The sample of water referred to in the present note was collected by the writer on the 21st January, 1889, in the Otira Gorge, from a spring which is stated to have been first discovered shortly after the earthquake of the 1st September, 1888. From the results obtained this water might be termed siliceous and sulphurous. It is essentially different from the water from the Hanmer Springs, and pertains more to the character of the waters of the Rotorua district. It differs, however, from these waters in having only a portion of its carbonic anhydride replaced by silica, and in containing less dissolved matter.
A video of members of the New Zealand Police and the New Zealand Army guarding cordons in the Christchurch central city after the 4 September 2010 earthquake. The video also includes footage of a helicopter flying over the central city.
A photograph of a Royal New Zealand Air Force helicopter leaving from Hagley Park.
A photograph of a Royal New Zealand Air Force helicopter flying above Hagley Park.
A photograph of a Royal New Zealand Air Force helicopter flying above Hagley Park.
A chart comparing electricity price increases in Christchurch to the rest of New Zealand.
A graph comparing domestic trading activity in Canterbury to the rest of New Zealand.
A graph comparing EFT-POS spending in Canterbury to the rest of New Zealand.
Radio New Zealand reporter Jessica Maddock reports on a briefing by Mayor Bob Parker.
A map of the tectonic plate boundary of the alpine fault in New Zealand.
A photograph of members of the New Zealand Army deconstructing a concrete block wall.
Staff Sergeant Manu from the New Zealand Army helping organise the Student Volunteer Army.
Staff Sergeant Manu from the New Zealand Army helping organise the Student Volunteer Army.
A photograph of a Royal New Zealand Air Force helicopter landing in Hagley Park.
A runsheet created for the initial SCIRT and New Zealand Red Cross collaboration workshop.
A copy of the award application for the New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards 2013.
The old Bank of New Zealand building in Kaiapoi, cordoned off with warning tape.
A photograph of a Royal New Zealand Air Force helicopter landing in Hagley Park.
The old Bank of New Zealand building in Kaiapoi, cordoned off with warning tape.
The old Bank of New Zealand building in Kaiapoi, cordoned off with warning tape.
The old Bank of New Zealand building in Kaiapoi, cordoned off with warning tape.
For a change of pace, a group from Underground Overground Archaeology spent last week out of the office, and out of Christchurch at the New Zealand Archaeological Association Conference on Stewart Island. The New Zealand Archaeological Association (known affectionately as … Continue reading →
‘If you dig a hole through the centre of the Earth, you would arrive in New Zealand’. As Spanish children, we learnt that at school. Spain is the Antipodes of New Zealand. Both countries are at the same time joined … Continue reading →
It’s that time of the year again, carols, Christmas shopping, annual staff parties, parades and backyard barbeques. For many of us, Christmas traditions are passed down through our families, and some of the fare found on our festive tables may … Continue reading →
An article from Air Force News March 2011 titled, "New Zealand"s Worst Days: Supported by a brilliant Defence effort".
A press release from the United States Embassy New Zealand containing a statement by President Barack Obama about the 22 February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch.
One of our final blog posts of 2016 took a look at the history of Christmas in New Zealand. In the same festive spirit, this week it seems appropriate to explore the tradition of Easter – from the time when … Continue reading →
Josh Currie sells hand-drawn illustrations of houses, including requests from people whose much-loved homes were lost to tragedies like housefires or the Christchurch earthquakes.
On Tuesday 22 February 2011, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand’s second largest city. The ‘earthquake’ was in fact an aftershock to an earlier 7.1 magnitude earthquake that had occurred on Saturday 4 September 2010. There were a number of key differences between the two events that meant they had dramatically different results for Christchurch and its inhabitants. The 22 February 2011 event resulted in one of New Zealand’s worst natural disasters on record, with 185 fatalities occurring and hundreds more being injured. In addition, a large number of buildings either collapsed or were damaged to the point where they needed to be totally demolished. Since the initial earthquake in September 2010, a large amount of building-related research has been initiated in New Zealand to investigate the impact of the series of seismic events – the major focus of these research projects has been on seismic, structural and geotechnical engineering matters. One project, however, conducted jointly by the University of Canterbury, the Fire Protection Association of New Zealand and BRANZ, has focused on the performance of fire protection systems in the earthquakes and the effectiveness of the systems in the event of post-earthquake fires occurring. Fortunately, very few fires actually broke out following the series of earthquake events in Christchurch, but fire after earthquakes still has significant implications for the built environment in New Zealand, and the collaborative research has provided some invaluable insight into the potential threat posed by post-earthquake fires in buildings. As well as summarising the damage caused to fire protection systems, this paper discusses the flow-on effect for designing structures to withstand post-earthquake fires. One of the underlying issues that will be explored is the existing regulatory framework in New Zealand whereby structural earthquake design and structural design for fire are treated as discrete design scenarios.
This presentation discusses recent empirical ground motion modelling efforts in New Zealand. Firstly, the active shallow crustal and subduction interface and slab ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) which are employed in the 2010 update of the national seismic hazard model (NSHM) are discussed. Other NZ-specific GMPEs developed, but not incorporated in the 2010 update are then discussed, in particular, the active shallow crustal model of Bradley (2010). A brief comparison of the NZ-specific GMPEs with the near-source ground motions recorded in the Canterbury earthquakes is then presented, given that these recordings collectively provide a significant increase in observed strong motions in the NZ catalogue. The ground motion prediction expert elicitation process that was undertaken following the Canterbury earthquakes for active shallow crustal earthquakes is then discussed. Finally, ongoing GMPE-related activities are discussed including: ground motion and metadata database refinement, improved site characterization of strong motion station, and predictions for subduction zone earthquakes.