Press Release

Earthquake Information Pack Needed

New Zealand is a southern hemisphere mecca for tourists from all over the world. The unspoilt geography, the pristine beaches, the beautiful snow-capped mountain ranges of the South Island, the crystal clear lakes, the uniqueness of Rotorua and its thermal attractions. Couple this with the ability to drive on any road in NZ during the summer months and not be overwhelmed by traffic, makes NZ one of, if not the most desirable, holiday destinations for tourists from throughout the world.

Yet this beautiful country hides a secret that is not openly talked about or conveyed to the millions of tourists who flock to NZ on an annual basis. New Zealand is earthquake prone. This has been demonstrated over the past 5 years with the massive earthquake magnitude 6.3 to hit Christchurch in 2011 and the most recent, a magnitude 7.8 to rock the South Island. Both of these quakes caused significant amounts of damage trapping both locals and tourists, more particularly in the most recent quake to hit Kaikoura, (November 2016).

The NZSP firmly believes tourists visiting NZ should be given a Civil Defence leaflet before disembarking from aircraft or at any other point of entry into NZ. This should clearly highlight the unstable nature of our beautiful land, indicating where earthquakes are most likely to occur. It should also give information on the necessary safety measures to take in the unlikely event an earthquake should happen ie ‘the turtle drop’ - drop, cover, hold.

We certainly don’t want to deter tourists, on the contrary we want to welcome them, but as the old saying goes ‘forewarned is to be forearmed’. Let’s help to keep our tourists safe so they can revisit New Zealand on a regular basis to share with all us Kiwis the beauty and serenity of this wonderful country.

NZSP urges Government and Civil Defence to consider developing an earthquake information pack printed in different languages as suggested above.

Release ends

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