September 15, 1932 Earthquake: Gisborne, Wairoa, New Zealand
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Gisborne, Wairoa, New Zealand on September 15, 1932 at 13:54:54 UTC. It caused a tsunami.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- September 15, 1932
- Time
- 13:54:54 UTC
- Place
- Gisborne, Wairoa, New Zealand
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 39.000° S, 177.500° E
- Country
- New Zealand
The toll
- Injuries
- 5
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Some (about 51 to 100)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
On September 16, 1932 at 1:25 [local time] a destructive earthquake occurred on the north shore of Hawke Bay and in the area of Poverty Bay. It was very strong in Gisborne and Wairoa where many buildings suffered serious damage. In Gisborne, several houses were completely ruined and in Wairoa an old bridge, damaged by the earthquake of Feb 3, 1931, collapsed, as did a newly constructed bridge. Reports from Wairoa told of some subsidence of the ground close to the river. Five inhabitants were seriously hurt, one in Gisborne and four in Wairoa. The earthquake was felt in most areas of the North Island. It was accompanied by a large series of aftershocks, whose epicenters were located in the sea in a strip extending from Makhia Peninsula. According to unsubstantiated information, the earthquake generated a large ocean wave. (reference #415)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- February 2, 1931, Hawke Bay, New Zealand
- December 20, 2007, Off Coast North Island, New Zealand
- March 2, 1987, North Island, Whakatani, Edgecumbe, New Zealand
- July 18, 2004, Rotorua, Tauranga, North Island, New Zealand
- October 6, 1914, North Island, New Zealand
- February 11, 1855, New Zealand
- 1831, Poverty Bay, North Island, New Zealand
- February 13, 1931, Northern New Zealand
- February 19, 1931, Northern New Zealand
- August 25, 2008, North Island, New Zealand
- February 21, 1973, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
- October 5, 1980, Gisborne, Hawera, Eastbourne, Napier, New Zealand
- September 8, 1880, Gisborne, New Zealand
- March 25, 1947, Off Coast North Island, New Zealand
- August 18, 1895, Taupo, New Zealand
More
Significant earthquakes of 1932The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1932Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 6095.