The Canterbury/Waitaha region and its communities are subject to a wide range of natural hazards including flooding, earthquakes, liquefaction, tsunamis and coastal erosion.

Ten Civil Defence emergencies have been declared in parts of Canterbury/Waitaha over the last decade for earthquakes, fire, flooding and severe weather events (including Cyclone Gita). The impact of these hazards can extend over local, regional and national scales.

Climate change is exacerbating some natural hazards in the region. Higher temperatures, sea level rise, and changes to rainfall and storm frequency are causing a range of impacts, such as more frequent and severe flooding, fire, drought, and coastal erosion. The impacts of natural hazards on the region and its communities include risk to life, and damage to property and infrastructure.

There are also a wide range of social, economic, cultural and environmental effects associated with natural hazards, which are spread unevenly across geographic, demographic and temporal scales. Here we look at the natural hazard issues facing our region that inform our planning framework.