The buildings have been inspected, and more leaks are expected following the Wellington earthquake

A 3.8-magnitude aftershock shook the capital this afternoon.

GeoNet reported a mild tremor in Cook Strait at 2.23pm today and confirmed it was an aftershock from yesterday's 5.7 magnitude earthquake.

Yesterday's earthquake was bad news for the city's groundwater infrastructure, which was already damaged by previous earthquakes and aging.

Wellington Water is bracing for more leaks and burst mains after yesterday's earthquake. Photography: Mark Mitchell

Wellington Water told the Herald that yesterday's earthquake caused two drinking water pipes to burst. One exploded at Ferry Place, Porirua, immediately after the quake and was repaired last night, and the other at Fairlie Terrace in Kilburn is an “ongoing incident”.

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A company spokesperson said they expect “an increase in leaks and explosions, especially in vulnerable drinking water pipes, over the coming weeks.”

It blames “the network, aging infrastructure, and historical events that followed the earthquake.”

“Our seismic sensors and alarms on critical structures have worked as expected, and we have begun inspections of critical infrastructure such as pumping stations and major reservoirs and will continue to do so throughout the week. No issues have been identified so far,” the spokesperson said.

ANZ's Tory St building, which houses NZME's Wellington office, was closed today, with staff asked to work from home while the situation was assessed.

This afternoon the building was given the green light and staff are cleared to return tomorrow.

New Zealand Engineering Te Ao Ranghau, the professional body representing the industry, confirmed Wellington engineers were involved in assessing several buildings after the quake.

Dr Richard Templer, the association's chief executive, said that because Geonet had classified the quake as 'strong', widespread damage to buildings was not expected and local and central government resources had not been mobilised to inspect buildings.

“If the earthquake had been ‘severe’ the risk of damage to buildings would have been much higher, and Engineering NZ would have worked with the local government and MBIE [the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment] To involve our eligible members in the evaluation process. As such, we do not know how many buildings were searched.”

Victoria Lane Apartments in Wellington were evacuated last night after a resident felt shaking.

It was confirmed today to be a false alarm, set off by a resident who called emergency services about a “physical disturbance” in his apartment.

An apartment building in Wellington has been evacuated after residents said they felt shaking in the building.

A full evacuation was issued around midnight, with residents allowed to return two hours after the scene had been evacuated.

David McGuinness – managing director of Willis Pond, the building's developer – said the inspection found no problems and no other residents raised concerns.

He said the building was performing exactly as expected from a base-isolated building with “record seismic resilience.”

McGinnis said the team's comprehensive inspection found there was no evidence of structural or other damage

Fire and Emergency Central Shift Manager Murray Dunbar said Finns received reports late last night that “may indicate structural damage” to the Victoria Lane Apartments in the city

The Insurance Council (ICNZ) advises Wellington residents to inspect their property and file a claim if any damage is discovered.

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“Commercial landlords should contact their brokers. Taking photographs of damage to your property will help assess your claims and if you need to move damaged or contaminated goods from your home for health and safety reasons,” an ICNZ spokesperson said.

The spokesman said it was too early to determine the number of claims submitted in relation to damage caused by the earthquake.

The quake, which occurred at 5.08am yesterday, was 25 kilometers west of Wellington in Cook Strait.

It was the strongest recorded in New Zealand since magnitude 5.7 on September 20, 2023, near Geraldine in Canterbury.

It was also the latest in a series of recent earthquakes in Cook Strait, which included a magnitude 4.8 tremor on August 5 and a magnitude 5.0 event last Tuesday, northeast of Seddon.

More than 37,000 people felt it, the GeoNet website reported. It has been detected as far north as Auckland and as far south as Christchurch.

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Elizabeth Abbott, a seismologist at GNS Science, said the recent activity was “within the normal range.”

“We live in a really shaky place, and the fact that we are experiencing these events is completely predictable.”

Although we can't predict earthquakes, Wellingtonians live on an “active plate boundary” and the recent oscillations serve as a timely reminder to prepare, she said.

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