New Zealand News

New Zealand Hears Testimony on Mining Blast that Killed 29

Financial pressures may have led a New Zealand coal mining operation to overextend itself before an explosion killed 29 workers last year, an energy executive testified Monday at an inquiry into the country’s worst mine disaster in decades. The executive …

Magnitude-7.6 Quake Shakes Kermadec Islands

A powerful magnitude-7.6 earthquake rattled the remote Kermadec Islands in the Pacific Ocean, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. It triggered a small tsunami that had New Zealand bracing for high waves. The quake was felt as far away as Christchurch, …

Quake Hits New Zealand; No Casualties Reported

A powerful earthquake struck New Zealand’s North Island on Tuesday but there are no immediate reports of casualties or damage and no tsunami warning was issued. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3 and occurred …

New Zealand Offers to Pay 5,000 to Leave Quake-Hit Homes

New Zealand’s government said Thursday that it will offer to pay thousands of homeowners to leave areas of the country’s second-largest city that were hardest hit by recent earthquakes. Christchurch was struck by a magnitude-7.1 earthquake in September and a …

New Zealand Quakes Drive Insurance Market Changes

A string of earthquakes in New Zealand is sending tremors through the global insurance market with some companies delaying underwriting policies and others turning to capital markets to offset the risk of pile-on damage and costly claims. “Although there has …

More Aftershocks Hit New Zealand City; Fears Worse to Come

Big aftershocks are still shaking the earthquake-weary city of Christchurch, New Zealand, and raising fears of worse to come. A pair of aftershocks woke many residents about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, with the larger measuring magnitude-5.0. A smaller cluster hit in …

6.0 Earthquake Strikes New Zealand City of Christchurch

Still recovering from two previous earthquakes that struck the region in September 2010 and February 2011, Christchurch, New Zealand was shaken by a series of strong tremors on June 13, according to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide. The United States …

Eqecat Reports Up to $5 Billion in Damages in Latest New Zealand Quake

Monday’s earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, likely caused an additional $3 billion to $5 billion in insured losses on top of the damage from two previous quakes, catastrophe modeling company Eqecat said Tuesday. The quake was the third major one …

6.1 Earthquake Strikes Near South Pacific Islands

The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 6.1 earthquake has struck near a group of South Pacific islands. There are no reports of damage or risk of tsunami. A statement by the USGS says the quake struck Sunday 12 miles …

New Zealand’s Largest City Hit by Tornado

A tornado ripped across part of New Zealand’s largest city on Tuesday, upturning cars and sending debris slicing through the air, witnesses and news reports said. At least one person was killed and about 20 injured, a hospital official said. …