Recent earthquake activity
Earthquakes in New Zealand: latest news, today and the last 30 days
New Zealand straddles the boundary between the Pacific and Australian plates, from the Hikurangi subduction zone to the Alpine Fault. The 2011 Christchurch earthquake caused severe damage and loss of life.
Updated 2026-10-21 15:15 UTC
Latest earthquake news in New Zealand
The most notable recent events in New Zealand, newest first. Each links to its own page with the full record, a map and felt reports. This page is rebuilt every 30 minutes.
- M 4.4 Off W. Coast of S. Island, N.z.
depth 449.3 km · OFF W. COAST OF S. ISLAND, N.Z.
- M 4.3 near Ohope Beach, New Zealand
depth 133.4 km · 83 km N of Opotiki, New Zealand
- M 5.3 near Tokoroa, New Zealand
Felt by 9 people · community intensity III (weak) · depth 286.0 km · 43 km SSE of Otorohanga, New Zealand
New Zealand earthquake activity at a glance
What the last 30 days look like in New Zealand
38 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or above were recorded in the last 7 days, up from 24 the week before. In the last 24 hours: 4.
The largest was M5.3 on October 15, 43 km SSE of Otorohanga, New Zealand, 286.0 km deep, and 9 people reported feeling it.
The most widely felt was not the largest: M5.0, 4 km ENE of Inglewood, New Zealand, with 12 reports.
57% of these events were deeper than 70 km, inside the descending slab — shaking from that depth arrives weaker but spreads over a wider area.
Map of recent earthquakes in New Zealand and the surrounding area
Circle size shows magnitude and color shows depth. Select a marker to highlight its event below.
Every recorded event
123 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0+ recorded in New Zealand and the surrounding area in the last 30 days. The newest 60 are shown.
Both the USGS global catalog and the EMSC European-Mediterranean catalog are used here, deduplicated — EMSC records the small local events the global catalog does not. 115 of the events below come from EMSC.
M 3.4 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 3.4 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 3.1 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 4.4 OFF W. COAST OF S. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 4.1 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 3.0 53 km NNE of Wakefield, New Zealand
M 3.0 6 km NE of Kopuaranga, New Zealand
M 4.0 44 km SSW of Castlepoint, New Zealand
M 3.1 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 3.2 38 km SW of Castlepoint, New Zealand
M 3.6 43 km SSW of Castlepoint, New Zealand
M 3.5 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 4.0 17 km NW of Haumoana, New Zealand
M 3.1 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 3.2 14 km W of Tokoroa, New Zealand
M 3.7 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 3.4 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 3.2 58 km SW of Maketu, New Zealand
M 3.0 53 km W of Westport, New Zealand
M 3.2 COOK STRAIT, NEW ZEALAND
M 3.9 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
M 3.3 12 km SW of Putaruru, New Zealand
M 3.7 OFF W. COAST OF S. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 4.3 83 km N of Opotiki, New Zealand
M 3.3 19 km NNE of Wainui, New Zealand
M 3.0 24 km WNW of Murupara, New Zealand
M 3.7 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 3.1 45 km E of Methven, New Zealand
M 3.0 28 km ESE of Hicks Bay, New Zealand
M 3.7 11 km NNE of Hanmer Springs, New Zealand
M 4.0 6 km E of Hanmer Springs, New Zealand
M 3.0 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 3.4 46 km SSE of Te Anau, New Zealand
M 3.3 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 3.1 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 5.3 43 km SSE of Otorohanga, New ZealandFelt · 9
M 3.2 31 km SSW of Maketu, New Zealand
M 3.0 58 km NNE of Patea, New Zealand
M 4.3 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 3.0 COOK STRAIT, NEW ZEALAND
M 3.2 47 km ESE of Te Anau, New Zealand
M 3.5 33 km SE of Raetihi, New Zealand
M 4.2 25 km SSE of Pahiatua, New Zealand
M 3.3 COOK STRAIT, NEW ZEALAND
M 3.0 15 km ESE of Oropi, New Zealand
M 3.1 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 4.3 24 km WNW of Hicks Bay, New Zealand
M 3.1 4 km ESE of Hicks Bay, New Zealand
M 3.0 NORTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND
M 3.5 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 3.1 30 km SE of Palmerston, New Zealand
M 3.0 SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND
M 3.1 49 km NNE of Opunake, New Zealand
M 4.1 13 km N of Taumarunui, New Zealand
M 3.1 OFF E. COAST OF N. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 3.6 21 km ENE of Motueka, New Zealand
M 3.4 OFF W. COAST OF S. ISLAND, N.Z.
M 3.5 10 km N of Murupara, New Zealand
M 3.2 40 km SSE of Waitara, New Zealand
Get earthquake alerts for New Zealand
SeismoWatch pushes a notification to your Android phone within minutes of an earthquake in New Zealand — at whatever magnitude you choose. No account, no spam.
Frequently asked questions
Was there an earthquake in New Zealand today?
Yes — 4 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or above were recorded in the last 24 hours. The most recent was M3.1 near Maketu, New Zealand, 21 min ago. The list on this page is rebuilt every 30 minutes, newest first.
How many earthquakes does New Zealand get?
123 of magnitude 3.0 or above in the last 30 days, 38 of them in the last 7. Most are too small to feel; that is normal for a seismically active region.
What was the biggest recent earthquake in New Zealand?
Magnitude 5.3 on October 15, 2026, 43 km SSE of Otorohanga, New Zealand, at a depth of 286.0 km. 9 people reported feeling it.
How deep are earthquakes in New Zealand?
In the last 30 days they ranged from 5.0 km to 471.9 km deep. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly near the epicentre; deep ones are felt weakly over a wider area.
How can I get earthquake alerts for New Zealand?
Install the free SeismoWatch Android app, draw a box over New Zealand, set a minimum magnitude, and turn alerts on. Alerts are sent after an event is published, so they are not an early warning.
Where does this data come from?
From the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) global catalog and the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), deduplicated. Each event links to its own page with the full record.
The strongest earthquakes recorded in New Zealand since 1960
The 10 largest events of magnitude 6.0 or above in the New Zealand monitoring area, from the USGS catalog. Recent activity is best read against this: a region's ordinary weeks look very different from its worst days.
| Magnitude | Location | Date | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 7.8 | 97 km WSW of Te Anau, New Zealand | July 15, 2009 | 12.0 km |
| M 7.8 | 53 km NNE of Amberley, New Zealand | November 13, 2016 | 15.1 km |
| M 7.2 | 56 km NW of Te Anau, New Zealand | August 21, 2003 | 28.0 km |
| M 7.1 | 118 km NNE of Gisborne, New Zealand | February 5, 1995 | 21.1 km |
| M 7.1 | 38 km E of Westport, New Zealand | May 23, 1968 | 22.5 km |
| M 7.0 | 63 km WNW of Te Anau, New Zealand | August 10, 1993 | 28.1 km |
| M 7.0 | 19 km NE of Methven, New Zealand | September 3, 2010 | 12.0 km |
| M 6.8 | 56 km NW of Oxford, New Zealand | June 18, 1994 | 13.6 km |
| M 6.8 | 150 km N of Opotiki, New Zealand | December 30, 1984 | 39.3 km |
| M 6.8 | 70 km N of Te Anau, New Zealand | October 15, 2007 | 18.0 km |
Coverage and data notes
Events are preliminary, so magnitudes and locations may be revised. This page uses a rectangular monitoring area around New Zealand, so border areas and nearby offshore zones can include events outside the administrative boundary. Completeness varies: a national network usually records more small earthquakes than the catalogs used here, so treat the counts as a floor rather than a census.
Event data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), in Venezuela FUNVISIS and in Brazil the RSBR through the Centro de Sismologia da USP. Populated places and time zones: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Preliminary solutions are revised as more observations arrive.