disasters

Events In History

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Responding to tragedy

New Zealand disasters timeline

  • New Zealand disasters timeline

    The disasters timeline and map give an overview of New Zealand's worst natural disasters, transport accidents, fires, mining accidents and other tragedies that have caused major loss of life.

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  • Page 3 – Further information

    Links Mining accidents Natural hazards and disasters  Shipwrecks New Zealand disasters map and timeline

Wahine disaster

  • Wahine disaster

    This April marks the 45th anniversary of the sinking of the ferry Wahine. With more than 50 lives lost, this was New Zealand's worst modern maritime disaster. The Wahine’s demise on 10 April 1968 also heralded a new era in local television, as pictures of the disaster were beamed into living rooms around the country.

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  • Page 2 – Timeline to tragedy

    The events that led to the drowning of 51 people in the Wahine disaster of 10 April 1968

  • Page 3 – Co-ordinating the rescue

    The police, emergency services and civilians rescued passengers and crew from the inter-island ferry Wahine in Wellington Harbour in April 1968.

  • Page 4 – Court of inquiry

    The court of inquiry that met 10 weeks after the sinking pinpointed the build-up of water in the vehicle deck as the reason the ferry finally capsized.

  • Page 5 – Further information

    This web feature was written by Steve Watters and produced by the NZHistory.net.nz team.LinksList of those killed in the Wahine disaster (NZ Disasters)Shipwrecks (Te Ara)The

Erebus disaster

  • Erebus disaster

    On 28 November 1979, 237 passengers and 20 crew were killed when Air New Zealand Flight TE901 crashed into Mt Erebus, Antarctica. The tragedy was followed by a demanding recovery operation and a raging debate over who or what was to blame

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  • Page 2 – Tourist flights to Antarctica

    Air New Zealand and Qantas began offering sightseeing flights to Antarctica in February 1977.

  • Page 3 – Timeline to disaster

    The Erebus disaster was mainly caused by a late change in the flight path and atmospheric conditions over Antarctica

  • Page 5 – Operation Overdue

    A team of New Zealand Police officers and a Mountain Face Rescue Team were immediately dispatched to the scene of the Erebus disaster.

  • Page 6 – Finding the cause

    Following the death of so many people, it was not surprising that official investigations of the tragedy sparked debate and controversy.

  • Page 8 – Further information

    This web feature was written by Imelda Bargas and Steve Watters and produced by the NZHistory team.LinksErebus air crash in Antarctica (DigitalNZ)The Erebus story (New Zealand

Tangiwai disaster

2010 Canterbury (Darfield) earthquake

  • 2010 Canterbury (Darfield) earthquake

    At 4.35 a.m. on 4 September 2010, the Canterbury region was struck by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. It shook Cantabrians, their properties, their land and their lives.

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  • Page 2 – Timeline: 4-16 September 2010

    Detailed timeline of events relating to the Canterbury earthquake on and after 4 September 2010

Pike River mine disaster

  • Pike River mine disaster

    On the afternoon of 19 November 2010, an explosion ripped through the remote Pike River mine on the West Coast of the South Island, killing 29 men.

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  • Page 1 - Pike River mine disasterOn the afternoon of 19 November 2010, an explosion ripped through the remote Pike River mine on the West Coast of the South Island, killing 29

February 2011 Christchurch earthquake

  • February 2011 Christchurch earthquake

    At 12.51 p.m. on 22 February 2011, the Canterbury region was struck by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake. It caused massive devastation in most parts of the region and 185 lives were lost.

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  • Page 1 - February 2011 Christchurch earthquakeAt 12.51 p.m. on 22 February 2011, the Canterbury region was struck by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake. It caused massive devastation in most parts of the region and 185 lives were

Antarctica and New Zealand

  • Antarctica and New Zealand

    NZ and Antarctica share a long and rich history. From Tuati in 1840 to Edmund Hillary in the 1950s and more recent scientists, Kiwis have explored, examined and endured the frozen continent.

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  • Page 3 - Triumph and tragedyThere is a New Zealand connection to a number of triumphs and tragedies that have occurred in

Disasters

  • Social studies activities relating to NZ disasters exploring whether or not things may have turned out differently had other decisions been made.

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  • Page 1 - What could have been done differently?Social studies activities relating to NZ disasters exploring whether or not things may have turned out differently had other decisions been

Parliament Buildings

  • Parliament Buildings

    Parliament buildings have been modified, destroyed by fire, half-built and restored; the parliamentary places and spaces have formed an important part of New Zealand's history.

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  • Page 8 - DisastersFires and earthquakes have been major threats to New Zealand's Parliament

The 1960s

  • The 1960s

    Five decades ago most Kiwis enjoyed a standard of living that was the envy of other nations. During the 1960s the arrival of TV and jet airliners shrank our world, and New Zealanders began to express themselves on a range of international issues, including opposition to the Vietnam War.

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  • Page 10 – 1967 - key events

    A selection of the key events in New Zealand history from 1967

  • Page 11 – 1968 - key events

    A selection of the key events in New Zealand history from 1968

Container shipping

  • Container shipping

    Forty-five years ago, on 19 June 1971, the first all-container ship to visit New Zealand arrived in Wellington. Columbus New Zealand was part of a worldwide revolution in shipping. These simple steel boxes would change our transport industry, our ports and how we work and shop.

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  • Page 7 - The wreck of the Rena On 5 October 2011 the MSC-chartered, Liberian-flagged container ship Rena astonished local mariners by grounding on the clearly marked Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga. Three months

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