Striking images helping Kaikoura recovery

Satellite images of the impact of the Kaikoura earthquake show the level of devastation and will help speed up the recovery, Land Information Minister Louise Upston says.

The imagery, taken from planes, gives a clear picture of dramatic changes to the coastline following the initial quakes and aftershocks. The project was a joint effort between Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) and NZTA, and will support the reconstruction work on the coastal rail and road route announced by Minister Bridges today.

“It’s incredibly hard to understand the true power of earthquakes until you see how easily they move huge geographic features, so images like these will help people more easily understand the disruption local communities are facing,” Mrs Upston says.

“Most importantly though, these images will help recovery agencies identify new hazards, rebuild roads and other vital infrastructure, and help everyone affected more quickly get back to normal.  

“Further down the track, LINZ will be able to give surveyors precise coordinates reflecting the impact of the quakes, helping them more accurately work on the local rebuild. 

“It’s not just the land that’s been affected. LINZ is also working with the Australian Defence Force to carry out a rapid survey of the sea floor around Kaikoura.

“This will help identify any immediate hazards to navigation, update nautical charts, and identify where further surveys might be needed.”

“The Government is absolutely committed to helping Kaikoura and all the surrounding communities with the recovery efforts, and this work by LINZ shows every agency that can is pitching in.”

LINZ and GNS Science also run a network of global navigation satellite stations, which contribute to the Geonet network for monitoring seismic events.

The imagery are available on the LINZ Data Service at: https://data.linz.govt.nz/layer/3529-kaikoura-earthquake-02m-aerial-photos-2016/