Which active faults threaten Wellington?

The fault systems associated with Wellington are named in the hub header and drawn on the map alongside recorded seismicity. Proximity alone does not rank hazard: rupture length, slip rate and the time elapsed since the last event all matter, so the page shows the traces and the observed activity rather than a single ranking.

Who is the emergency service for Wellington?

The civil protection agency responsible for Wellington, with its emergency number, is shown on this page. Call it for any life-threatening situation; for official damage reports and aftershock bulletins, follow the national seismological agency listed among our data sources.

Rugged green coastal headlands and harbour of Wellington, New Zealand

Photo:Sébastien Goldbergvia Unsplash

Back to Regions List NEW ZEALAND

Wellington

The Wellington Fault runs through the centre of the capital and the Hikurangi subduction margin lies immediately offshore; the 1855 Wairarapa earthquake, around Mw 8.2, lifted parts of the harbour shoreline by more than a metre.

Danger Level (72h)

72-hour composite hazard forecast

Recent Quakes (14d)

Recorded in the selected 14d period

Max Magnitude (14d)

Largest earthquake in the selected 14d period

Tectonic Profile

Seismotectonic hazard assessment, structural exposure & historical context

Associated Faults3

Click to locate on map

Regional PopulationLandScan

Living within 180 km of the city centre

Building VulnerabilityModerate

Mixed construction stock with regional engineering standards

Tectonic Setting

Subduction Zone

Critical Hazard

Major plate boundary with high strain accumulation

Seismically Stable Period

No significant earthquakes recorded in the selected 14d period.

PAGER GREEN

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Oct 22, 08:35:04 PM

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Seismic Activity

Every recorded earthquake in this area — filter by time range and sort by time or severity.

No earthquake activity data available for this period.

Emergency services

NEMA

111 Official site

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Verified scientific, operational, and emergency protocols

The event table on this page lists every earthquake recorded inside the felt radius of Wellington, newest first, with its distance from the city centre and its magnitude. The top row is therefore the most recent event, and the list updates as soon as a reporting agency publishes a solution.