List of earthquakes in New Zealand

This is a list of large earthquakes that have occurred in New Zealand. Only earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.0 or greater are listed, except for a few that had a moderate impact. Aftershocks are not included, unless they were of great significance or contributed to a death toll, such as the M 6.3 2011 Christchurch earthquake and the M 7.3 aftershock to the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake. Earthquakes occur frequently in New Zealand as the country is situated in the collision zone between the Indo-Australian and Pacific plates, part of the Pacific Basin Ring of Fire, where many earthquakes and volcanoes occur. Most events occur along the main ranges running from Fiordland in the southwest to East Cape in the northeast. This axis follows the boundary between the Indo-Australian and Pacific plates. Large earthquakes are less common, where the plates are not subducting and the forces are accommodated in different ways. The largest city within the highest-risk zone is the nation's capital, Wellington, followed by Napier then Hastings.