List of disasters in New Zealand by death toll
This is a list of New Zealand disasters by death toll , listing major peacetime disasters which occurred in New Zealand and its territories or involved a significant number of New Zealand citizens, in a specific incident, where the loss of life was 10 or more.
100 or more deaths
50 to 99 deaths
10 to 49 deaths
Deaths
Name or description
Type
Date
Location
Notes
49
Featherston Prisoner of war camp riot
riot
25 Feb 1943
Featherston
45
SS Elingamite
shipwreck
9 Nov 1902
off West Island in the Three Kings Islands
43
Ralph Mine disaster
mine explosion
12 Sep 1914
Huntly
methane and coal dust explosion[ 12]
41
Ballantyne's store disaster
fire
18 Nov 1947
Christchurch
40 +[ 13] [ 14]
Great storm of 1868 , flash floods and 12 shipwrecks
storm
3 Feb 1868
Predominantly eastern areas of New Zealand
Death toll likely understated as impact on many Māori unknown
37
Seacliff Lunatic Asylum
fire
8 Dec 1942
Seacliff
34
Kaitangata Mine disaster
mine explosion
21 Feb 1879
Kaitangata
explosion of fire-damp (methane)
34 [ 13] [ 15]
SS Taiaroa
shipwreck
11 Apr 1886
Waiau Toa / Clarence River mouth
34 [ 16]
Dunedin
shipwreck (presumed)
1890
between Oamaru and London
30
Marlborough
shipwreck (presumed)
1890
between Lyttelton and London
29 [ 17]
MV Kaitawa
shipwreck
23 May 1966
near Pandora Bank, Cape Reinga
29
Pike River Mine disaster
mine explosion
19 Nov 2010
northwest of Greymouth
large methane explosion[ 18]
26
Barque Maria
shipwreck[ 15]
1851
Cape Terawhiti
25 +[ 19] [ 20]
Storm of 1897
floods and shipwreck
16 Apr 1897
North Island
flooding at Clive , boating accidents, and the wreck of the Zuleika near Cape Palliser . 25 confirmed deaths and 6 unconfirmed
25 [ 21] [ 22]
MV Joyita
ghost ship
Oct 1955
En route from Apia , Samoa to Tokelau
24 [ 23]
Assaye
shipwreck (presumed)
1890
between London and Wellington ; wreckage washed up at the Chatham Islands 7 months after the ship left London
23
New Zealand National Airways Corporation Flight 441
air accident
3 Jul 1963
Kaimai Ranges
22 [ 24]
launch Ranui
shipwreck
30 Dec 1950
off Mount Maunganui , Bay of Plenty
22
2019 Whakaari/White Island eruption
volcanic eruption
9 Dec 2019
Whakaari/White Island
21 [ 25] [ 26]
brigantine Sophia Pate
shipwreck
Aug 1841
Kaipara Harbour
21 [ 27]
Kopuawhara flash flood of 1938
flood
19 Feb 1938
Destroyed the Kopuawhara railway workers camp
21
Hyde railway disaster
rail accident
4 Jun 1943
near Hyde
20 +[ 28]
Tsunami from 1868 Arica earthquake
tsunami
13 Aug 1868
Chatham Islands
20 [ 15]
schooner St. Vincent
shipwreck
14 Feb 1869
Palliser Bay
20 [ 29]
RNZAF Douglas C-47 disappearance
air accident
24 Sep 1945
en route from Vanuatu
19 [ 30]
Strongman Mine
mine explosion
19 Jan 1967
near Greymouth
18 [ 31]
Canoe on Lake Rotorua
boating accident
16 Apr 1870
near Mokoia Island on Lake Rotorua
18 [ 32]
Clyde
shipwreck
6 Nov 1884
Horseshoe Bay, near Akaroa , Banks Peninsula
18 [ 33]
Canoe on Motu River
boating accident
4 Aug 1900
Motu River – 25 miles from Opotiki[ 34]
There were 16 children and 2 adults in the six person canoe
18 [ 35]
ketch Enterprise and steamer Tauranga
shipwreck
23 Jul 1870
between Cape Rodney and Sail Rock, Hauraki Gulf
Those lost — fourteen crew and four passengers — all came from the Tauranga . The crew of the Enterprise survived in the ship's longboat.[ 36]
18 [ 37]
Lastingham
shipwreck
1 Sep 1884
Cape Jackson , Cook Strait
17
Ongarue railway disaster
rail accident[ 13]
6 Jul 1923
Ongarue
17 [ 38]
1929 Murchison earthquake
earthquake
17 Jun 1929
Murchison
16 [ 39]
1943 Liberator crash at Whenuapai
air accident
2 Aug 1943
Whenuapai
Those killed were mainly Japanese civilians who were being repatriated in a prisoner exchange.
16 [ 40]
Capitaine Bougainville
shipwreck
3 Sep 1975
Whananaki
15 [ 13]
Lockheed Lodestar airliner crash
air accident
18 Mar 1949
near Waikanae
15 [ 41]
MV Holmglen
shipwreck
24 Nov 1959
near Timaru
15 [ 42]
Brynderwyns bus accident
road accident
7 Feb 1963
Brynderwyn Hills
15 [ 43]
Derry Castle
shipwreck
20 Mar 1887
Enderby Island , Auckland Islands
14 [ 44] [ 45]
Hutt River flood
floods
17 Jan 1858
Hutt Valley
14 [ 46]
Two Hudson bombers lost off the New Zealand coast
air accident
21 Aug 1944
en route from Fiji
No. 4 Squadron RNZAF
14 [ 47]
Aramoana massacre
spree killing
13 Nov 1990
Aramoana , near Dunedin
14
Cave Creek disaster
structural failure
28 Apr 1995
Paparoa National Park
13 [ 15]
Tasmania
shipwreck
1897
Māhia Peninsula
13 [ 48]
SS Ventnor
shipwreck
28 Oct 1902
off Omapere, Hokianga
13
NAC Electra air crash
air accident
23 Oct 1948
on Mount Ruapehu
12 [ 49]
L'Alcmène
shipwreck
3 Jun 1851
Baylys Beach, Kaipara
A French navy corvette
12 [ 50]
ferry Pride of the Yarra and paddle steamer Favourite
collision
6 Jul 1863
Otago Harbour
12 [ 51]
Cafe Chantant fire, The Octagon, Dunedin
fire
8 Sep 1879
Dunedin
12 [ 52]
Barque Lizzie Bell
shipwreck
24 Jul 1901
Waimate , Taranaki
12 [ 53]
barque Dundonald
shipwreck
7 Mar 1907
Disappointment Island , Auckland Islands
12 [ 54] [ 55]
Brigantine Rio Loge
shipwreck (presumed)
Jan 1909
Last seen in Cook Strait on 14 January, en route from Kaipara to Dunedin
May have caused the wreck of the Penguin a month later.[ 56]
12 [ 57]
Cyclone of 1936
storm
1 Feb 1936
North Island and upper South Island
A tropical cyclone that originated near the Solomon Islands
11 [ 58]
Glen Afton No. 1 mine
Coal mine fire
24 Sep 1939
Huntly
11 miners, including the mine manager, died from carbon monoxide asphyxia
11 [ 59]
B17 bomber crash
air accident
12 Jun 1942
RNZAF Base Auckland at Whenuapai
11 [ 60]
2012 Carterton hot air balloon crash
air accident
7 Jan 2012
near Carterton
11 [ 61]
Cyclone Gabrielle
cyclone
12 Feb 2023 –16 Feb 2023
North Island and northern South Island
10 [ 62]
Shamrock sailing boat
shipwreck
1834
Queen Charlotte Sound
Capsized and sank. Exact location unknown.
10 [ 63]
Brig Australia
shipwreck
23 May 1873
off Cape Campbell
10
White Island sulphur mine
lahar following volcano crater wall collapse
10 Sep 1914
Whakaari/White Island
No bodies found.[ 64] [ 65]
10 [ 66]
Husky and Argo lost to storm in yacht race
shipwrecks
21 Jan 1951
between Wellington and Christchurch
10 [ 67]
Aspiring Air Britten-Norman Islander , collided with terrain
air crash
8 Aug 1989
Upper Dart Valley
NOTE: The exact number of deaths in some early New Zealand shipwrecks is not fully recorded. There may be several shipwrecks not listed here which claimed ten or more lives.
Significant incidents resulting in fewer than 10 deaths
Pandemics and health crises
Significant incidents of New Zealanders being killed overseas
See also
References
^ Bateman New Zealand Encyclopedia , edition 4 (1995). Article: |earthquake 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake , Hawke's Bay region, Napier
^ Welch, Denis (4 February 2006). "Shake, Rattle & Roll" . New Zealand Listener (3430): 29– 30. A larger death toll of 258 includes two missing, presumed dead.
^ "List of deceased – Christchurch earthquake" . New Zealand Police. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012 .
^ Waihi Landslide Archived 15 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine , GeoNet News, Vol. 2, February 2003, p. 7. Death toll calculated by subtracting death tolls for two later landslides (64 and 1 in 1846 and 1910 respectively) from the total of "more than 200" given for all three.
^ The eruption's death toll is uncertain. While 153 is a commonly quoted figure, only 108 named victims have been identified. Death list Archived 4 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine , Anheizen.com.
^ In 2007, the General Manager of the Earthquake Commission said that "... Ngati Hinemihi oral accounts put the death toll in the thousands." David Middleton (2007). A Roof Over Their Heads? The challenge of accommodation following disasters Archived 28 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
^ Five more died before the survivors were rescued 18 months later.
^ "Brunner Mine explosion" . Retrieved 15 September 2016 .
^ Lamorna Cooper, Hipaua Steaming Cliffs and Little Waihi Landslide , Tephra, Vol. 19, June 2002, 42–47.
^ Hura, Elizabeth. "Mananui Te Heuheu Tukino II" . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage . Retrieved 23 April 2017 .
^ The original Wahine death toll was 51; two names were added 22 and 40 years later. Six more people were killed by Cyclone Giselle elsewhere in New Zealand.
^ New Zealand Disasters – Mining: Ralph's Mine , Christchurch City Libraries
^ a b c d New Zealand disasters timeline , Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
^ Great storm of 1868, flash floods and 12 shipwrecks
^ a b c d Disasters and Mishaps – Shipwrecks , from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand , edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966, updated 18 September 2007.
^ Dunedin , which cites W.H. Brett's White Wings: Fifty years of sail in the New Zealand Trade , Vol. I. 1925.
^ "NEW ZEALAND DISASTERS AND TRAGEDIES – SINKING OF MV KAITAWA – 1966" . Retrieved 15 September 2016 .
^ Beswick, Angela. "Pike River: Second explosion, no survivors" . 3 News. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2010 .
^ "NEW ZEALAND DISASTERS – CLIVE FLOODS – 1897" . Retrieved 15 September 2016 .
^ The Wreck of The "Zuleika", Palliser Bay . Quotes from NZ Truth , 16 March 1976.
^ Field, Michael (6 March 2012). "1955 Pacific mystery to be finally marked" . stuff.co.nz . Retrieved 8 March 2012 .
^ All 25 on board were missing when the boat was found, and are presumed dead.
^ "Assaye from England to Auckland 1874" . Retrieved 15 September 2016 .
^ "NEW ZEALAND DISASTERS – RANUI SINKING – 1950" . Retrieved 15 September 2016 .
^ Ryburn, Wayne (1999). Tall Spars, Steamers & Gum . Auckland, N.Z.: Kaipara Publications. p. 230. ISBN 0-473-06176-7 .
^ "Not many remember the 'Sophia Pate' 1841 Kaipara Harbour" . freepages.rootsweb.com .
^ New Zealand Disasters – Kopuawhara flood , Christchurch City Libraries.
^ "Only deadly NZ tsunami on record hit the Chathams, 150 years ago" . Stuff.co.nz. 13 August 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2021 .
^ "ASN Accident Description (RNZAF [NZ3526])" . Aviation Safety Network . 24 September 1945. Retrieved 23 December 2020 .
^ New Zealand Disasters – Strongman Mine Explosion , Christchurch City Libraries.
^ Rotorua. Terrible boat disaster — Eighteen natives drowned , Daily Southern Cross| volume=XXVI| issue=3953, 23 April 1870, Page 4
^ Clyde , Dive New Zealand Magazine.
^ Casualties , Evening Star | issue=11329, 25 August 1900, Page 8
^ "Sad boating disaster" . The Daily Telegraph . No. 9835. 7 August 1900. p. 5. Retrieved 20 January 2016 .
^ "New Zealand Historical Data – Ship "Tauranga" " . Archived from the original on 15 April 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2008 .
^ Ingram, C. W. N., and Wheatley, P. O., (1936) Shipwrecks: New Zealand disasters 1795–1936. Dunedin, NZ: Dunedin Book Publishing Association. pp. 170–171.
^ The Lastingham Wreck , Paul's Dive Planet.
^ Eileen McSaveney, Historic earthquakes – The 1929 Arthur's Pass and Murchison earthquakes , Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated 21 September 2007. Accessed 2008-01-05.
^ Livingstone, Bob (1998). Under the Southern Cross: The B-24 Liberator in the South Pacific . Turner. p. 115. ISBN 1-56311-432-1 .
^ Whananaki Coastal Walk
^ Disasters and Mishaps – Shipwrecks – Holmglen , from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand , edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966, updated 18 September 2007.
^ New Zealand Disasters – Brynderwyns bus accident , Christchurch City Libraries.
^ "The Derry Castle" . Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa . Retrieved 18 April 2009 .
^ Weekly Feature – Early settler had leading role Archived 2 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine , Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 May 2003.
^ Disastrous flood at the Hutt - 14 lives lost, Daily Southern Cross, 16 February 1858, Page 3
^ McLintock, A. H. , ed. (1966). "Pre-war and Wartime Accidents" . An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand . Retrieved 7 January 2012 .
^ [13 murder victims plus perpetrator]
^ Disasters and Mishaps – Shipwrecks – Ventnor , from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand , edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966, updated 18 September 2007. The cargo included the remains of 499 Chinese miners who had died in NZ and whose remains were being repatriated. The wreck was discovered in December 2012.102-year-old SS Ventnor shipwreck mystery revealed .
^ "Wreck of the Alcmène – Shipwrecks – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand" .
^ Wreck information Archived 5 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine , Quay Stuff.
^ "NEW ZEALAND DISASTERS – OCTAGON FIRE, DUNEDIN – 1879" . Retrieved 15 September 2016 .
^ "NEW ZEALAND DISASTERS – BARQUE LIZZIE BELL SINKING – 1901" . Retrieved 15 September 2016 .
^ Three more died before being rescued.
^ "The Rio Loge" . Press . Wellington. Press Association. 13 February 1909. p. 11. Retrieved 11 May 2012 .
^ "Supposed Hull of Rio Loge" . Poverty Bay Herald . 22 February 1909. p. 5. Retrieved 11 May 2012 .
^ Stacey Wood; Greer McDonald (11 February 2009). "Search for wreck of Penguin" . The Dominion Post . Retrieved 11 May 2012 .
^ Eight destructive New Zealand storms , Marilynn McLachlan, New Zealand Herald, Auckland, 4:00 PM Friday 14 March 2014 Retrieved 26 January 2016
^ Sherwood, Alan & Phillips, Jock. "Coal and coal mining" . Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Retrieved 18 April 2009 .
^ Lomas, David (10 April 2010). "Secret deaths" . The New Zealand Listener . Retrieved 7 January 2012 .
^ "Hot air balloon crash near Carterton kills 11" . Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 7 January 2012 .
^ "Cyclone Gabrielle updates: Death toll rises, half of uncontactable reports resolved" . Radio New Zealand . 19 February 2023.
^ Add them to the list: Underwater survey discovers new wrecks in Marlborough Sounds , Oliver Lewis, Stuff.co.nz, Last updated 12:42, 1 September 2017, retrieved 1 September 2017
^ "Loss of the brig Australia, at Cape Campbell" . Grey River Argus . 7 June 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 11 May 2012 .
^ Boast, Richard P. (November 1993). "Whakaari (White Island) and Motuhora (Whale Island). A report to the Waitangi Tribunal" (PDF) . Ministry of Justice . New Zealand Government. pp. 50– 51. Retrieved 13 December 2019 .
^ Grenfell, Hugh (16 June 2015). "The 1914 White Island/Whakaari mining disaster" . Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira . Retrieved 13 December 2019 .
^ "Yacht Wrecked in Ocean Race" . The Press . 29 January 1951. p. 6. Retrieved 18 April 2009 .
^ "Accident description" . Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 17 April 2009 .
^ "Epidemic | NZHistory, New Zealand history online" . Nzhistory.net.nz. Retrieved 12 February 2017 .
^ a b "COVID-19: Current cases - COVID-19 cases summary" . www.health.govt.nz . Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Health NZ. 19 December 2023. COVID-19 cases summary. Retrieved 19 December 2023 .
^ "COVID-19 Active Cases in New Zealand - Deceased" . covid19map.co.nz . Global Risk Consulting Group (GRC). 19 December 2023. Deceased. Retrieved 19 December 2023 .
^ "UNAIDS Country Progress Report New Zealand: Reporting Period: January 2014 – December 2014" (PDF) . April 2015. p. 13. Retrieved 12 February 2017 .
^ Gosset, Katy; Journalist (17 March 2020). "Swine Flu 2009/2010" . RNZ . Retrieved 13 June 2023 .
^ John Wilson, The voyage out – Fire on the Cospatrick , from Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Updated 21 September 2007. Accessed 2008-05-20.
^ The Mercury newspaper (Hobart, Australia), [1] , Tuesday 30 October 1888
^ Board of Trade Wreck Report for 'Knowsley Hall', 1880 [usurped] , Board of Trade, 1880. Accessed 21 May 2008.
^ The Missing New Zealand Ship 'MATOAKA' , which cites The Times , London, 22 March 1870, page 9. Accessed 21 May 2008.
^ New Zealand Press Association (25 July 1973). "Passenger List" . The Press . Christchurch, New Zealand. Retrieved 22 November 2024 .
^ "ASN Accident Description (RNZAF [NZ4006])" . Aviation Safety Network . 5 June 1943. Retrieved 23 December 2020 .
^ "ASN Accident Description (Pan Am-806)" . Aviation Safety Network . 30 January 1974. Retrieved 24 December 2020 .
^ "Crash Investigation Underway" . News Bulletin . Pago Pago, American Samoa. 1 February 1974. Retrieved 24 December 2020 .
^ "ASN Accident Description (RNZAF [NZ4022])" . Aviation Safety Network . 27 January 1945. Retrieved 23 December 2020 .
^ "Devon – BBC News" . Retrieved 15 September 2016 .
External links
Overview Disasters
Geological
Hydrological
Meteorological
Temperature Drought Cyclonic storms Other
Astronomical
Unrelated to natural hazards
Preparation Countermeasures Media Organizations