Earthquake Commission IQ

Sept 2010 - Canterbury, Feb 2011 - Canterbury

The September 2011 7.3 earthquake produced a 22km-long surface rupture and displaced land horizontally up to 4 metres. It happened along a previously unknown fault line near Darfield / Rolleston.

The February 2011 6.3 aftershock killed more than 180 people and caused considerable damage across Christchurch and outlying towns to buildings and infrastructure. A Royal Commission of Enquiry was called to find out why so many buildings collapsed, killing so many people.

2007 - Gisborne

The magnitude 6.8 earthquake was centred 50 kilometres offshore from Gisborne. It caused extensive damage to property but no injuries.
Cost of damage to EQC: $24m.

Credit: Photo by Geoff Mackley www.geoffmackley.com

1987 - Edgecumbe

The earthquake struck in the early afternoon, causing extensive damage to property because its epicentre was so close to the surface of the land. No-one was killed but there were some injuries.
Cost of damage to EQC: $135m (residential and commercial property).

Credit: Photo by Lloyd Homer GNS Science.

1968 - Inangahua

The Inangahua quake caused widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure close to the epicentre. More than two-thirds of the chimneys in Greymouth, Westport and Reefton were damaged. The quake also caused large landslides, one of which killed two people.
Cost of damage to EQC: $2.4m (residential and commercial property).

Credit: Photo by Lloyd Homer GNS Science.

1942 - Wairarapa Jun & Aug

June: The magnitude 7.2 Masterton earthquake hit at 11.16pm. Damage to property, particularly in the Masterton business district, was severe.

August: Barely five weeks later, Wairarapa and Wellington were hit again with an earthquake of 6.8 magnitude. There was additional damage, in particular to buildings that had been repaired since the June quake.
Cost of Damage: Unknown.

Credit: Photo used with permission of the the Wairarapa Archive.

1934 - Horoeka

More commonly known as the Pahiatua earthquake, this 1934 shake was actually centred near Horoeka, about half way between Pahiatua and the east coast of the North Island. The quake shook the lower North Island and was even felt in Auckland and as far south as Dunedin. Much of the affected land was lightly populated, but in Pahiatua many buildings were damaged. Cost of Damage: Unknown.

Credit: Photo used with permission of the the Wairarapa Archive.

1931 - Napier

The 1931 Hawke's Bay quake, New Zealand's most destructive, killed 258 people. Broken water mains let fires rage in the twin towns of Napier and Hastings. They were worst-affected. Other Hawke's Bay towns were extensively damaged. Napier's Ahuriri Lagoon was uplifted, becoming dry land. Cost of Damage: Unknown.

Credit: Photo Ref: 1/2-048342-F Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

1929 - Murchison

The Murchison, or Buller, earthquake was felt throughout New Zealand. It was very destructive and severely damaged roads, buildings and bridges and killed 17 people, many of them beneath landslips from the dominating hills and mountains. It was noisy too, from movement along the fault. Cost of Damage: unknown.

Credit: Photo Ref: 1/1-012112-G Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

1888 - North Canterbury

The Amuri earthquake damaged stone, cob and wooden buildings. There was also widespread damage to house contents as far away as Westport and Hokitika. Some fence lines were shifted horizontally by nearly three metres as the land moved. Cost of Damage: unknown.

Credit: Photo Ref: PAColl-7985-72 Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

1855 - Wairarapa

Just after 9pm on January 23 1855 a violent earthquake rocked Wellington and the Wairarapa. There was damage to buildings and their contents from New Plymouth and Napier in the north to Christchurch in the south. Accurate records were not kept, but as many as five to 10 people may have been killed by collapsing buildings and landslides. Cost of Damage: unknown.

Credit: Photo Ref: B-103-016 Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.