The Alpine Fault is marked out on satellite images by the western edge of the Southern Alps snowline. Photo: NASA
A national emergency exercise has been carried out at Parliament with the aim of improving New Zealand's ability to respond to and recover from a significant Alpine Fault earthquake.
Exercise Rū Whenua comes under the National Civil Defence Emergency Management exercise programme.
Civil Defence said the exercises would improved Civil Defence's ability to respond to and recover from emergencies.
"We can't predict when an earthquake will happen. But scientific research indicates there is a 75 percent probability of an Alpine Fault earthquake greater than magnitude 7 happening in the next 50 years. And there is a 4 out of 5 chance that it will be a magnitude 8+ event."
Over the last 8000 years, the Alpine Fault has ruptured 27 times, the last significant quake on the Alpine Fault was in 1717.
"The next severe earthquake on the Alpine Fault is likely to be within our lifetime or our children's. This will need a coordinated multi-agency national response and include international support."
NEMA director civil defence emergency management John Price said the exercises would be done over three dates.
"It's about seeing where the gaps are, where we need to improve and how we can improve ourselves to provide and keep our communities safe in the future."
This first exercise was about activating the National Crisis Management Centre, he said.
The next exercise, which would be carried out on 26 June, would look at a scenario two weeks following an Alpine Fault rupture and what problems had not been addressed, he said.
A third exercise would happen on 10 July.
