Active Fault Mapping

The New Zealand Active Fault Map shows where known active fault lines are across the district. However, these existing maps are low resolution and lack detail. The fault lines are shown as broad zones, making it difficult to know their location with precision at a property level.

The project aims to provide more detailed information about where active faults are located.

You can view the current NZ Active Fault Map at https://data.gns.cri.nz/af/index.html

The Council has engaged Earth Sciences New Zealand to produce more detailed maps of active faults using existing information and a 3D map of the land surface created from LiDAR data.

As part of this work, Earth Sciences New Zealand will undertake site visits in selected locations to help verify and improve existing fault information.

Information gathered will be combined to help produce updated fault maps and a technical report. The findings will be made publicly available once the project is complete at the end of 2026.

We want Ōpōtiki to remain a safe and thriving place to live.

Better mapping provides clearer, more exact information for landowners, the community and the Council about where active faults are located. This helps:

• Build safer, and more resilient infrastructure
• Support emergency planning and response
• Protect people and property in high‑risk areas
• Avoid unnecessary restrictions in low‑risk areas.

In late 2025, the Government introduced new rules requiring councils to consider natural hazard risks, including active faults, when making decisions on resource consents.

Further changes to planning and emergency management laws are expected soon. More detailed active fault information will help Council better meet the new legal requirements to manage hazard risks, to contribute to regional spatial planning, and to plan future land use and infrastructure. Current fault maps lack the detail needed for these purposes.

Ōpōtiki District sits in one of New Zealand’s most geologically active regions. This means the area is more likely to experience earthquakes and active fault rupture than many other parts of the country.

Not necessarily.

The goal is to protect people where risk is high while allowing sensible development where risk is low. Improved mapping helps avoid blanket restrictions and supports balanced, evidence-based planning.

Knowing more precisely where active faults are located helps emergency services plan for the impacts of earthquakes and fault rupture events and respond more effectively.

It also helps communities better understand local natural hazard risks and prepare accordingly.

Information about active faults already exists in the New Zealand Active Faults Map and is publicly available, including through LIMs.

This project aims to improve the information by providing more precise understanding of fault locations.

The project does not assess property values or insurance matters.

The Earth’s outer layer is made up of large pieces of rock called tectonic plates. As these plates move, stress builds up and creates fractures, known as faults, in the Earth’s crust.

In New Zealand, an active fault is generally considered one that has broken the ground surface within the past 125,000 years.

Yes.

Pressure builds up on either side of a fault. When the stress becomes too great, the fault slips and releases energy often causing an earthquake.

Once a fault forms, it often remains a location where pressure is released again in the future.

Yes

LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging.

A small aircraft flies over an area and sends out thousands of laser pulses every second. By measuring how long each pulse takes to bounce back, the system builds a highly detailed 3D picture of the land surface. This information helps scientists identify subtle land features that may indicate the presence of active faults.