the Civic Offices are being transferred over the next two days to the council's normal operations.
In the Waimakariri district a recovery assistance centre will open next week in earthquake-ravaged Kaiapoi to support residents.
In the Selwyn district the welfare centres at Rolleston Community Centre and Darfield Recreation Centre have closed and information and advice on support services is available from libraries and the council offices in Rolleston.
