“We invest more than $10million a year in research and resilience to strengthen our country’s knowledge base and improve our individual and collective resilience to natural disasters,” says Dr Jo Horrocks, NHC’s Chief Resilience Officer. 

“We’re pleased to share this report, which gives a snapshot of the diversity of resilience work underway — from uncovering new insights into earthquake and climate risk, to improving building performance and supporting smarter land-use decisions across New Zealand,” Jo says.

Designing buildings to bounce back – and pay off

New NHC-funded research shows that a building designed to higher resilience standards may cost more upfront but can pay for itself within 10–15 years, by avoiding repair costs, disruption, displacement and carbon-intensive rebuilds after earthquakes.

Research also shows homeowners expect significantly better earthquake performance than minimum life-safety standards require. In response, NHC is supporting clearer guidance and practical pathways to lift building performance and better meet community expectations.

New insights into Auckland’s earthquake risk

In Auckland, NHC-funded scientists have detected five times more small earthquakes than previously recorded and mapped dozens of possible, previously unknown or “obscured” faults.

While major earthquakes remain unlikely, the findings could reshape understanding of the city’s risk profile and inform smarter land-use planning, as Auckland grows.

Extreme rainfall, landslides and smarter planning

New climate research shows extreme rainfall in New Zealand clusters unpredictably, meaning some communities may face repeated events while others experience long quiet periods. Relying on recent history alone could underestimate future flood risk.

Landslides remain the country’s costliest and deadliest hazard. New guidance released this year by the New Zealand Geotechnical Society is making it easier to identify safer areas for development and is already widely adopted by industry.

The report also highlights a dynamic simulation model showing how zoning and infrastructure decisions shape land use over time. In testing, stricter zoning reduced vulnerable residential development by up to 19 percent. In 2025, NHC also launched a Pre-event Land Use Planning Methodology to help councils plan recovery before disasters strike.

“This report shows how evidence-based investment in resilience can reduce long-term costs, improve safety outcomes and help New Zealanders recover faster,” says Dr Horrocks.

Read the report:

Resilience Highlights Report(external link)