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 pink 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 | 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 | [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 | 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 | [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 | Ongarue railway disaster[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 | |
| 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 | [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 | $65,434,000 (2010 dollars) | Tornado | [17][18] |
| 1953 | Volcanic | 151 | Tangiwai | Manawatu | Lahar destroyed rail bridge, sending train into river | Tangiwai disaster | |
| 1953 | Weather | 1 | Auckland | Auckland | Tornado | [19] | |
| 1960 | Tsunami | East coast of New Zealand | Chile | Maximum wave heights of 4.5m | [20] | ||
| 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[a][21] | North Island | North Island | Cyclone | Cyclone Giselle | |
| 1973 | Weather | 1 | Opunake | Taranaki | Tornado | [22] | |
| 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 | [19] | |
| 1982 | Weather | 2 | Northern North Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Bernie | |
| 1984 | Flooding | Invercargill | Southland | $100,000,000+[23] | 1984 Southland floods | ||
| 1985 | Landslide | 3 | Te Aroha | Waikato | [24] | ||
| 1987 | Earthquake | 1 | Edgecumbe | Bay of Plenty | $300,000,000[25] | 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 | [26] | |
| 1994 | Weather | Southwestern South Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Rewa | ||
| 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 | Earthquake | Fiordland | Southland | MS 7.2 | 2003 Fiordland earthquake[27] | ||
| 2004 | Weather | 3 | Nationwide | New Zealand | $148,000,000[28] | 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. | [29] |
| 2004 | Weather | 2 | Northeastern North Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Ivy | |
| 2004 | Landslide | 2 | Owira | Bay of Plenty | [30] | ||
| 2004 | Earthquake | 1 | Lake Rotomā | Bay of Plenty | M 5.4 | [31][32] | |
| 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[33] | M 6.7 | 2007 Gisborne earthquake |
| 2008 | Weather | North Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Funa | ||
| 2008 | Flooding | 7 | Mangatepopo stream | Manawatū-Whanganui | A flash flood killed 6 students and 1 teacher from Elim Christian College who were at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre during a gorge trip. | Mangatepopo Canyon disaster | |
| 2009 | Weather | 1 | Nationwide | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Innis | |
| 2009 | Health Crisis | 69 | Nationwide | New Zealand | Swine flu infects 3,175 people and results in 69 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 | [34] | |
| 2012 | Weather | 1 | North Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Evan | |
| 2013 | Weather | Nationwide | New Zealand | 2013 New Zealand winter storm | |||
| 2013 | Earthquake | 1 | Seddon | Marlborough | M 6.5 | 2013 Seddon earthquake | |
| 2013 | Earthquake | 1 | Lake Grassmere | Marlborough | M 6.6 | 2013 Lake Grassmere earthquake | |
| 2013 | Landslide | 2 | Haast Pass / Tioripatea | West Coast | [35] | ||
| 2014 | Earthquake | 1 | Eketāhuna | Manawatū-Whanganui | M 6.2 | 2014 Eketāhuna earthquake | |
| 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 | [36] | ||
| 2015 | Flooding | South Dunedin | Otago | $138,000,000 [37] | 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.[37][38] | 2015 Otago flood | |
| 2016 | Health Crisis | 3 | Havelock North | Hawke's Bay | $21,000,000[39] | Campylobacter infects 5,200 people and results in 3 deaths | [40] |
| 2016 | Earthquake | 2 | Kaikōura | Canterbury | $2,270,000,000[28] | M 7.8 | 2016 Kaikōura earthquake |
| 2017 | Wildfire | 1 | Port Hills | Canterbury | $18,300,000[28] | 2017 Port Hills fires | |
| 2017 | Flooding | Edgecumbe | Bay of Plenty | $91,460,000[28] | Cyclone | Cyclone Debbie | |
| 2017 | Weather | North Island | New Zealand | $17,200,000[28] | Cyclone | Cyclone Cook | |
| 2018 | Weather | Northwestern South Island | New Zealand | $45,900,000[28] | Cyclone | Cyclone Fehi | |
| 2018 | Weather | Northwestern South Island | New Zealand | $35,600,000[28] | 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 Timaru hailstorm[41] | |
| 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[28] | [42][43] | |
| 2020 | Health Crisis | 3,944 | Nationwide | New Zealand | COVID-19 leads to nationwide lockdowns in late March 2020 and August 2021 and an Auckland-wide lockdown in August 2020. Over a million people get infected.[44][45] | COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand | |
| 2020 | Wildfire | Lake Ōhau | Canterbury | $35,180,000[28] | Lake Ōhau Fire | ||
| 2021 | Weather | 1 | Auckland | Auckland | $32,000,000[28] | Tornado | [46] |
| 2021 | Flooding | Northern South Island | Buller District, Tasman District, and Marlborough Region | $140,470,000[47] | Torrential rain in mid-July 2021 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] The extreme rain event of 15–18 July brought over 690 mm (27 in) of rain to parts of the West Coast Region in under 72 hours.[51] | 2021 central New Zealand floods | |
| 2021 | Flooding | 1 | Auckland | Auckland | $62,290,000[28] | Heavy rainfall caused extensive flooding and slips in western Auckland. One person drowned in floodwaters in the suburb of Henderson. | [52] |
| 2022 | Tsunami | Northern North Island | Tonga | $5,930,000[28] | The tsunami from the eruption of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai caused a 1.33 metre tsunami at Great Barrier Island, while millions dollars of damage was done at a marina in Tutukaka. | [53][54] | |
| 2022 | Weather | North Island | New Zealand | $54,840,000[28] | Cyclone | Cyclone Dovi | |
| 2022 | Weather | 5 | North Island | New Zealand | $119,640,000[28] | A low-pressure system that migrated across the North Island from the Tasman Sea to off East Cape caused severe thunderstorms and extensive flooding in the Auckland and Gisborne regions. Five people were killed when their boat capsized off North Cape in the stormy weather. | [55][56][57] |
| 2022 | Weather | 1 | North Island | New Zealand | $11,050,000[28] | A line of thunderstorms accompanied by gale-force winds passed across the North Island. A tornado in Levin caused extensive damage, while in Cambridge a woman was killed after a tree fell on her. | [58] |
| 2022 | Flooding | Nationwide | New Zealand | $67,840,000[28] | Heavy persistent rain in mid-August led to widespread evacuations, flooding, and landslides in Nelson, Tasman, Marlborough, West Coast, Northland, Taranaki, and Wellington.[59][60][61] | 2022 New Zealand floods | |
| 2023 | Weather | 1[b] | North Island | New Zealand | Cyclone | Cyclone Hale | |
| 2023 | Flooding | 4 | Northern North Island | New Zealand | At least $1,300,000,000 | From 27 January to 2 February, catastrophic floods occurred in the Auckland, Northland and Waikato regions which resulted in states of emergency, with Auckland being the worst affected. NIWA reported a record breaking 160.6 millimetres (10 in) of rainfall across the city in a span of 3 hours.[62] | 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods |
| 2023 | Weather | 15 | North Island | New Zealand | Estimated $13,000,000,000 | From Sunday 12 February to Wednesday 15 February, Cyclone Gabrielle struck the North Island, resulting in significant damage and flooding, and a national state of emergency being declared, the third time in the nation's history. | Cyclone Gabrielle |
| 2023 | Flooding | 1 | Northern North Island and Northern South Island | New Zealand | On Tuesday 9 May, a state of emergency was declared in Auckland after torrential rains caused severe flooding. There were also impacts in Northland, Waikato, and Bay of Plenty. A school student was swept away in floodwaters on a field trip to the Abbey Caves. Additionally a few days prior on Saturday 6 May parts of the upper South Island were evacuated due major flooding.[63] | [64][65][66] | |
| 2023 | Flooding | Southland Region and Otago | New Zealand | Heavy rain on 21 September caused flooding in several places across the Southland and Otago regions including Gore and Queenstown. 100 homes were evacuated in Queenstown and Tuatapere's water treatment plant was damaged. A state of emergency was declared in the Southland Region.[67][68] | 2023 southern New Zealand floods | ||
| 2024 | Wildfire | Port Hills | Canterbury | A wildfire broke out on 14 February, seven years and one day since the 2017 Port Hills fires. A state of emergency was declared, with evacuations of residential properties.[69] | 2024 Port Hills fire | ||
| 2024 | Flooding | Hastings and Wairoa | Gisborne District and Hawke's Bay | Torrential rain leads to flooding in the East Coast regions, resulting in evacuations and local states of emergency being declared in Hastings and Wairoa.[70] 400 properties were flooded in Wairoa.[71] Wairoa sustained NZ$40 million worth of flood damage.[72] | 2024 East Coast floods | ||
| 2024 | Flooding | Dunedin, North Otago and the Clutha District | Coastal Otago | NZ$33.8 million in insurance claims[73] | Heavy rainfall leads to significant flooding and lanslides in the coastal Otago region.[74] States of emergency were declared by local authorities in Dunedin and the Clutha District on 3 and 4 October.[75][76] The flood event damaged 50 homes, businesses, farms, roads, water treatment plants in the coastal Otago region.[77][78][76] | 2024 Otago floods | |
| 2025 | Weather | North Island | New Zealand | $51,390,000[28] | Cyclone | Cyclone Tam | |
| 2025 | Flooding | Selwyn District and Wellington | Canterbury and Wellington Regions | In response to heavy rainfall and flooding, a state of emergency was declared in the Selwyn District on 1 May 2025. The Banks peninsula was also cut off due to flooding.[79] That same day, strong winds, large tides and wet weather led MetService to issue a red wind warning, and Wellington City Council encouraged residents in Ōwhiro Bay to self-evacuate.[80] In addition, all flights in and out of Wellington International Airport were cancelled due to strong winds.[81] Following torrential rain and flooding, a state of emergency was declared in Christchurch. Homes were also evacuated in the Selwyn District and Akaroa due to flooding.[80] | May 2025 New Zealand storm | ||
| 2025 | Flooding | 1[82] | Nelson, Tasman District and Marlborough District | Severe wet weather affected the Tasman, Nelson and Marlborough Districts of New Zealand's South Island in late June 2025. On 26 June, a state of emergency was declared in the Wairau-Awatere Ward of Marlborough due to heavy rain and flooding.[83][84] By 27 June, another state of emergency was declared in Nelson and the Tasman due to heavy rain and flooding.[84][85] The wet weather caused serious flooding in Spring Creek and Motueka, displaced several residents in the Marlborough and Tasman Districts, and disrupted flights.[86][87] | Winter 2025 New Zealand floods | ||
| 2025 | Weather | 1[88] | Nationwide | All of the South Island, Hawke's Bay, Wellington Region, Tararua District | 7,000 insurance claims, with FMG Insurance estimating NZ$28 million in wind damage in Southland and Otago.[89] $2.39 million worth of damage to infrastructure and property in Invercargill.[90] | High winds struck the southern part of the North Island, Hawkes Bay and large parts of the South Island on the 20th of October causing power outages and red weather warnings. Flights were cancelled at Wellington airport before being resumed and some buildings were damaged in Wellington. A man was killed by a tree in Mount Victoria, Wellington.[91] Strong winds also caused several fires in Kaikōura and the Hawkes Bay.[92][93] On 23 September, severe winds struck Canterbury, Otago and Southland, resulting in significant damage to buildings and power infrastructure.[94][95][96] States of emergency were declared in Canterbury, the Clutha District and Southland due to widespread storm damage.[97][98][99] | October 2025 New Zealand storms |
| 2026 | Weather | 10 | North Island | Northland Region, Auckland Region Bay of Plenty Region, Gisborne District | Beginning on 15 January 2026, a series of storm systems brought severe weather to the upper North Island of New Zealand, peaking with the passage of the remnants of Tropical Disturbance 05F (previously known as Tropical Low 14U while it was in the Australian region) across the upper North Island on 21 and 22 January.[100] During this period, one man died after being swept away near Warkworth,[101], two people died after a landslide hit a house in Papamoa,[102], six people were killed by a landslide at a campground in Mount Maunganui.[103]and another man drowned after falling off his boat.[104] States of emergency were also declared in the Whangarei, Thames-Coromandel Districts and the Bay of Plenty Region.[105][106][107] | January 2026 New Zealand storms | |
| 2026 | Weather | 1 | Nationwide | New Zealand | A wet weather systems brings heavy rain, flash flooding and land slips to parts of the North and South Islands in mid-February 2026. States of emergency are declared in the Ōtorohanga, Waipā , Tararua, Manawatū, Rangitīkei Districts and Banks Peninsula.[108][109][110][111][112] Plane, ferry, train and road travel is disrupted in several districts in both islands.[110][111] One man is killed after his car is submerged at Puketotara on State Highway 93 on 14 February.[113] | February 2026 New Zealand storms | |
| 2026 | Weather | 0 | North Island | Northland, Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay | Cyclone Vaianu (2026) | ||
| 2026 | Weather | 1 [114] | North Island | State of emergency declared in Wellington after 77mm of rain falls causing damage to homes and evacuations across the region a man died after he was swept away. | [115] | ||