Earthquake survivors could be rescued more quickly if the media communicated the number of likely fatalities from the outset, argues Professor Max Wyss For a decade, seismologists have been able to generate fast, reliable estimates of the number of people likely to have been killed in an earthquake, to within a factor of two or three. Continue →

Any pathway to reducing the country’s domestic emissions will involve substantial change to patterns of energy supply and use, according to a recent authoritative report by Vivid Economics Moving towards a 100 per cent renewables grid and substantial electrification of the passenger vehicle fleet and low-grade heat is a major measure outlined in the Net Zero in New Zealand: Scenarios to achieve domestics emissions neutrality in the second half of the century survey commissioned by Globe (Global Legislators of a Balanced Environment) NZ – a cross-party group of 35 members of Parliament. Continue →

Today marks the 177th day since the Kaikoura earthquake, which IPENZ Chief Executive Susan Freeman-Greene says provides a sobering reminder of the seismic risk posed by earthquake-prone buildings “Christchurch’s devastating 22 February 2011 aftershock came 177 days after the first Canterbury earthquake. Continue →

The extent to which climate change threatens New Zealand’s coastal housing will depend on insurance options available to homeowners, according to a new report Commissioned by the Deep South National Science Challenge, Insurance, Housing and Climate Adaptation investigates the different challenges climate change will present to homeowners, insurers and government. Continue →

Experts from New Zealand and around the world will attend the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering’s annual technical conference in Wellington this week Conference convenor Dr David Whittaker says about 500 earthquake engineers and scientists will meet to exchange knowledge on a range of topics, including the impacts of the Kaikoura Earthquake and how to make building structures more resilient to large earthquakes. Continue →

The recent cyclone episodes and the associated flood events around New Zealand provide yet another reminder that the nation is extremely vulnerable to floods, experts advise “Once again, the recent flood events have demonstrated that they can have very adverse effects on communities causing damages, and trauma as well as disrupting daily lives,” says University of Auckland Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Associate Professor Asaad Shamseldin. Continue →

A joint response to complex planning and technical challenges following the Canterbury Earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 in parts of the Waimakariri District north of Christchurch has achieved the supreme accolade at this year’s New Zealand Planning Institute (NZPI) awards The draft Waimakariri Residential Red Zone Recovery Plan – developed by Waimakariri District Council, Greater Christchurch Group (within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet), Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and Te Ngāi Tū Ahuriri Rūnanga – won both the award for Best Practice Strategic Planning and Guidance and the Nancy Northcroft Award, which is the NZPI’s supreme award. Continue →

Findings from researchers at Auckland’s Unitec Institute of Technology show a new way of managing land restoration that could revolutionise how mining areas are restored worldwide The process, known as ‘ecosystem-scale translocation’, was trialled over 75 hectares at the Stockton mine near the historic South Island mining town of Denniston and gives promise of immediate recovery for the animal and plant life, better environmental outcomes and virtually no long-term management costs. Continue →

The need for a cohesive strategy to drive reform of the country’s resource management and planning systems is now vital for New Zealand’s prosperity, says a coalition of like-minded organisations For some time the EMA, Property Council New Zealand, Infrastructure New Zealand and the Environmental Defence Society have been working together to build a case for change on how to provide for the nation’s growth and development within acceptable environmental limits. Continue →

Last November’s Kaikoura earthquake will likely change the way scientists think about earthquake hazards in plate boundary zones, according to the first study to come out of the data collected during and immediately after the earthquake Led by GNS Science researchers, the study reviewed a range of data – including satellite radar imagery – that shows that parts of the South Island moved more than five metres closer to the North Island, in addition to uplift of up to eight metres in some places. Continue →

New Zealand growth based largely on exploiting natural resources is starting to show its environmental limits with increasing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and water pollution, according to the latest OECD report While the country only accounts for a tiny share of global emissions, the OECD’s third Environmental Performance Review of New Zealand finds that intensive dairy farming, road transport and industry have pushed up gross GHG emissions by 23 per cent since 1990. Continue →

The increase in pollution and contamination incidents in New Zealand means businesses are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the potentially high financial cost of such events, a leading insurance expert says Delta Insurance General Manager Craig Kirk says various combinations of traditional liability policies, albeit each coming with their own exclusions, only serve to paper over environmental liability cracks. Continue →

UN Environment (UNEP) has launched a global campaign to eliminate major sources of marine litter yesterday, including microplastics in cosmetics and the excessive, wasteful usage of single-use plastic, by the year 2022 Launched at the Economist World Ocean Summit in Bali, the # CleanSeas campaign is urging governments to pass plastic reduction policies; targeting industry to minimise plastic packaging and redesign products; and calling on consumers to change their throwaway habits – before irreversible damage is done to the seas. Continue →

University of Canterbury researchers are working with Japanese colleagues to develop technologies that will enable swarms of drones to locate and potentially triage people buried in the wreckage and debris of natural disasters. Continue →

Protecting native wildlife populations – and helping them thrive – is core business for the construction team building part of the new Waikato Expressway east of Hamilton. Continue →

Findings from researchers at Unitec Institute of Technology in Auckland show a new way of managing land restoration could revolutionise how mining areas are restored worldwide. Continue →

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Kaikoura provided another sharp reminder of my call earlier this year to improve water network resilience in the light of the Christchurch quakes. Continue →

A Canterbury tsunami occurred, University of Canterbury lecturer in Geohazards, Risk and Resilience Dr Matthew Hughes confirms, highlighting the importance of heeding tsunami evacuation warnings. Continue →

Hundreds of engineers have been mobilised to check buildings and infrastructure after the Kaikoura earthquake. Continue →

University of Canterbury quake experts are contributing to the large science and research response to the 7.5m earthquake both in north Canterbury and Wellington to better understand what has happened and why. Continue →