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This paper describes the shaking intensity levels caused by the M7.8 Kaikōura earthquake of 14/11/2016 according to the information from the two current GeoNet online questionnaires, ‘Felt Detailed’ and ‘Felt RAPID’. A recently developed method to extract intensity levels at a community scale using ‘Felt Detailed’ data is used. These are compared with individual intensities from ‘Felt RAPID’ survey, instrumental intensities from two recent ground motion to intensity conversion equations, and traditional intensity assignments. While maximum Modified Mercalli instrumental, traditional, ‘Felt RAPID’ and individual ‘Felt Detailed’ intensities go up to 8, community intensities using ‘Felt Detailed’ mostly only go up to 5, with only four communities with MM 6-7. Reasons for this discrepancy include a) lack of data around the epicentre; b) few reports from this event compared to other smaller recent earthquakes; and c) lack of public awareness of ‘Felt Detailed” surveys, released shortly after the earthquake. In addition, only 47% of reports were used to calculate community intensities, based on a minimum requirement for robust calculation of 5 reports. Although ‘Felt RAPID’ provided a much larger number of reports (more than 15,000) for this earthquake compared to ‘Felt Detailed’ (3500), the reliability of the former may be compromised by their lack of detail. Results from this paper suggest that, when enough reports are submitted, ‘Felt Detailed’ can provide good quality data that can be used in tools such as the near-real time shaking intensity maps provided in ShakeMapNZ.
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This paper provides a near-term reconnaissance of the economic and social impacts of the November 14th, 2016 Kaikōura earthquakes and tsunami. The effect of this event on the national economy is relatively minimal. The main impacts at the national scale include short-term falls in tax revenues from the affected regions and the Government’s NZ$1 billion spending increase for reconstruction activities. Disruptions at the regional and industry-level are far more significant. Approximately 11 per cent of office space in the nation’s capital of Wellington was closed in the week following the event and cordons were erected around several city blocks due to safety concerns. Damage to transport infrastructure is having the most significant economic impact, both in terms of the direct cost of repair and the indirect impacts on businesses whose supply chains have been disrupted. The Kaikōura District’s two largest industries, tourism and primary production, lost important infrastructure and essential functions were hampered by transport disruptions. In the tourism industry, ongoing safety concerns and reduced amenities for tourists will reduce trade in the coming season. Primary production businesses face increased transportation and land remediation costs and the closure of fisheries while affected shellfish habitats recover. Communities in the districts most affected by the Kaikōura earthquakes experienced the loss of critical utility services, the loss of homes, and temporary isolation. The Kaikōura earthquake has starkly highlighted the vulnerability of key infrastructure and transportation routes to natural hazards. It is also a timely reminder of the need for New Zealand to be prepared and to continue efforts to build resilience.
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The 14 November 2016 Kaikōura earthquake resulted in long duration shaking in excess of the code demand for many buildings with fundamental periods between 1 and 2 seconds in Wellington, particularly in those parts of the city where shaking has been amplified due to basin effects and deeper deposits, notably in the port area or Thorndon basin.
This paper outlines the initial response of engineers and the engineering assessment processes undertaken in Wellington in the weeks following the Kaikōura Earthquake, along with the technical support provided to Wellington City Council through the establishment of the Critical Buildings Team and the Wellington Engineering Leadership Group. An overview is provided of the Targeted Assessment Programme subsequently undertaken by Wellington City Council to look more closely at the buildings most likely to be affected. Background is provided to the key elements of the Targeted Damage Evaluation Guidelines that were developed in support of this programme, including the relationship with the Detailed Engineering (Damage) Evaluation process used following the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence.
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The M7.8 Kaikōura Earthquake in 2016 presented a number of challenges to science agencies and institutions throughout New Zealand. The earthquake was complex, with 21 faults rupturing throughout the North Canterbury and Marlborough landscape, generating a localised seven metre tsunami and triggering thousands of landslides. With many areas isolated as a result, it presented science teams with logistical challenges as well as the need to coordinate efforts across institutional and disciplinary boundaries. Many research disciplines, from engineering and geophysics to social science, were heavily involved in the response. Coordinating these disciplines and institutions required significant effort to assist New Zealand during its most complex earthquake yet recorded. This paper explores that effort and acknowledges the successes and lessons learned by the teams involved.
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This paper provides an overview on the physical and functional performance of the New Zealand telecommunication network following the 14 November 2016 Kaikōura earthquake (Mw 7.8). Firstly, the paper provides an overview of the New Zealand telecommunications infrastructure. Secondly, the paper presents preliminary information on the impacts of the Kaikōura earthquake on the telecommunication network following the format proposed by [1] for post-earthquake assessment and resilience analysis of infrastructure systems, namely: extent of earthquake-induced physical impacts on the components of the telecommunication networks, identified according to a proposed taxonomy; main observed dependency issues; identification of resilience attributes and strategies that allowed an effective and rapid reinstatement of the telecommunication service. Finally lessons learned and research needs are discussed.
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We present preliminary observations on three waters impacts from the Mw7.8 14th November 2016 Kaikōura Earthquake on wider metropolitan Wellington, urban and rural Marlborough, and in Kaikōura township. Three waters systems in these areas experienced widespread and significant transient ground deformation in response to seismic shaking, with localised permanent ground deformation via liquefaction and lateral spreading. In Wellington, potable water quality was impacted temporarily by increased turbidity, and significant water losses occurred due to damaged pipes at the port. The Seaview and Porirua wastewater treatment plants sustained damage to clarifier tanks from water seiching, and increased water infiltration to the wastewater system occurred. Most failure modes in urban Marlborough were similar to the 2010-2011 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence; however some rural water tanks experienced rotational and translational movements, highlighting importance of flexible pipe connections. In Kaikōura, damage to reservoirs and pipes led to loss of water supply and compromised firefighting capability. Wastewater damage led to environmental contamination, and necessitated restrictions on greywater entry into the system to minimise flows. Damage to these systems necessitated the importation of tankered and bottled water, boil water notices and chlorination of the system, and importation of portaloos and chemical toilets. Stormwater infrastructure such as road drainage channels was also damaged, which could compromise condition of underlying road materials. Good operational asset management practices (current and accurate information, renewals, appreciation of criticality, good system knowledge and practical contingency plans) helped improve system resilience, and having robust emergency management centres and accurate Geographic Information System data allowed effective response coordination. Minimal damage to the wider built environment facilitated system inspections. Note Future research will include detailed geospatial assessments of seismic demand on these systems and attendant modes of failure, levels of service restoration, and collaborative development of resilience measures.
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This paper summarizes the impact the 2016 Kaikōura earthquakes have had on electrical transmission and distribution infrastructure performance. It also provides background context to the distribution network operator’s (i.e. MainPower’s) prior earthquake preparedness following the 2010 earthquakes in the region.
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At 00:02 on 14th November 2016, a Mw 7.8 earthquake occurred in and offshore of the northeast of the South Island of New Zealand. Fault rupture, ground shaking, liquefaction, and co-seismic landslides caused severe damage to distributed infrastructure, and particularly transportation networks; large segments of the country’s main highway, State Highway 1 (SH1), and the Main North Line (MNL) railway line, were damaged between Picton and Christchurch. The damage caused direct local impacts, including isolation of communities, and wider regional impacts, including disruption of supply chains. Adaptive measures have ensured immediate continued regional transport of goods and people. Air and sea transport increased quickly, both for emergency response and to ensure routine transport of goods. Road diversions have also allowed critical connections to remain operable. This effective response to regional transport challenges allowed Civil Defence Emergency Management to quickly prioritise access to isolated settlements, all of which had road access 23 days after the earthquake. However, 100 days after the earthquake, critical segments of SH1 and the MNL remain closed and their ongoing repairs are a serious national strategic, as well as local, concern.
This paper presents the impacts on South Island transport infrastructure, and subsequent management through the emergency response and early recovery phases, during the first 100 days following the initial earthquake, and highlights lessons for transportation system resilience.
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The transport infrastructure was majorly affected by the 14th November 2016 Kaikōura Earthquake. Severe vertical and horizontal peak ground accelerations generated high inertial forces, land-slides, and liquefaction. Most of the bridges in the Hurunui, Malborough and Kaikōura districts were critical nodes to the railway and road networks. In total, 904 road bridges across those districts were affected. Two reached the life safety limit state, suffering severe damage, however, most of the affected bridges experienced only minor to moderate damage. This paper describes the structural performance of the most severely damaged bridges based on observations made from site inspections. In addition to this, several performance issues have arisen from this event and are posed in this paper, hopefully to be addressed in the near future.
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Six buildings in the Wellington region and the upper South Island, instrumented as part of the GeoNet Building Instrumentation Programme, recorded strong motion data during the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake. The response of two of these buildings: the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) Harbour Quays, and Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) buildings, are examined in detail. Their acceleration and displacement response was reconstructed from the recorded data, and their vibrational characteristics were examined by computing their frequency response functions. The location of the BNZ building in the CentrePort region on the Wellington waterfront, which experienced significant ground motion amplification in the 1–2 s period range due to site effects, resulted in the imposition of especially large demands on the building. The computed response of the two buildings are compared to the intensity of ground motions they experienced and the structural and nonstructural damage they suffered, in an effort to motivate the use of structural response data in the validation of performance objectives of building codes, structural modelling techniques, and fragility functions. Finally, the nature of challenges typically encountered in the interpretation of structural response data are highlighted.
