List of earthquakes in New Zealand facts for kids

Major active fault zones of New Zealand showing variation in displacement vector along the Pacific–Indo-Australian plate boundary (left) and the distribution of earthquakes (magnitude 5 or greater)

New Zealand is a country that experiences many earthquakes. This is because it sits on the boundary where two huge pieces of the Earth's crust, called tectonic plates, meet. These plates are the Indo-Australian Plate and the Pacific Plate. They are constantly moving and pushing against each other, which causes the ground to shake.

New Zealand is part of the Ring of Fire, a large area around the Pacific Ocean where many earthquakes and volcanoes happen. Most of New Zealand's earthquakes occur along the mountain ranges that stretch from Fiordland in the southwest to East Cape in the northeast. This line follows the boundary between the two tectonic plates.

About 14,000 earthquakes happen in and around New Zealand every year. Out of these, about 150 to 200 are strong enough for people to feel. Because of this, New Zealand has very strict rules for how buildings must be constructed to withstand earthquakes. Major earthquakes in 1929 and 1931 led to even stronger building rules being put in place from 1935 onwards.

The largest city in the highest-risk earthquake zone is Wellington, the nation's capital. Other cities like Napier and Hastings are also in high-risk areas. All these cities have experienced powerful earthquakes since European settlers arrived. Early settlers quickly learned the importance of building with materials that could handle shaking. For example, after a big earthquake in 1848 damaged many brick buildings in Wellington, the city was mostly rebuilt using wood. This helped it suffer less damage in the massive 1855 earthquake.

This article lists some of the most significant earthquakes in New Zealand's history. It mainly focuses on earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.0 or greater. Sometimes, smaller earthquakes are included if they caused a lot of damage or led to deaths. Aftershocks (smaller quakes that happen after a big one) are usually not listed, unless they were very important, like the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

Major Earthquakes in New Zealand's History

This section looks at some of the biggest earthquakes that have shaken New Zealand over the years.

Earthquakes Before the 19th Century

Scientists estimate these early earthquakes based on geological evidence.

19th Century Earthquakes (1800s)

Information for earthquakes before 1840 are later estimates.

20th Century Earthquakes (1900-1999)

This period saw several very damaging earthquakes, leading to changes in building safety.

21st Century Earthquakes (2000-Present)

New Zealand continues to experience significant seismic activity.

Images for kids

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  Major active fault zones of New Zealand

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  Distribution of earthquakes (magnitude 5 or greater)

See also

• Earthquake Commission
• Geology of New Zealand
• List of tsunamis affecting New Zealand
• Shaky Isles – a nickname for New Zealand
• Volcanism of New Zealand