Earthquakes occur frequently in New Zealand as the country is situated in the collision zone between the Indo-Australian and Pacific plates, part of the Pacific Basin Ring of Fire, where many earthquakes and volcanoes occur.
Most events occur along the main ranges running from Fiordland in the southwest to East Cape in the northeast.
The largest city within the highest-risk zone is the nation's capital, Wellington, followed by Napier then Hastings.
[4] Early settlers learned fairly quickly the importance of using appropriate building methods in an earthquake-prone country.
The 1848 earthquake, centred in Marlborough, caused great damage to the brick and masonry buildings in Wellington, and the city was rebuilt mainly in wood; consequently it suffered comparatively little damage in the 8.2 magnitude earthquake of 1855, which lifted the land 2–3m.