List of natural disasters in New Zealand facts for kids
New Zealand is a country known for its beautiful landscapes, but it's also a place where many natural events happen. These events, like earthquakes, floods, and storms, are called natural disasters. They can sometimes cause a lot of damage and affect people's lives. Since 1843, New Zealand has experienced many of these events. The most serious one, in terms of lives lost, was the 1918 flu pandemic, which sadly caused about 8,600 deaths across the country.
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Understanding Natural Disasters in New Zealand
New Zealand sits on the edge of two large tectonic plates, the Pacific Plate and the Australian Plate. This is why it experiences many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The country's weather patterns can also bring heavy rain, leading to floods and landslides, and strong winds from cyclones.
Types of Natural Disasters and Their Colors
To help understand the different types of natural disasters, this list uses a color code:
| Colour pink scheme used in this table: |
|---|
| Earthquake |
| Flooding |
| Health Crisis |
| Landslide |
| Tsunami |
| Volcanic eruption |
| Weather |
| Wildfires |
List of Notable Natural Disasters
Here is a list of some of the most important natural disasters that have happened in New Zealand. It shows the year, type of event, how many people died, where it happened, and other important details.
| Year | Type | Deaths | Place | Region | Cost | Note | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1843 | Earthquake | 2 | Wanganui | Manawatu | M 7+ | 1843 Wanganui earthquake | |
| 1846 | Landslide | 60 | Lake Taupo | Waikato | Worst landslide in New Zealand History | ||
| 1848 | Earthquake | 3 | Blenheim | Marlborough | M 7.5 | 1848 Marlborough earthquake | |
| 1855 | Earthquake | 9 | Wairarapa | Wellington | M 8.3 | 1855 Wairarapa earthquake | |
| 1855 | Tsunami | Cook Strait | Cook Strait | Maximum wave heights of 11m | |||
| 1858 | Flooding | 14 | Hutt Valley | Wellington | |||
| 1863 | Flooding | 200 | Central Otago | Otago | Floods and snowstorm | ||
| 1868 | Weather | 40 | New Zealand | Nationwide | Cyclone | Great storm of 1868 | |
| 1868 | Flooding | 9 | Totara, Waiareka Valley | Otago | |||
| 1868 | Tsunami | 1 | East coast of New Zealand | Chile | Maximum wave heights of 7m | ||
| 1877 | Tsunami | East coast of New Zealand | Chile | Maximum wave heights of 3m | |||
| 1878 | Flooding | 3 | Clutha Valley | Otago | Great Clutha flood of 1878 | ||
| 1885 | Earthquake | 3 | Paekakariki | Wellington | M 5-6 | ||
| 1886 | Volcanic | 153 | Mount Tarawera | Bay of Plenty | Death toll ranges 108–153 depending on source | 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera | |
| 1888 | Earthquake | 1 | Hanmer Springs | Canterbury | M 7+ | 1888 North Canterbury earthquake | |
| 1897 | Flooding | 12 | Clive | Hawke's Bay | |||
| 1901 | Earthquake | 1 | Cheviot | Canterbury | M 6.8 | 1901 Cheviot earthquake | |
| 1904 | Landslide | 8 | Brunner | West Coast | |||
| 1904 | Earthquake | 1 | Cape Turnagain | Manawatu | M 7 | 1904 Cape Turnagain earthquake | |
| 1913 | Earthquake | 1 | Masterton | Wellington | M 5.6 | ||
| 1914 | Landslide | 1 | Ngatapa | Gisborne | |||
| 1914 | Volcanic | 10 | White Island | Bay of Plenty | Lahar | ||
| 1914 | Earthquake | 1 | East Cape | Gisborne | M 6.6 | 1914 East Cape earthquakes | |
| 1918 | Wildfire | 3 | Raetihi | Manawatu | Raetihi Forest Fire | ||
| 1918 | Health Crisis | 8,600 | Nationwide | New Zealand | Influenza virus struck between October and December 1918 | ||
| 1923 | Landslide | 17 | Taumaranui | Manawatu | Landslide hit Auckland to Wellington express train near Taumaranui, killing 17 and injuring 30 | ||
| 1923 | Landslide | 2 | Little River | Canterbury | |||
| 1924 | Flooding | 1 | Kaiwaka | Hawke's Bay | |||
| 1924 | Landslide | 1 | Napier | Hawke's Bay | Slip happened on Shakespeare Rd. | ||
| 1924 | Tsunami | Chatham Islands | Unknown | Maximum wave heights of 6m | |||
| 1929 | Weather | 1 | East coast of New Zealand | Bay of Plenty, Otago | Cyclone, caused violent wind in northeastern North Island and flooding throughout Dunedin and coastal Otago | 1929 New Zealand cyclone | |
| 1929 | Earthquake | 17 | Murchison | Tasman | M 7.8 | 1929 Murchison earthquake | |
| 1931 | Earthquake | 256 | Napier/Hastings | Hawke's Bay | Official death toll of 256, reported death toll of 258. M 7.8 | 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake | |
| 1934 | Earthquake | 2 | Pahiatua | Manawatu | M 7.2 | 1934 Pahiatua earthquake | |
| 1936 | Weather | 12 | New Zealand | North Island | Cyclone, caused widespread flooding and destruction | 1936 New Zealand cyclone | |
| 1938 | Flooding | 21 | Kopuawhara | Hawke's Bay | Kopuawhara flash flood of 1938 | ||
| 1942 | Earthquake | 1 | Wairarapa | Wellington | M 6.9 | 1942 Wairarapa earthquakes | |
| 1942 | Weather | 1 | Kaitaia | Northland | Tornado | ||
| 1947 | Tsunami | East Coast | Gisborne | Maximum wave heights of 10m. 25 March | |||
| 1947 | Tsunami | East Coast | Gisborne | Maximum wave heights of 5m. 17 May | |||
| 1948 | Weather | 3 | Hamilton | Waikato | Tornado | ||
| 1953 | Volcanic | 151 | Tangiwai | Manawatu | Lahar destroyed rail bridge, sending train into river | Tangiwai disaster | |
| 1953 | Weather | 1 | Auckland | Auckland | Tornado | ||
| 1960 | Tsunami | East coast of New Zealand | Chile | Maximum wave heights of 4.5m | |||
| 1967 | Weather | 1 | North Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Dinah | |
| 1968 | Earthquake | 3 | Inangahua | West Coast | M 7.1 | 1968 Inangahua earthquake | |
| 1968 | Weather | 59 | North Island | North Island | Cyclone | Cyclone Giselle | |
| 1973 | Weather | 1 | Opunake | Taranaki | Tornado | ||
| 1975 | Weather | 2 | Nationwide | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Alison | |
| 1976 | Weather | 1 | Hutt Valley, Wellington | Wellington | Heavy rain caused slips and flooding | 1976 Wellington storm | |
| 1978 | Flooding | Clutha Valley | Otago | 1978 Otago flood | |||
| 1979 | Landslide | Dunedin | Otago | 69 houses destroyed | 1979 Abbotsford landslip | ||
| 1980 | Weather | 1 | Auckland | Auckland | Tornado | ||
| 1982 | Weather | 2 | Northern North Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Bernie | |
| 1984 | Flooding | Invercargill | Southland | $100,000,000+ | |||
| 1985 | Landslide | 3 | Te Aroha | Waikato | |||
| 1987 | Earthquake | 1 | Edgecumbe | Bay of Plenty | $300,000,000 | M 6.3 | 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake |
| 1988 | Weather | 7 | East Coast of North Island | North Island | $229,000,000 | Cyclone | Cyclone Bola |
| 1989 | Weather | Northland | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Delilah | ||
| 1990 | Weather | Taranaki | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Hilda | ||
| 1991 | Weather | 1 | Auckland | Auckland | Tornado | ||
| 1994 | Weather | Southwestern South Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Rewa | ||
| 1994 | Weather | Hastings | Hawke's Bay | $10,800,000 | Hailstorm | ||
| 1996 | Weather | Eastern North Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Beti | ||
| 1996 | Weather | 2 | Northern North Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Fergus | |
| 1997 | Weather | 3 | Nationwide | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Drena | |
| 1997 | Weather | North Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Gavin | ||
| 1998 | Weather | 1 | Nationwide | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Yali | |
| 2001 | Weather | 4 | Northern North Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Sose | |
| 2003 | Tsunami | Fiordland | Southland | Maximum wave heights of 5m | |||
| 2004 | Weather | 3 | Nationwide | New Zealand | $148,000,000 | A storm brought high winds, heavy rain, flooding, and slips to much of the North Island as well as the upper South Island. Manawatū-Whanganui and Wellington were particularly hard hit. Two people drowned in the sea in Wellington and one person is presumed to have drowned in the Marlborough Sounds. | |
| 2004 | Weather | 2 | Northeastern North Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Ivy | |
| 2004 | Landslide | 2 | Owira | Bay of Plenty | |||
| 2004 | Earthquake | 1 | Lake Rotomā | Bay of Plenty | M 5.4 | ||
| 2004 | Weather | 2 | Waitara | Taranaki | Tornado | ||
| 2006 | Volcanic | 1 | Raoul Island | Kermedec Islands | 2006 Raoul Island eruption | ||
| 2007 | Earthquake | 1 | Gisborne | Gisborne | $50,000,000 | M 6.7 | 2007 Gisborne earthquake |
| 2008 | Weather | North Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Funa | ||
| 2009 | Weather | 1 | Nationwide | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Innis | |
| 2009 | Health Crisis | 19 | Nationwide | New Zealand | Swine flu infects 3,175 people and results in 19 deaths | 2009 flu pandemic in New Zealand | |
| 2010 | Earthquake | 2 | Darfield | Canterbury | $4,000,000,000 | M 7.1 | 2010 Canterbury earthquake |
| 2011 | Weather | Northern North Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Wilma | ||
| 2011 | Earthquake | 185 | Christchurch | Canterbury | $42,000,000,000 | M 6.3 | 2011 Christchurch earthquake |
| 2011 | Weather | 1 | Auckland | Auckland | $6,300,000 | Tornado | |
| 2011 | Earthquake | 1 | Christchurch | Canterbury | M 6.4 | June 2011 Christchurch earthquake | |
| 2011 | Weather | Nationwide | New Zealand | Snowstorm | 2011 New Zealand snowstorms | ||
| 2011 | Earthquake | 1 | Christchurch | Canterbury | M 5.9 December aftershock | ||
| 2012 | Weather | 3 | Auckland | Auckland | Tornado | ||
| 2012 | Weather | 1 | North Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Evan | |
| 2013 | Weather | Nationwide | New Zealand | 2013 New Zealand winter storm | |||
| 2013 | Landslide | 2 | Haast Pass / Tioripatea | West Coast | |||
| 2014 | Weather | Nationwide | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Ita | ||
| 2014 | Flooding | 2 | Northland | North Island | |||
| 2014 | Earthquake | 1 | East Cape | Gisborne | M 6.5 | ||
| 2015 | Flooding | 1 | Petone | Wellington | |||
| 2015 | Flooding | South Dunedin | Otago | $138,000,000 | On 3 June 2015, heavy rain caused flooding in coastal Otago Region. South Dunedin was badly affected, with 1,200 homes and businesses damaged. | 2015 Otago flood | |
| 2016 | Health Crisis | 3 | Havelock North | Hawke's Bay | $21,000,000 | Campylobacter infected 5,200 people and caused 3 deaths | |
| 2016 | Earthquake | 2 | Kaikōura | Canterbury | $2,270,000,000 | M 7.8 | 2016 Kaikōura earthquake |
| 2017 | Wildfire | 1 | Port Hills | Canterbury | $18,300,000 | 2017 Port Hills fires | |
| 2017 | Flooding | Edgecumbe | Bay of Plenty | $91,460,000 | Cyclone | Cyclone Debbie | |
| 2017 | Weather | North Island | New Zealand | $17,200,000 | Cyclone | Cyclone Cook | |
| 2018 | Weather | Northwestern South Island | New Zealand | $45,900,000 | Cyclone | Cyclone Fehi | |
| 2018 | Weather | Northwestern South Island | New Zealand | $35,600,000 | Cyclone | Cyclone Gita | |
| 2019 | Wildfire | Pigeon Valley | Tasman | Pigeon Valley Fire | |||
| 2019 | Health Crisis | 2 | Nationwide | New Zealand | 2019 New Zealand measles outbreak | ||
| 2019 | Weather | Timaru | Canterbury | $170,000,000 | Hailstorm | ||
| 2019 | Volcanic | 22 | Whakaari / White Island | Bay of Plenty | 2019 Whakaari / White Island eruption | ||
| 2020 | Flooding | 3 | Southern South Island | Southland and Otago | $29,640,000 | ||
| 2020 | Health Crisis | 2,502 | Nationwide | New Zealand | COVID-19 infected over a million people, leading to nationwide lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. | COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand | |
| 2020 | Wildfire | Lake Ōhau | Canterbury | $35,180,000 | Lake Ōhau Fire | ||
| 2020 | Flooding | Napier | Hawke's Bay | $87,720,000 | |||
| 2021 | Flooding | Canterbury Plains | Canterbury | $46,440,000 | |||
| 2021 | Weather | 1 | Auckland | Auckland | $32,000,000 | Tornado | |
| 2021 | Flooding | Northern South Island | Buller District, Tasman District, and Marlborough Region | $140,470,000 | Heavy rain in July 2021 caused flooding and evacuations in the West Coast and other South Island regions. | 2021 central New Zealand floods | |
| 2021 | Flooding | 1 | Auckland | Auckland | $62,290,000 | Heavy rain caused widespread flooding and slips in western Auckland. One person drowned in floodwaters. | |
| 2022 | Tsunami | Northern North Island | Tonga | $5,930,000 | A tsunami from the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption caused a 1.33 meter tsunami at Great Barrier Island. | ||
| 2022 | Weather | North Island | New Zealand | $54,840,000 | Cyclone | Cyclone Dovi | |
| 2022 | Weather | 5 | North Island | New Zealand | $119,640,000 | A low-pressure system caused severe thunderstorms and flooding in Auckland and Gisborne. Five people died when their boat capsized. | |
| 2022 | Weather | 1 | North Island | New Zealand | $11,050,000 | Thunderstorms and strong winds crossed the North Island. A tornado in Levin caused damage, and a woman died in Cambridge when a tree fell on her. | |
| 2022 | Flooding | Nationwide | New Zealand | $67,840,000 | Heavy rain in August led to widespread evacuations, flooding, and landslides in many regions. | 2022 New Zealand floods | |
| 2023 | Weather | 1 | North Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Hale | |
| 2023 | Flooding | 4 | Northern North Island | New Zealand | At least $1,300,000,000 | From January 27 to February 2, huge floods hit Auckland, Northland, and Waikato. Auckland was the worst affected, with record rainfall. | 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods |
| 2023 | Weather | 11 | North Island | New Zealand | Estimated $13,000,000,000 | From February 12 to 15, Cyclone Gabrielle caused major damage and flooding across the North Island. A national state of emergency was declared. | Cyclone Gabrielle |
| 2023 | Weather | Auckland, Tasman, Kapiti and Taranaki | New Zealand | In April, four strong tornadoes struck, damaging over 60 homes and injuring several people. | |||
| 2023 | Flooding | 1 | Northern North Island and Northern South Island | New Zealand | On May 9, a state of emergency was declared in Auckland due to heavy flooding. A student was swept away in floodwaters. | ||
| 2023 | Flooding | Gisborne | New Zealand | Heavy rains in June caused over 130 people to be evacuated and a state of emergency in Gisborne. | |||
| 2023 | Flooding | Southland Region and Otago | New Zealand | Heavy rain in September caused flooding in Southland and Otago, including Gore and Queenstown. | 2023 southern New Zealand floods | ||
| 2024 | Wildfire | Port Hills | Canterbury | A wildfire broke out on February 14, leading to evacuations and a state of emergency. | 2024 Port Hills fire | ||
| 2024 | Wildfire | Weka Pass | Canterbury | A wildfire started on February 18, causing homes in Waipara to be evacuated. |
See also
- List of disasters in New Zealand by death toll
- List of natural disasters in Australia
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