Earthquakes happen every day in New Zealand. Instruments record the ground shaking from over 14,000 earthquakes in and around the country each year.
Click here for information on the recent Canterbury earthquake.
Click here for "Aspects of New Zealands Natural Hazards" introduction from April liquefaction seminar.
Click here for "Tonkin and Taylor Darfield and Christchurch Earthquakes" presentation from April liquefaction seminar.
Most are too small to be noticed, but between 150 and 200 are big enough to be felt. On a world scale, seismicity (earthquake activity) in New Zealand varies from moderate to very high. Wellington lies in one of the most active of New Zealand’s seismic regions and Auckland in one of the least active. Christchurch and Dunedin are in areas of intermediate activity.
What are earthquakes and what causes them?
Earthquakes in the Waikato
What damage can earthquakes do?
How can I protect myself in an earthquake?
Protect your property
What to do during an earthquake
What to do after an earthquake
Earthquake and community education
Earthquake fiction and facts
Useful links