What New Zealand can learn from Southeast Asia Quake

Residents walk on debris next to a Naypyidaw building on March 28, 2025, after the Myanmar earthquake.
Photo: AFP/Sai Aung Main

The Myanmar earthquake was a reminder to stay at the top of our own emergency preparation plans here in New Zealand, experts say.

Earthquake experts suspect that there may be some important lessons we could learn from the earthquake.

The 7.7 magnitude earthquake occurred in Myanmar at lunchtime on Friday and was followed by a powerful tremor after post -Trem and several more moderate.

Victoria University professor John Townend said the earthquake was caused by a rupture on a failed line possibly 200 kilometers long and up to 20 km deep.

He said it would be interesting to see how deep the earthquake broke the failure and which parts did and did not slip.

Townend also said the earthquake was similar to what New Zealand could experience.

“This is something comparable to what we can expect for an alpine failure earthquake, this is something that we statistically think it is very likely to happen in the coming years or decade.”

GNS Vulcanologist and Main Scientist Graham Leonard Saturday morning The failure line near Myanmar was similar to Wellington’s failure line.

Vulcanologist and main scientist at GNS Graham Leonard.
Photo: Jeff Mcewan, Capture Studios

“This failure line is a large known line of fault, it is a sliding line that we call it; so where both sides pass to each other – like Wellington.

“It is known as one of the most dangerous fault lines in the world, both because it is closer to the two largest cities in Myanmar, and because you know, the state of buildings in the country is variable.”

He said the failure lines have become more deadly, depending on where people live and how they live.

Leonard said that the five greatest factors that contribute – besides the magnitude of the earthquake – were distance, soil, construction, slopes and proximity to the coast.

“The soil is illustrated by the tremor in Thailand, you know, it is 1000 km away, but a little tremor because it is really a soft soil under Bangkok.”

Rescue workers undergoing debris from a construction site after a building collapsed in Bangkok.
Photo: Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP

Wellington’s failure is believed to have a 5 % chance of a similar size earthquake for Myanmar over the next 50 years, but other neighboring failures have a much higher chance.

“The subduction zone, the Hikurangi subduction zone below and next to us has a 26 % chance in 50 years, and other flaws also have a chance.

“In fact, we need to be ready to tremble from many different places.

“The only difference to Wellington’s failure is that she will cracked around town and house it will be here,” he said.

Wellington’s failure line.
Photo: Lloyd Homer, GNS Science

It is not only the earthquakes that the country needs to be aware, it is also the potential consequences of landslides, liquidation and tsunamis.

“Get to know your area, know where your blue line is and is practiced and perforated about escaping the coast.”

Leonard said it was important for people to know how to turn off the gas, because fires can do a lot of damage after an earthquake.

He added that people really need to understand their insurance coverage.

“They have natural risk coverage outside private insurance, but you need to have private insurance to have this coverage first.

“And you need to be sure, besides their coverage, your home is holding on to the coverage you expect, and there are limits to the coverage of damage to Earth as well, so you need to look at your retention walls and look at Earth’s strength beyond your property,” he said.

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