List of natural disasters in New Zealand

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This list of natural disasters in New Zealand documents notable natural disasters and epidemics that have occurred in New Zealand since 1843. Of these natural disasters, the 1918 flu pandemic resulted in the highest loss of life with 8,600 deaths in New Zealand. [1] [2]

Notable natural disasters[]

Colour blue scheme used in this table:
Earthquake
Flooding
Health Crisis
Landslide
Tsunami
Volcanic eruption
Weather
Wildfires
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 [3]
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 [4]
1858 Flooding 14 Hutt Valley Wellington
1863 Flooding 200 Central Otago Otago Floods and snowstorm
1868 Flooding 9 Totara, Waiareka Valley Otago
1868 Tsunami 1 East coast of New Zealand Chile Maximum wave heights of 7m [5]
1877 Tsunami East coast of New Zealand Chile Maximum wave heights of 3m [6]
1878 Flooding 3 Clutha Valley Otago Great Clutha flood of 1878[7]
1885 Earthquake 3 Paekakariki Wellington M 5-6 [8]
1886 Volcanic 153 Mount Tarawera Bay of Plenty Death toll ranges 108–153 depending on source
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 [9]
1904 Earthquake 1 Cape Turnagain Manawatu M 7 1904 Cape Turnagain earthquake
1913 Earthquake 1 Masterton Wellington M 5.6 [8]
1914 Landslide 1 Ngatapa Gisborne [10]
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 [11]
1923 Landslide 17 Taumaranui Manawatu Landslide hit Auckland to Wellington express train near Taumaranui, killing 17 and injuring 30 [3]
1923 Landslide 2 Little River Canterbury [12]
1924 Flooding 1 Kaiwaka Hawke's Bay [13]
1924 Landslide 1 Napier Hawke's Bay Slip happened on Shakespeare Rd. [13]
1924 Tsunami Chatham Islands Unknown Maximum wave heights of 6m [14]
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
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 [15]
1947 Tsunami East Coast Gisborne Maximum wave heights of 10m. 25 March [16]
1947 Tsunami East Coast Gisborne Maximum wave heights of 5m. 17 May [16]
1948 Weather 3 Hamilton Waikato Tornado [17]
1953 Volcanic 151 Tangiwai Manawatu Lahar destroyed rail bridge, sending train into river Tangiwai disaster
1953 Weather 1 Auckland Auckland Tornado [18]
1960 Tsunami East coast of New Zealand Chile Maximum wave heights of 4.5m [19]
1968 Earthquake 3 Inangahua West Coast M 7.1 1968 Inangahua earthquake
1968 Weather 59[a] [20] North Island North Island Cyclone Cyclone Giselle
1973 Weather 1 Opunake Taranaki Tornado [21]
1978 Flooding Clutha Valley Otago 1978 Otago flood
1979 Landslide Dunedin Otago 69 houses destroyed 1979 Abbotsford landslip
1980 Weather 1 Auckland Auckland Tornado [18]
1984 Flooding Invercargill Southland $100,000,000+[22]
1985 Landslide 3 Te Aroha Waikato [23]
1987 Earthquake 1 Edgecumbe Bay of Plenty $300,000,000[24] M 6.3 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake
1988 Weather 3 East Coast of North Island North Island $229,000,000 Cyclone Cyclone Bola
1991 Weather 1 Auckland Auckland Tornado [25]
1996 Weather Northern North Island New Zealand Cyclone Cyclone Fergus
1997 Weather 3 Nationwide New Zealand Cyclone Cyclone Drena
1998 Weather 1 Nationwide New Zealand Cyclone Cyclone Yali
2001 Weather 3 Northern North Island New Zealand Cyclone Cyclone Sose
2003 Tsunami Fiordland Southland Maximum wave heights of 5m [26]
2004 Weather 2 Northeastern North Island New Zealand Cyclone Cyclone Ivy
2004 Landslide 2 Owira Bay of Plenty [27]
2004 Earthquake 1 Lake Rotomā Bay of Plenty M 5.4 [28][29]
2004 Weather 2 Waitara Taranaki Tornado [17]
2006 Volcanic 1 Raoul Island Kermedec Islands 2006 Raoul Island eruption
2007 Earthquake 1 Gisborne Gisborne $50,000,000[30] M 6.7 2007 Gisborne earthquake
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 [17]
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 [8]
2012 Weather 3 Auckland Auckland Tornado [31]
2013 Weather Nationwide New Zealand 2013 New Zealand winter storm
2013 Landslide 2 Haast Pass West Coast [32]
2014 Weather Northern South Island New Zealand Cyclone Cyclone Lusi
2014 Weather Nationwide New Zealand Cyclone Cyclone Ita
2014 Flooding 2 Northland North Island
2014 Earthquake 1 East Cape Gisborne M 6.5 [8]
2015 Flooding 1 Petone Wellington [33]
2015 Flooding South Dunedin Otago $138,000,000 ($12 million insurance payouts, $64 million economic damage, $18 million social damage)[34] On 3 June 2015, a low weather system brought heavy rain to the coastal Otago Region. South Dunedin experienced heavy flooding, which was exacerbated by the area's high water table and the breakdown of the Portobello pumping station. 1,200 homes and businesses were damaged by flood damage. The Dunedin City Council drew criticism for the poor state of storm water infrastructure. [34][35]
2016 Health Crisis 3 Havelock North Hawke's Bay $21,000,000[36] Campylobacter infects 5,200 people and results in 3 deaths [37]
2016 Earthquake 2 Kaikoura Canterbury $2,030,000,000[38] M 7.8 2016 Kaikoura earthquake
2017 Wildfire 1 Port Hills Canterbury 2017 Port Hills fires
2017 Flooding Edgecumbe Bay of Plenty Cyclone Cyclone Debbie
2017 Weather North Island New Zealand Cyclone Cyclone Cook
2018 Weather Northwestern South Island New Zealand $39,000,000[39] Cyclone Cyclone Fehi
2018 Weather Northwestern South Island New Zealand Cyclone Cyclone Gita
2019 Wildfire Pigeon Valley Tasman and Nelson Pigeon Valley Fire
2019 Health Crisis 2 Nationwide New Zealand 2019 New Zealand measles outbreak
2019 Weather Timaru Canterbury $170,000,000 Hailstorm [40]
2019 Volcanic 22 White Island Bay of Plenty 2019 White Island eruption
2020 Flooding 3 Southern South Island Southland and Otago [41][42]
2020 Health Crisis 44 Nationwide New Zealand COVID-19 infects 11,353 people leading to nationwide lockdowns in late March 2020 and August 2021 and an Auckland wide lock down in August 2020.[43][44] COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
2020 Wildfire Lake Ōhau Canterbury $34,800,000 Lake Ōhau Fire
2021 Flooding Canterbury Plains Canterbury $43,800,000[45] [46]
2021 Weather 1 Auckland Auckland Tornado [47]
2021 Flooding Northern South Island Buller District, Tasman District, and Marlborough Region Torrential rain in mid-July 2021 has led to flooding in the West Coast's Buller District, Tasman District, and Marlborough regions of the South Island, prompting evacuations of residents and state of emergency.[48][49][50] 2021 New Zealand floods
2021 Flooding Gisborne District North Island Several areas in the Gisborne District received 220 mm of rain on 4 November, prompting local authorities to declare a state of emergency. Tikitiki, Tokomaru Bay, Rototahi, Ruatoria, and Wairoa experienced flooding. A total of 16 landslides were reported in the region and residents were evacuated from Sponge Bay, Kaiti and Ferguson Bay. Civil defence forces were deployed and emergency shelters were set up. [51][52]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ 53 on TEV Wahine and 6 elsewhere in the country

References[]

  1. ^ Rice, Geoffrey. Black November : the 1918 influenza pandemic in New Zealand. Bryder, Linda (Second edition, revised and enlarged ed.). Christchurch, N.Z. ISBN 9781927145913. OCLC 960210402.
  2. ^ Noted. "1918 flu centenary: How to survive a pandemic". Noted. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b "5. Notable New Zealand landslides – Landslides – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand". Teara.govt.nz. 8 August 1979. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
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  8. ^ a b c d Abeling, S.; Horspool, N.; Johnston, D.; Dizhur, D.; Wilson, N.; Clement, C.; Ingham, J. (2020). "Patterns of earthquake-related mortality at a whole-country level: New Zealand, 1840–2017". Earthquake Spectra. 36 (1): 138–163. doi:10.1177/8755293019878190. S2CID 203996710.
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  12. ^ "January 1923 Canterbury and Tasman-Nelson Flooding - HWE". Hwe.niwa.co.nz. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  13. ^ a b "March 1924 Hawke's Bay Flooding - HWE". Hwe.niwa.co.nz. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
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  15. ^ "August 1942 New Zealand High Winds - HWE". Hwe.niwa.co.nz. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  16. ^ a b "Gisborne tsunami, 25 March and 17 May 1947 - Tsunami - GeoNet". Info.geonet.org.nz. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  17. ^ a b c "Tornadoes in New Zealand - FAQs". NIWA.co.nz. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  18. ^ a b "New Zealand Historic Weather Events Catalog". Hwe.niwa.co.nz. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
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  20. ^ "April 1968 New Zealand Ex-tropical Cyclone Giselle ( 1968-04-09 )". hwe.niwa.co.nz. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
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  33. ^ "Man found dead in Wellington floods". NZ City. 14 May 2015. Archived from the original on 26 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
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