The Poutu Fault Zone is a seismically active area of the central North Island of New Zealand.

The intra-rift Poutu Fault Zone extends 30 kilometres (19 mi) from inland of Tūrangi on the shores of Lake Taupō towards Mount Ruapehu on the east side of the mountain.

[3] The southern end of the Poutu North fault is in close proximity to a number of recently active vents of Mount Tongariro.

The northern end of the Poutu North fault essentially passes under the volcanic peak of Pihanga.

The relative proportions contributed is important for determining earthquake associated risk and previous assumptions about magmatic processes being dominant are not the case.