Natural hazards
Natural hazards are part of life in the Bay of Plenty. Regional Council models and maps these hazards to identify risks and help build safer, more resilient communities.
Visit Emergency Management Bay of Plenty for more information on how to prepare for and stay safe during a natural hazard.
Bay of Plenty's natural hazards
Use our interactive maps to identify areas at risk of natural hazards across Bay of Plenty.
Coastal erosion occurs when waves and storms wear down or remove sand and rock along the coastline, impacting beaches and foreshore areas.
Coastal flooding (inundation) happens when low-lying coastal areas are flooded by rising sea levels and storm surges.
Flooding is our countries most common natural hazard, caused by intense rainfall, overflowing rivers, lakes and stormwater overland flow paths.
A tsunami is a series of powerful long waves caused by underwater disturbances like earthquakes, landslides and volcanic eruptions.
A landslide is the downhill movement of rock, soil and vegetation that occurs when a slope’s stability is overwhelmed by intense rainfall or an earthquake.
New Zealand is at high risk from earthquakes, including the Bay of Plenty region. The last major earthquake that affected our region was centred in Edgecumbe in 1987.
Volcanoes can erupt causing ashfall, pyroclastic flows, ballistics and debris flows.