Significant Earthquakes in New Zealand
Every significant earthquake NOAA records in New Zealand, with its toll.
Map
Every significant earthquake in New Zealand with a location. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The record
- Earthquakes
- 72
- Deaths counted
- 477
- Earliest
- 1826
The deadliest
- February 2, 1931, Hawke Bay, New Zealand
- February 21, 2011, Christchurch, Lyttelton, New Zealand
- June 16, 1929, South Island, New Zealand
- October 18, 1848, Awatere River, Marlborough, New Zealand
- May 23, 1968, NW Coast, South Island, New Zealand
- November 13, 2016, Amberley, New Zealand
- February 26, 1905, New Zealand
- October 6, 1914, North Island, New Zealand
- March 2, 1987, North Island, Whakatani, Edgecumbe, New Zealand
- July 18, 2004, Rotorua, Tauranga, North Island, New Zealand
- December 20, 2007, Off Coast North Island, New Zealand
- June 13, 2011, Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand
Every earthquake
Newest first.
- March 25, 2025, Off West Coast of South Island, New Zealand
- November 30, 2022, Taupo, New Zealand
- March 4, 2021, S Of, Raoul, Kermadec Islands, New Zealand
- March 4, 2021, Gisborne, New Zealand
- June 18, 2020, S Of, Raoul, Kermadec Islands, New Zealand
- June 15, 2019, S Of, Raoul, Kermadec Islands, New Zealand
- November 13, 2016, Amberley, New Zealand
- September 1, 2016, Gisborne, New Zealand
- June 23, 2014, Sse of Raoul Island, Kermadec Islands, New Zealand
- January 20, 2014, Wellington, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand
- August 16, 2013, Wellington, Marlborough, New Zealand
- July 21, 2013, Cook Strait, New Zealand
- December 23, 2011, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand
- December 3, 2011, Cook Strait, New Zealand
- June 13, 2011, Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand
- February 21, 2011, Christchurch, Lyttelton, New Zealand
- December 25, 2010, Christchurch, New Zealand
- September 7, 2010, Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand
- September 6, 2010, Porangahau, North Island, New Zealand
- September 6, 2010, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand
- September 3, 2010, Christchurch, New Zealand
- July 15, 2009, Off West Coast of South Island, New Zealand
- August 25, 2008, North Island, New Zealand
- December 20, 2007, Off Coast North Island, New Zealand
- October 15, 2007, Fiordland, South Island, New Zealand
- September 30, 2007, Auckland Islands, New Zealand
- January 20, 2005, North Island, New Zealand
- November 22, 2004, Invercargill, Southland, Otago, New Zealand
- July 18, 2004, Rotorua, Tauranga, North Island, New Zealand
- September 29, 2003, Christchurch, New Zealand
- August 21, 2003, Dunedin,invercargill,te Anau,fiordland, New Zealand
- February 5, 1995, Christchurch, North Island, S Island, New Zealand
- June 18, 1994, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand
- September 8, 1991, Wellington, Wanganui, New Zealand
- May 13, 1990, Dannevirke, Wellington, New Zealand
- March 2, 1987, North Island, Whakatani, Edgecumbe, New Zealand
- May 25, 1981, W of North Island, New Zealand
- October 5, 1980, Gisborne, Hawera, Eastbourne, Napier, New Zealand
- October 12, 1979, W of North Island, New Zealand
- February 21, 1973, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
- September 28, 1970, New Zealand
- May 23, 1968, NW Coast, South Island, New Zealand
- March 2, 1956, North Island, New Zealand
- March 14, 1950, N. New Zealand
- May 17, 1947, Off Coast North Island, New Zealand
- March 25, 1947, Off Coast North Island, New Zealand
- March 5, 1934, North Island, New Zealand
- September 15, 1932, Gisborne, Wairoa, New Zealand
- February 19, 1931, Northern New Zealand
- February 13, 1931, Northern New Zealand
- February 2, 1931, Hawke Bay, New Zealand
- June 16, 1929, South Island, New Zealand
- December 25, 1922, SE. New Zealand
- October 6, 1914, North Island, New Zealand
- February 22, 1913, Tasman Sea, New Zealand
- February 26, 1905, New Zealand
- August 8, 1904, E of North Island, New Zealand
- September 21, 1897, Wellington, New Zealand
- August 18, 1895, Taupo, New Zealand
- June 22, 1891, New Zealand
- August 31, 1888, Amuri District, South Island, New Zealand
- September 8, 1880, Gisborne, New Zealand
- October 18, 1868, Tasman Sea, New Zealand
- February 11, 1855, New Zealand
- January 23, 1855, Wellington,waiouru,wanganui,otaki, New Zealand
- October 18, 1848, Awatere River, Marlborough, New Zealand
- October 17, 1848, Cook Strait, New Zealand
- October 15, 1848, Northern New Zealand
- July 5, 1845, N. New Zealand
- July 8, 1843, Wanganui, New Zealand
- 1831, Poverty Bay, North Island, New Zealand
- 1826, Fjordland, New Zealand
By country
- Afghanistan72
- Albania56
- Algeria58
- Antarctica7
- Antigua and Barbuda3
- Argentina39
- Armenia13
- Atlantic Ocean7
- Australia34
- Austria8
- Azerbaijan17
- Azores28
- Bangladesh19
- Barbados1
- Belgium1
- Bering Sea1
- Bhutan5
- Bolivia19
- Bosnia and Herzegovina11
- Brazil13
- British Virgin Islands1
- Bulgaria18
- Burundi1
- Cameroon2
- Canada22
- Canary Islands2
- Central African Republic1
- Chile200
- China626
- Colombia83
- Comoros1
- Congo7
- Costa Rica37
- Cote d'Ivoire2
- Croatia53
- Cuba15
- Cyprus10
- Czech Republic1
- Djibouti2
- Dominica1
- Dominican Republic19
- Ecuador70
- Egypt17
- El Salvador42
- Eritrea6
- Ethiopia11
- Fiji20
- France43
- French Guiana2
- French Polynesia1
- Gabon1
- Georgia15
- Germany9
- Ghana6
- Greece296
- Greenland1
- Grenada1
- Guadeloupe9
- Guatemala47
- Guinea1
- Haiti21
- Honduras15
- Hungary5
- Iceland17
- India102
- Indian Ocean3
- Indonesia427
- Iran388
- Iraq24
- Ireland1
- Israel24
- Italy338
- Jamaica19
- Japan429
- Jordan5
- Kazakhstan9
- Kenya3
- Kermadec Islands23
- Kiribati1
- Kyrgyzstan15
- Laos2
- Lebanon14
- Libya2
- Madagascar1
- Malawi4
- Malaysia3
- Martinique10
- Mexico217
- Micronesia5
- Mongolia7
- Montenegro10
- Montserrat1
- Morocco21
- Mozambique3
- Myanmar43
- Nepal21
- Netherlands4
- New Caledonia28
- New Zealand72
- Nicaragua40
- North Korea6
- North Macedonia13
- Norway2
- Oman2
- Pacific Ocean2
- Pakistan55
- Palau1
- Panama23
- Papua New Guinea107
- Peru195
- Philippines233
- Poland8
- Portugal29
- Romania15
- Russia159
- Rwanda5
- Saint Lucia2
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines1
- Samoa8
- Saudi Arabia3
- Senegal1
- Serbia15
- Sierra Leone1
- Slovakia3
- Slovenia22
- Solomon Islands63
- Solomon Sea2
- South Africa14
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands7
- South Korea22
- South Sudan4
- Spain35
- Sri Lanka1
- Sudan1
- Switzerland31
- Syria34
- Taiwan103
- Tajikistan29
- Tanzania8
- Tasman Sea1
- Thailand4
- Togo2
- Tonga26
- Trinidad and Tobago8
- Tunisia9
- Turkey360
- Turkmenistan12
- Uganda4
- UK Territories2
- Ukraine12
- United Kingdom15
- United States283
- Uruguay2
- US Territories39
- Uzbekistan14
- Vanuatu65
- Venezuela65
- Vietnam6
- Wallis and Futuna1
- Yemen10
- Zambia1
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.