Plate Boundary Network

Natural Hazards Programmes - Public Education

A summary of Natural Hazard Programmes with a Public Education and Outreach component in New Zealand.

Aotearoa New Zealand lies on the boundary between the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, meaning New Zealanders are, and will continue to be, at risk from a broad range of natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunami and volcanic eruptions. Many communities, and much industry and infrastructure, are located in areas that are likely to be affected by these hazards and their associated impacts.

There is currently a significant level of work being carried out through branded natural hazard programmes to discover more about these hazards and the risks they pose to people, as well as communicate these risks to the public.

The Plate Boundary Network aims to strengthen the relationships between the branded natural hazard programmes actively involved in sharing information on natural hazard and impact science and carrying out public education and engagement in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Devora

Programme

regions

  • Auckland

A multiagency, multidisciplinary, collaborative research programme led by volcanologists at the University of Auckland and GNS Science. DEVORA grew out of the ‘Auckland: It’s Our Volcano’ project in 2008. It is aimed at an improved assessment of volcanic hazard and risk in the Auckland metropolitan area, and to provide a strategy and rationale for appropriate risk mitigation. The aim is that the project findings will be useful in improving business decision making and risk management

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Eclipse

Programme

regions

  • Waikato
  • Bay of Plenty

A five-year study of the most active supervolcano system in the world located in New Zealand’s central North Island. The research will:

  1. Develop a caldera Health System to diagnose the present volcanoes conditions
  2. Identify what causes switches between dormancy, unrest and eruption
  3. Produce decision-support tools with our end users
  4. Model the eruption dynamics and estimate impacts for future events
  5. Implement mitigation strategies for future eruptions based on our eruption hazard and impact models

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East Coast Lab

Programme

regions

  • Gisborne
  • Hawkes’s Bay
  • Manawatu-Wanganui
  • Wellington

A five-year study of the largest and most active fault in New Zealand, the Hikurangi subduction zone.  The research involves:

  1. Recording offshore earthquakes, slow slip events to reveal offshore movements
  2. Uncovering the physical conditions and rock types to reveal what is causing the subduction zone to move slowly (in slow slip events) or suddenly (in earthquakes)
  3. Geological and historical evidence of past large Hikurangi earthquakes and tsunami
  4. Working with iwi partners to integrate Mātauranga Māori of past Hikurangi earthquakes and tsunami and sharing the research with East Coast communities.
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It's Our Fault

Programme

regions

  • Wellington

A collaborative programme engaging scientists and Wellington region partners to better understand Wellington region’s earthquake hazard and risk. It aims to increase Wellington region’s ability to get through a major earthquake by conducting research, learning from recent earthquakes and working with Wellingtonians.

visit it's our fault

AF8

Programme

regions

  • Nelson-Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
  • Otago
  • Southland

A programme of scientific modelling, coordinated response planning and community engagement designed to build collective resilience to the next Alpine Fault earthquake, across the South Island.

AF8 [Alpine Fault magnitude 8] is a collaboration between science and the six South Island Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) groups. It commenced in July 2016, and is led by Emergency Management Southland on behalf of the six South Island CDEM groups.

AF8 aims to share the Alpine Fault hazard and impact science and preparedness information widely, through outreach and engagement activities, to increase awareness, enable conversation and build societal preparedness to natural hazard events in the South Island. 

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Resilience to Nature’s Challenges

Programme

regions

  • New Zealand

Resilience to Nature’s Challenges is one of 11 National Science Challenges funded by government to tackle the big science opportunities and challenges facing Aotearoa New Zealand. The mission of the Challenge is to accelerate Aotearoa New Zealand’s resilience to natural hazards. 

Phase 2 of the Challenge commenced in July 2019 and is focused around two major themes that align with the Government’s National Disaster Resilience Strategy.

visit Resilience to Nature’s Challenges

QuakeCore

Quake Centre

Programme

regions

  • New Zealand

Hosted by the University of Canterbury, QuakeCoRE and the UC Quake Centre aim to share their research and passion for earthquake resilience with the wider community, through a programme of Education, Outreach and Training (EOT) that engages with industry stakeholders, researchers in the field of disaster resilience, school students, and the wider community. 

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visit quake centre