• Tragedies

    • In Memoriam photo

      Carterton Ballooning Tragedy

      7 January 2012
      A holiday ballooning experience ended in tragedy for five couples and their pilot in Carterton. The balloon burst into flames after hitting power lines. There were no survivors. The accident happened just 40 mins after take off on a calm summer's morning. The Carterton ballooning tragedy is the worst New Zealand air disaster since the Erebus crash in 1979. more...
    • In Memoriam photo

      Hawkes Bay Earthquake

      3 February 1931
      The 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, also known as the Napier earthquake, occurred in New Zealand at 10:47 am on 3 February, killing 256 and devastating the Hawke's Bay region. It remains New Zealand's deadliest natural disaster. Centred 15 km north of Napier, it lasted for two and a half minutes and measured magnitude 7.8 Ms (magnitude 7.9 Mw). There were 525 aftershocks recorded in the following two weeks, with 597 being recorded by the end of February. more...
    • In Memoriam photo

      Christchurch Earthquake

      22 February 2011
      A vicious 6.3 earthquake struck the city during a busy week-day lunch time. Just 5km deep with the epicentre in Lyttelton, this earthquake destroyed many of the downtown buildings and homes that had survived the earlier 7.1 September 4th 2010 quake. The official death toll was 185. more...
    • In Memoriam photo

      Christchurch Mosque Shootings

      15 March 2019
      51 people died in an unprecedented, unprovoked terrorist attack in Christchurch. The gunman began his attack at 1.53pm at the Deans Avenue Masjid Al Noor mosque, killing 41 then drove to the Linwood Avenue mosque, Linwood Masjid, and killed a further seven people, three others died in hospital. Over 45 people were immediately hospitalised, however many more received non-hospital care for their injuries. The attack is described as NZ's darkest day, claiming the lives of young and old alike and causing a nationwide alert. more...
    • In Memoriam photo
    • In Memoriam photo

      Mangetepopo Gorge Tragedy

      15 April 2008
      Six year 12 students and their teacher at Auckland's Elim Christian College tragically died after drowning in the Mangetepopo gorge, south of Turangi. The group were caught in a flash flood and the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuit Centre was fined $480,000 for its part in the deaths as a heavy rain warning and a severe thunderstorm report, which included a prediction of flash flooding, were never received by the centre. Three other students and an instructor survived. more...
    • In Memoriam photo

      Cave Creek Platform Collapse

      28 April 1995
      Fourteen people died when a scenic viewing platform over a 40-metre chasm collapsed at Cave Creek in Paparoa National Park on the West Coast. A group of students from Tai Poutini Polytechnic in Greymouth, along with a Department of Conservation officer, were on the platform when it collapsed. Four students survived the collapse, although with serious injuries. The tragedy resulted in New Zealand's Minister of Conservation, Denis Marshall, resigning over claims of negligence after it was revealed that serious systemic failures and underfunding had led to the building of the unstable platform. It also led to a change in New Zealand Law, allowing for government departments to be held liable for inadequate building practices. more...
    • In Memoriam photo

      Hyde Railway Disaster

      4 June 1943
      The Hyde railway disaster occurred on 4 June 1943 near the small settlement of Hyde, New Zealand on a bend of the Otago Central Railway. At the time, it was New Zealand's worst railway accident; of the 113 passengers on board, 21 were killed and a further 47 were injured. But just over ten years later, the Tangiwai disaster took 151 lives on 24 December 1953. The Hyde disaster remains as the second worst railway accident in New Zealand's history. more...
    • In Memoriam photo

      Picton Car Crash

      19 June 2022
      A horror two vehicle crash killed seven family members shook the country. The Brown family of nine were returning to Auckland following a funeral in Gore when tragically their van collided with a truck. The accident happened on a notorious stretch on road near Picton when they were on their way to catch the Wellington ferry. Two of the family members and the truck driver survived. more...
    • In Memoriam photo

      Kaikoura Boat Tragedy

      10 September 2022
      Five people tragically died in the seas off the Kaikoura coast while on a bird watching charter. The accident happened not far off the coast from Goose Bay, when the Fish Kaikoura Charters boat overturned in calm flat seas with a group of photographers on board, six people were rescued but five died. more...
    • In Memoriam photo

      Ballantyne's Fire

      18 November 1947
      On 18 November 1947, a fire engulfed Ballantynes department store in central Christchurch, New Zealand. 41 people died in the blaze; all were employees who found themselves trapped by the fire or were overcome by smoke while evacuating the store complex without a fire alarm or evacuation plan. It remains the deadliest fire in New Zealand history. more...
    • In Memoriam photo

      Pike River Coal Mine Disaster

      19 November 2010
      Twenty-nine miners died in the second blast of the Pike River Coal Mine disaster on the West Coast on the 24th November 2010. The first blast, possibly due to toxic gas build up, was five days earlier and had caused rescue efforts to be delayed. The gas and heat levels measured after the second blast showed fatal levels that no one could survive. more...
    • In Memoriam photo

      White Island Volcano Eruption

      9 December 2019
      Forty-seven people, tourists and guides, were on White Island when the volcano erupted at 14:11 on 9 December 2019, Tragically the incident claimed 22 lives with many others suffering devastating burn injuries. The visitors to the island were from the Oviation of the Seas cruise ship. White Island (Whakaari) is a popular tourist destination and scientific research site located 48 km from the east coast of the North Island in the Bay of Plenty. It is also one of a number of volcanoes that can produce sudden and unanticipated explosive eruptions. more...

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