List of disasters in New Zealand by death toll

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This is a list of New Zealand disasters by death toll, listing major peacetime disasters which occurred in New Zealand and its territories or involved a significant number of New Zealand citizens, in a specific incident, where the loss of life was 10 or more.

100 or more deaths

More information Deaths, Name ...
DeathsNameTypeDateLocationNotes
257 Air New Zealand Flight 901 Airliner accident 28 November 1979 Mount Erebus, Ross Island, Antarctica Controlled flight into terrain
256[1][2] 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake Earthquake 3 February 1931 20 km north of Napier
200+ 1820s Southland tsunami Tsunami 1820s Orepuki beach Possibly more than 200 killed
189 HMS Orpheus Shipwreck 7 February 1863 Off Manukau Heads, near Auckland
185[3] 2011 Christchurch earthquake Earthquake 22 February 2011 Christchurch
151 Tangiwai disaster Railway derailment due to a lahar damaging a bridge 24 December 1953 Whangaehu River
135+[4] 1st Little Waihi landslide Landslide 1780 Waihi Village
131 SS Tararua Shipwreck 29 April 1881 Off Waipapa Point
121 SS Wairarapa Shipwreck 29 October 1894 Off Great Barrier Island
108–153[5][6] 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera Volcanic eruption 10 June 1886 Mount Tarawera
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50 to 99 deaths

More information Deaths, Name or description ...
Deaths Name or description Type Date Location Notes
87 Fiery Star Shipwreck 11 May 1865 240 km off the Chatham Islands
75 SS Penguin Shipwreck 12 February 1909 Off Cape Terawhiti
68[7] General Grant Shipwreck May 1866 Auckland Island 10 castaways survived the wreck and were successfully rescued.
65[8] Brunner Mine disaster Mine explosion 26 March 1896 Brunner
65[9] 2nd Little Waihi Landslide Landslide 7 May 1846 Waihi Village Tribal leader Mananui Te Heuheu Tukino II and most of his family were killed in the landslide[10]
53[11] TEV Wahine Shipwreck 10 April 1968 Barrett Reef, Wellington Harbour
52 City of Dunedin Shipwreck 20 May 1865 Off Cape Terawhiti There are estimates of between 250 and 600 passengers perishing, but these reports were 20 or more years later
51+ Blizzard and Flood of 1863 Floods and blizzards July 1863 – August 1863 Central Otago goldfields The actual death toll was probably higher because of the transient nature of the miners and the ruggedness of the country
51 Christchurch mosque shootings Terrorist attack 15 March 2019 Christchurch
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10 to 49 deaths

More information Deaths, Name or description ...
Deaths Name or description Type Date Location Notes
49 Featherston Prisoner of war camp riot Riot 25 February 1943 Featherston
45 SS Elingamite Shipwreck 9 November 1902 Off West Island in the Three Kings Islands
43 Ralph Mine disaster Mine explosion 12 September 1914 Huntly Methane and coal dust explosion[12]
41 Ballantynes fire Fire 18 November 1947 Christchurch
40+[13][14] Great storm of 1868, flash floods and 12 shipwrecks Storm 3 February 1868 Predominantly eastern areas of New Zealand Death toll likely understated as impact on many Māori unknown
37 Seacliff Lunatic Asylum Fire 8 December 1942 Seacliff
34 Kaitangata Mine disaster Mine explosion 21 February 1879 Kaitangata Explosion of fire-damp (methane)
34[13][15] SS Taiaroa Shipwreck 11 April 1886 Waiau Toa / Clarence River mouth
34[16] Dunedin Shipwreck (presumed) 1890 Between Oamaru and London
30 Marlborough Shipwreck (presumed) 1890 Between Lyttelton and London
29[17] MV Kaitawa Shipwreck 23 May 1966 Near Pandora Bank, Cape Reinga
29 Pike River Mine disaster Mine explosion 19 November 2010 Northwest of Greymouth Large methane explosion[18]
26 Barque Maria Shipwreck[15] 1851 Cape Terawhiti
25+[19][20] Storm of 1897 Floods and shipwreck 16 April 1897 North Island Flooding at Clive, boating accidents, and the wreck of the Zuleika near Cape Palliser. 25 confirmed deaths and 6 unconfirmed
25[21][22] MV Joyita Ghost ship October 1955 En route from Apia, Samoa to Tokelau
24[23] Assaye Shipwreck (presumed) 1890 Between London and Wellington; wreckage washed up at the Chatham Islands 7 months after the ship left London
23 New Zealand National Airways Corporation Flight 441 Air accident 3 July 1963 Kaimai Ranges
22[24] launch Ranui Shipwreck 30 December 1950 Off Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty
22 2019 Whakaari/White Island eruption Volcanic eruption 9 December 2019 Whakaari/White Island
21[25][26] Brigantine Sophia Pate Shipwreck August 1841 Kaipara Harbour
21[27] Kopuawhara flash flood of 1938 Flood 19 February 1938 Destroyed the Kopuawhara railway workers camp
21 Hyde railway disaster Rail accident 4 June 1943 Near Hyde
20+[28] Tsunami from 1868 Arica earthquake Tsunami 13 August 1868 Chatham Islands
20[15] Schooner St. Vincent Shipwreck 14 February 1869 Palliser Bay
20[29] RNZAF Douglas C-47 disappearance Air accident 24 September 1945 En route from Vanuatu
19[30] Strongman Mine Mine explosion 19 January 1967 Near Greymouth
18[31] Canoe on Lake Rotorua Boating accident 16 April 1870 Near Mokoia Island on Lake Rotorua
18[32] Clyde Shipwreck 6 November 1884 Horseshoe Bay, near Akaroa, Banks Peninsula
18[33] Canoe on Motu River Boating accident 4 August 1900 Motu River – 25 miles from Opotiki[34] There were 16 children and 2 adults in the six person canoe
18[35] Ketch Enterprise and steamer Tauranga Shipwreck 23 July 1870 Between Cape Rodney and Sail Rock, Hauraki Gulf Those lost — fourteen crew and four passengers — all came from the Tauranga. The crew of the Enterprise survived in the ship's longboat.[36]
18[37] Lastingham Shipwreck 1 September 1884 Cape Jackson, Cook Strait
17 Ongarue railway disaster Rail accident[13] 6 July 1923 Ongarue
17[38] 1929 Murchison earthquake Earthquake 17 June 1929 Murchison
16[39] 1943 Liberator crash at Whenuapai Air accident 2 August 1943 Whenuapai Those killed were mainly Japanese civilians who were being repatriated in a prisoner exchange.
16[40] Capitaine Bougainville Shipwreck 3 September 1975 Whananaki
15[13] Lockheed Lodestar airliner crash Air accident 18 March 1949 Near Waikanae
15[41] MV Holmglen Shipwreck 24 November 1959 Near Timaru
15[42] Brynderwyns bus accident Road accident 7 February 1963 Brynderwyn Hills
15[43] Derry Castle Shipwreck 20 March 1887 Enderby Island, Auckland Islands
14[44][45] Hutt River flood Floods 17 January 1858 Hutt Valley
14[46] Two Hudson bombers lost off the New Zealand coast Air accident 21 August 1944 En route from Fiji No. 4 Squadron RNZAF
14[47] Aramoana massacre Spree killing 13 November 1990 Aramoana, near Dunedin
14 Cave Creek disaster Structural failure 28 April 1995 Paparoa National Park
13[15] Tasmania Shipwreck 1897 Māhia Peninsula
13[48] SS Ventnor Shipwreck 28 October 1902 Off Omapere, Hokianga
13 NAC Electra air crash Air accident 23 October 1948 On Mount Ruapehu
12[49] L'Alcmène Shipwreck 3 June 1851 Baylys Beach, Kaipara A French navy corvette
12[50] Ferry Pride of the Yarra and paddle steamer Favourite Collision 6 July 1863 Otago Harbour
12[51] Cafe Chantant fire, The Octagon, Dunedin Fire 8 September 1879 Dunedin
12[52] Barque Lizzie Bell Shipwreck 24 July 1901 Waimate, Taranaki
12[53] Barque Dundonald Shipwreck 7 March 1907 Disappointment Island, Auckland Islands
12[54][55] Brigantine Rio Loge Shipwreck (presumed) January 1909 Last seen in Cook Strait on 14 January, en route from Kaipara to Dunedin May have caused the wreck of the Penguin a month later.[56]
12[57] Cyclone of 1936 Storm 1 February 1936 North Island and upper South Island A tropical cyclone that originated near the Solomon Islands
11[58] Glen Afton No. 1 mine Coal mine fire 24 September 1939 Huntly 11 miners, including the mine manager, died from carbon monoxide asphyxia
11[59] B17 bomber crash Air accident 12 June 1942 RNZAF Base Auckland at Whenuapai
11[60] 2012 Carterton hot air balloon crash Air accident 7 January 2012 Near Carterton
11[61] Cyclone Gabrielle Cyclone 12 February 2023–16 February 2023 North Island and northern South Island
10[62] Shamrock sailing boat Shipwreck 1834 Queen Charlotte Sound Capsized and sank. Exact location unknown.
10[63] Brig Australia Shipwreck 23 May 1873 Off Cape Campbell
10 White Island sulphur mine Lahar following volcano crater wall collapse 10 September 1914 Whakaari/White Island No bodies found.[64][65]
10[66] Husky and Argo lost to storm in yacht race Shipwrecks 21 January 1951 Between Wellington and Christchurch
10[67] Aspiring Air Britten-Norman Islander, collided with terrain Air crash 8 August 1989 Upper Dart Valley
10 January 2026 New Zealand storms Weather 15 January 2026–24 January 2026 Upper North Island Landslides and flooding
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NOTE: The exact number of deaths in some early New Zealand shipwrecks is not fully recorded. There may be several shipwrecks not listed here which claimed ten or more lives.

Significant incidents resulting in fewer than 10 deaths

More information Deaths, Name or description ...
Deaths Name or description Type Date Location Notes
9 1855 Wairarapa earthquake Earthquake 23 January 1855 Lake Wairarapa
9 2010 Fox Glacier FU-24 crash Air accident 4 September 2010 Fox Glacier
7 1941 Kowhitirangi shootings Spree killing 8 October 1941–9 October 1941 Kowhitirangi, near Hokitika Four police officers and three civilians killed
7 Cyclone Bola Cyclone 6 March 1988–12 March 1988 North Island
7 Mangatepopo Canyon disaster Flood 15 April 2008 Tongariro National Park
7 2015 Fox Glacier helicopter crash Air accident 21 November 2015 Fox Glacier
6 Raurimu massacre Spree killing 8 February 1997 Raurimu
5 Loafers Lodge fire Fire 16 May 2023 Newtown, Wellington Determined to be arson
4 Ansett New Zealand Flight 703 Air accident 9 June 1995 Tararua Range, near Palmerston North
4 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods Flood 27 January 2023–2 February 2023 Upper North Island
3 1968 Inangahua earthquake Earthquake 24 May 1968 Near Inangahua Junction
3 2023 Auckland shooting Shooting 20 July 2023 Auckland CBD
2 1966 Air New Zealand DC-8 crash Air accident 4 July 1966 Near Auckland Airport
2 Air New Zealand Flight 4374 Air accident 17 February 1979 Near Auckland Airport
2 Airwork Flight 23 Air accident 3 May 2005 Near Stratford
2 2010 Canterbury earthquake Earthquake 4 September 2010 Near Darfield
2 2016 Kaikōura earthquake Earthquake 14 November 2016 Near Waiau
1 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake Earthquake 2 March 1987 Near Edgecumbe
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Pandemics and health crises

More information Deaths, Description ...
Deaths Description Date Location Notes
8,600 1918 flu pandemic 1918 October–December Nationwide [68]
4,624[69] COVID-19 pandemic 2020 February–ongoing Nationwide Total deaths attributed to COVID-19 as at 13 April 2025.[69] (Statistics updated weekly.)
757 HIV/AIDS pandemic 1983–ongoing Nationwide As of 2023.[70]
69 2009 swine flu pandemic 2009 April–September Nationwide [71]
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Significant incidents of New Zealanders being killed overseas

More information Confirmed Deaths, Name ...
Confirmed Deaths Name Type Date Location Notes
470[72] Cospatrick Ship lost to fire 17 November 1874 640 km south-west of the Cape of Good Hope, en route to Auckland Only 3 people survived
100[73] The Trevelyan (immigrant ship en route from Glasgow) Storm 3 June 1888 Presumed foundered off the South African coast, en route to Port Chalmers, New Zealand
89[74] Knowsley Hall Shipwreck (presumed) 1879 Between London and Lyttelton
79[75] Matoaka Shipwreck (presumed) 1869 Between Lyttelton and London
20[76] Pan Am Flight 816 Air accident 22 July 1973 Papeete, French Polynesia From list of passengers from Auckland
15[77] 1943 RNZAF Catalina crash Air accident 5 June 1943 South of Fiji
14[78][79] Pan Am Flight 806 Air accident 30 January 1974 Pago Pago, American Samoa Only New Zealand deaths listed
12[80] 1945 RNZAF Catalina crash Air accident 27 January 1945 Off Beqa, Fiji
10[81] Bere Ferrers rail accident, train hit NZ troops on tracks by platform Train accident 24 September 1917 Bere Ferrers, Devon, UK
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See also

References

External links

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