View source for 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake

{{Short description|Deadliest earthquake in New Zealand}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox earthquake
| name = 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake
| timestamp = 1931-02-02 22:46:52
| anss-url = iscgem906607
| isc-event = 906607
| image = Hastings Post Office 1931.jpg
| caption = Hastings Post Office
| map2 = {{Location map | New Zealand 
| relief = 1
| lat = -39.30
| long  = 177.00
| mark = Bullseye1.png
| marksize = 50
| position = top
| float = right
| width = 260
}}
| local-date = <!-- NZDT -->3 February 1931
| local-time = 10:46:52 [[Time in New Zealand|NZDT]]
| intensity = {{MMI|9}}<ref name=NGDC>{{Cite web|title=Significant Earthquake Information|url=https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/3450|author=National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS)|publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]] National Centers for Environmental Information|doi=10.7289/V5TD9V7K|year = 1972}}</ref>
| magnitude = 7.8 {{M|s|link=y}}<br>7.7 {{M|w|link=yes}}<ref name="Webb_&_Anderson_1998">{{Cite journal |last1=Webb |first1=T.H. |last2=Anderson |first2=H. |date=1998 |title=Focal mechanisms of large earthquakes in the North Island of New Zealand: slip partitioning at an oblique active margin |journal=Geophysical Journal International |volume=134 |issue=1 |pages=40–86 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-246x.1998.00531.x|bibcode=1998GeoJI.134...40W |doi-access= free}}</ref>
| depth = {{convert|14|km|abbr=on}}
| engvar = en-UK
| location = {{Coord|39.3|S|177.0|E|type:event_region:NZ-HKB|display=inline,title}}
| affected = [[Napier, New Zealand|Napier]], [[Hastings, New Zealand|Hastings]], [[Hawkes Bay]]
| casualties = 256 dead, thousands injured
| duration = 2:20 seconds
| damage = around 2000 buildings
}}
[[File:Hawkes Bay Tribune 1931.jpg|thumb|Damage to the Hawkes Bay Tribune building]]

The '''1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake''', also known as the '''Napier earthquake''', occurred in New Zealand at 10:47{{Nbsp}}am on 3 February, killing 256,<ref name="deathtoll">The exact number of deaths varies according to different sources; the ''New Zealand Listener'' article cited below gives 258 deaths, but the Bateman ''New Zealand Encyclopedia'' gives 256. The difference is due to two people "missing" and presumed dead. Some articles add these two to the death toll, while others do not.</ref> injuring thousands and devastating the [[Hawke's Bay (region)|Hawke's Bay]] region. It remains New Zealand's deadliest [[natural disaster]]. Centred 15&nbsp;km north of [[Napier, New Zealand|Napier]], it lasted for two and a half minutes and had a magnitude of 7.8 {{M|s|link=y}} (7.7 {{M|w|link=y}}).<ref name="Webb_&_Anderson_1998"/> There were 525 [[aftershock]]s recorded in the following two weeks, with 597 being recorded by the end of February. The main shock could be felt in much of New Zealand, with reliable reports coming in from as far south as [[Timaru]], on the east coast of the [[South Island]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.geonet.org.nz/quakes/region/newzealand/2178228 |title=M 7.4 Hawke's Bay Tue, Feb 3 1931|publisher=[[GeoNet (New Zealand)|GeoNet]]}}</ref>

==Tectonic setting==
New Zealand lies along the boundary between the [[Indo-Australian plate]] and [[Pacific plate]]s. In the [[South Island]] most of the relative displacement between these plates is taken up along a single dextral (right lateral) [[strike-slip fault]] with a major [[Dip-slip faults|reverse]] component, the [[Alpine Fault]]. In the [[North Island]] the displacement is mainly taken up along the [[Hikurangi Subduction Zone]], although the remaining dextral strike-slip component of the relative plate motion is accommodated by the [[North Island Fault System]] (NIFS).<ref>{{citation|title=Terminations of large strike-slip faults: An alternative model from New Zealand|journal=Geological Society, London, Special Publications|volume=290|issue=1|pages= 387–415|year=2007|last1=Mouslopoulou|first1=V|last2=Nicol|first2=A|last3=Little|first3=T. A|last4=Walsh|first4=J. J|bibcode=2007GSLSP.290..387M|doi=10.1144/SP290.15|s2cid=129003001}}</ref>

The earthquake is thought to have occurred on one of the larger [[Thrust fault|thrust]] faults within the [[accretionary wedge]], at between ca. 5&nbsp;km depth and ca. 20–25&nbsp;km depth (which is the approximate depth of subducted Pacific plate at that location).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gns.cri.nz/gns/Home/News-and-Events/Media-Releases/NZ-s-quake-vulnerability|title=Bay quake highlights NZ's vulnerability|publisher=GNS Science|website=gns.cri.nz|access-date=23 June 2011|archive-date=18 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218235605/http://gns.cri.nz/gns/Home/News-and-Events/Media-Releases/NZ-s-quake-vulnerability|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Damage and effects==
{{more citations needed section|date=February 2013}}
[[File:Ahuriri Lagoon map before after 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake crude.png|thumb|Comparison map of the extent of Ahuriri Lagoon before (left) and after (right) the earthquake]]
Nearly all buildings in the central areas of Napier and Hastings were levelled ([[The Dominion Post (Wellington)|''The Dominion'']] noted that "Napier as a town has been wiped off the map").<ref name="NZHA87"/> It was, at the time, New Zealand's most damaging earthquake to buildings since European settlement began around 1840.{{sfn|Dowrick|1998|p=141}} The material damage of the earthquake was estimated at ${{Format price|{{inflation|NZ|512,000,000|1998}}}}.{{sfn|Dowrick|1998|p=140}}

The local landscape changed dramatically, with the coastal areas around Napier being lifted by around two metres.<ref name="NZHA87">''New Zealand Historical Atlas'' – McKinnon, Malcolm (Editor); [[David Bateman]], 1997, Plate 87</ref> The most noticeable land change was the uplifting of some 40&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> of sea-bed to become dry land. This included [[Ahuriri Lagoon]], which was lifted more than 2.7 metres<ref name="NZHA87"/> and resulted in draining {{Convert|9000|acre|ha|order=flip}} of the lagoon.<ref name="teara1966">{{Cite web |date=1966 |title=The Hawke's Bay Earthquake, 1931 |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/disasters-and-mishaps-earthquakes/page-2 |access-date=12 May 2024 |website=[[An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand]]}}</ref> Today, this area is the location of [[Hawke's Bay Airport]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Morton |first=Jamie |date=4 December 2023 |title=Why next major Hawke's Bay earthquake could cause opposite effect of 1931 disaster |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/why-next-major-hawkes-bay-earthquake-could-cause-opposite-effect-of-1931-disaster/CE2R762LPFC4FE3I6QBTEBPLCY/ |access-date=11 May 2024 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]}}</ref> housing and industrial developments and farmland.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

=== Fires ===
Within minutes fires broke out in a few chemist shops in Hastings Street, Napier.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The 1931 Earthquake {{!}} Napier City Council |url=https://www.napier.govt.nz/napier/about/history/napier-earthquake-1931/ |access-date=2024-05-11 |website=napier.govt.nz}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> The fire brigade almost had the first fire under control when the second broke out in a shop at the back of the Masonic Hotel.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} The fire continued to spread through adjoined wooden buildings, which led to the entire town being engulfed in flames by the afternoon.<ref name=":0" /> The wind at this point also picked up strength and began blowing from the east, pushing the fires back over the city.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} The day was hot and dry which increased the fire's ability to spread. With water mains broken, the brigade was unable to save many buildings. Attempts were made at pumping water from the sea, but these failed.<ref name=":0" /> Fire engines at Napier's central fire station were covered in debris from the earthquake which made them unavailable for use.<ref name=":5" /> Pumping water from Clive Square, they were able to stop the fires spreading south. Only a few buildings in the central Napier area survived. Some withstood the earthquake only to be gutted by fire. Trapped people had to be left to burn as people were unable to free them in time.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} It took until the following afternoon for the main fires to go out,<ref name=":0" /> but the ruins still smouldered for several days.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} In Hastings, the fires were quickly brought under control.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

=== Utilities ===
The entire east coast of the North Island lost electricity during the quake, although power was restored to [[Masterton]], [[Pahiatua]], [[Dannevirke]] and [[Waipukurau]] within two hours, and to [[Gisborne, New Zealand|Gisborne]] within ten hours. At Napier substation, the transformers were tipped over by the force of the quake and the high-voltage switchgear damaged, while the Napier to [[Tuai]] transmission line was taken out of service after a landslide caused a tower to collapse. A limited supply was restored to Napier and Hastings on 4 February; due to the damage at Napier substation, the Waipukurau to Napier transmission line was jumpered to the low-voltage switchgear at both ends. The Napier to Tuai line was repaired and put back into service on 12 February, while full supply to Napier substation was restored on 29 March.<ref>{{Cite web|date=1931|title=AtoJs Online – Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives – 1931 Session I-II – D-01 PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT (BY THE RIGHT HON. J. G. COATES, MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS).|url=https://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1931-I-II.2.2.2.1&pg=101&e=-------10--1---bySH---0-AJHR_1931_IZz-II_DZz-I-|access-date=26 February 2021|website=atojs.natlib.govt.nz}}</ref>

There was also severe damage to sewerage systems, gas supply and telegraph systems.{{sfn|Dowrick|1998|p=145}}

=== Transport ===
The earthquake caused great damage to Napier's roads, railways,<ref name="teara1966" /> bridges and wharves. Rails were badly twisted.{{sfn|Dowrick|1998|p=142-143}} The city's [[tram]] tracks were also twisted, and were never restored.<ref>{{cite web |title=Napier Earthquake |url=http://library.christchurch.org.nz/Kids/NZDisasters/Napier.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216185652/http://library.christchurch.org.nz/kids/nzdisasters/napier.asp |archive-date=16 February 2008 |access-date=13 February 2008 |work=Christchurch City Libraries}}</ref>

New Zealand's first commercial air disaster occurred six days after the quake, when a [[Dominion Airlines]] [[Desoutter]] monoplane crashed near Wairoa. The small airline had been making three return trips a day between Hastings and Gisborne, carrying passengers and supplies. All three on board were killed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=First fatal accident on a scheduled air service in New Zealand |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/first-fatal-air-accident-in-nz |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=nzhistory.govt.nz}}</ref>

=== Miscellaneous ===
A group of prisoners working at Bluff Hill in Napier had four of their number buried in a landslip by the quake. The remaining prisoners dug them out, but two had been killed. The prisoners re-assembled without any attempt to escape and were locked up in the Napier Jail. In [[Taradale, New Zealand|Taradale]], [[Mission Estate]] missionaries' accommodation block had been built and opened on 2 February. The next day the earthquake struck, causing serious damage to the entire Mission. Two priests and seven students were killed when the stone chapel was destroyed. In [[Havelock North, New Zealand|Havelock North]], St Luke's church was damaged (but not destroyed) just before a wedding was due to take place. The couple got married later in the day, but outdoors.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

About 10 per cent of homes on soft ground in Napier experienced ground damage, such as liquefaction.{{sfn|Dowrick|1998|p=141}} There was a large amount of damage to buildings, mainly ones made of brick; the earthquake occurred before an earthquake building code was introduced.{{sfn|Dowrick|1998|p=146}} The Napier ''Daily Telegraph'' newspaper office was destroyed,{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} and so was the ''Hawke's Bay Herald''{{'}}s printing facility in Hastings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Hawke's Bay Tribune |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/hawke-s-bay-tribune |access-date=11 May 2024 |website=[[PapersPast]]}}</ref> [[Napier Technical College (New Zealand)|Napier Technical College]] was destroyed, which caused it to be disestablished and amalgamated into [[Napier Girls' High School]] and [[Napier Boys' High School]].<ref name="historicplacesaotearoa">{{Cite web |date=1 May 2014 |title=H B Heritage News |url=https://historicplacesaotearoa.org.nz/assets/HPHB-NEWSLETTER-1-May-2014.pdf |access-date=12 April 2024 |website=historicplacesaotearoa.govt.nz}}</ref>

== Casualties ==
The official death toll was 256 although the Napier earthquake memorial lists 258 names.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Deadly Hawke's Bay earthquake |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/hawkes-bay-earthquake |access-date=2024-05-11 |website=nzhistory.govt.nz}}</ref> Of these, 161 people were in [[Napier, New Zealand|Napier]], 93 in [[Hastings, New Zealand|Hastings]] and two in [[Wairoa]].<ref name="deathtoll" /> Thousands more were injured, with over 400 being hospitalised.<ref name=":0" /> There were several places that had multiple deaths, including 17 deaths due to Roach's department store collapsing, 15 in an old men's home,<ref name=":3" /> 9 students in Napier Technical College,<ref name="historicplacesaotearoa2">{{Cite web |date=1 May 2014 |title=H B Heritage News |url=https://historicplacesaotearoa.org.nz/assets/HPHB-NEWSLETTER-1-May-2014.pdf |access-date=11 May 2024 |website=historicplacesaotearoa.govt.nz}}</ref> 8 from Grand Hotel and 7 at the [[Greenmeadows, New Zealand|Greenmeadows]] seminary.<ref name=":3" />

== Response ==
Shortly after the earthquake, people escaped to the [[Marine Parade, Napier, New Zealand|Marine Parade]] Beach. After noticing that the shoreline had receded, they ran away in panic under the expectation that a tsunami was on its way. There was, however, no tidal wave; the receded shoreline was caused by the land moving upwards.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fowler |first=Michael |date=27 November 2016 |title=1931 quake sparked tidal-wave fear |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/1931-quake-sparked-tidal-wave-fear/FJDGAEWDELHBC64YVESUTJDZHA/ |access-date=16 May 2024 |department=[[Hawke's Bay Today]] |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]}}</ref><ref name=":5" />[[File:1931_Hawkes_Bay_Earthquake_-_Telegram_from_King_George_V_(24290801269).jpg|thumb|Telegram from [[King George V]] to Governor-General of New Zealand, 3 February 1931]]On 4 February over 5,000 people evacuated Napier,<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Hawke's Bay earthquake |url=https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/hawkes-bay-earthquake |access-date=15 May 2024 |website=my.christchurchcitylibraries.com}}</ref> mainly women and children. Men were expected to stay to help out with the recovery. The army and navy also arrived in Napier to help with the recovery. [[Nelson Park, Napier|Nelson Park]] served as Napier's "evacuation centre" which was the site of many tents and was able to cater for over 1,000 people from a [[field kitchen]]. Many people also lived in tents in [[Marine Parade, Napier, New Zealand|Marine Parade]] and other places. There were several places that gave out free food in Napier and Hawke's Bay, such as in several schools. Water barrels were also kept full to allow for people to take from them, after losing water access from their homes.<ref name=":0" />

Within four days of the quake, cinemas around New Zealand offered news specials about the disaster.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

=== HMS ''Veronica'' ===
The death toll might have been much higher had the [[Royal Navy]] ship [[HMS Veronica (1915)|HMS ''Veronica'']] not been in port at the time. Within minutes of the shock the ''Veronica'' had sent radio messages asking for help. The sailors joined survivors to fight the fires, rescue trapped people and help give them medical treatment. The ''Veronica'''s radio was used to transmit news of the disaster to the outside world and to seek assistance. The crew from two cargo ships, the ''Northumberland'' and ''Taranaki'', also joined the rescue works, while two cruisers, [[HMS Diomede (D92)|HMS ''Diomede'']] and [[HMS Dunedin (D93)|HMS ''Dunedin'']], were dispatched from Auckland that afternoon with food, tents, medicine, blankets, and a team of doctors and nurses. The cruisers sailed at high speed overnight, arrived on 4 February and provided valuable assistance in all areas until their departure on 11 February.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

==Aftershocks==
{{Over-quotation|section=y|date=May 2024}}
On 13 February, Hawke's Bay was struck by a 7.3 {{m|s}} aftershock. At the time, this was New Zealand's fourth strongest recorded earthquake. Author Matthew Wright reported that "the power failed three seconds before the earthquake was felt in Napier. People from Napier to [[Dannevirke]] ran for their lives as previously damaged buildings cracked and fell".<ref name="owdjim77">{{cite web|url=http://wildland.owdjim.gen.nz/?p=77 |title=Hawke's Bay Earthquakes 1931 « Wild Land |publisher=Wildland.owdjim.gen.nz |date=13 February 2006 |access-date=18 June 2015}}</ref> He added "Some inland parts of Hawke's Bay felt this aftershock more strongly than 3 February quake ... but 'there was no damage of any moment'. People rushed into the streets in Dannevirke and Masterton. In Wellington all but one of the clocks stopped working in the Dominion Observatory, and ceiling lights in the Evening Post offices swayed more vigorously than they had the week before".<ref name="owdjim77"/> The earthquake of 13 February 1931 is widely regarded as an aftershock of the larger event ten days earlier. But Messrs Adams, Barnett and Hayes commenting on the rapid decline in the frequency of aftershocks in the Journal of Science & Technology stated, "The fresh outbreak on the 13th February, due to the severe shock on that date, may almost be regarded as a separate disturbance, although it probably arose from conditions produced by the original shock on the 3rd".{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

Aftershocks continued to shake Hawke's Bay frequently until July 1931, where the average aftershock occurrence dropped to less than one daily. Aftershocks continued for a few more years, with the last major jolt shaking the Bay in April 1934.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

Below is a list of all recorded aftershocks following the main event.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
! Year !! Month !! Date !! Number of aftershocks !! Largest shock
|-
| 1931 || February || || 597 || 
|-
| || || 3 February || 151 || 5.5 {{m|s|link=y}}
|-
| || || 4 February || 55 ||
|-
| || || 5 February || 50 || 
|-
| || || 6 February || 29 || 
|-
| || || 7 February || 24 || 
|-
| || || 8 February || <20 ||  6.4 {{m|s|link=y}}
|-
| || || 9 February || <20 || 
|-
| || || 10 February || <20 ||
|-
| || || 11 February || <20 || 
|-
| || || 12 February || <20 || 
|-
| || || 13 February || 81 || 7.3 {{m|s|link=y}}
|-
| || || 14 February || 23 || 
|-
| || || 15 February || 18 ||
|-
| || || 16 February || 19 || 
|-
| 1931 || March || || 75 ||
|-++ {{m|s|link=y}}
| 1931 || April || || 52 || 5.5 {{m|s|link=y}}
|-
| 1931 || May || || 40 || 6.0 {{m|s|link=y}}
|-
| 1931 || June || || 40 ||
|-
| 1931 || July || || 26 || 
|-
| 1931 || August || || 17 ||
|-
| 1931 || September || || 20 || 
|-
| 1931 || October || || 16 || 
|-
| 1931 || November || || 19 ||
|-
| 1931 || December || || 14 || 
|-
| 1932 || May || || || 5.9 {{m|s|link=y}}
|-
| 1932 || September || || || 6.9 {{m|s|link=y}}
|-
| 1934 || March || || || 6.3 {{m|s|link=y}}
|-
| 1934 || April || || || 5.6 {{m|s|link=y}}
 
|}

In all, 597 earthquakes were recorded at Hastings in February 1931, and more than 900 by the end of December 1931.<ref name="owdjim77"/><ref>Alan G. Hull (1990) Tectonics of the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, 33:2, 309–320, {{doi|10.1080/00288306.1990.10425689}}</ref>

==Recovery==
The government quickly realised that the Napier borough council would be overwhelmed with organising the rebuild and appointed two commissioners for this task, [[John Barton (public administrator)|John Barton]] and Lachlan Bain Campbell.<ref name="Te Ara">{{cite encyclopedia|last1=McSaveney|first1=Eileen|title=Historic earthquakes – Rebuilding Napier|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/historic-earthquakes/page-8|encyclopedia=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]]|access-date=15 June 2015|date=13 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite conference |url=http://www.ipenz.org.nz/Heritage/Conference2014/Proceedings/Karen%20Astwood%20paper%20(300%20KB).pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118093437/http://www.ipenz.org.nz/Heritage/Conference2014/Proceedings/Karen%20Astwood%20paper%20(300%20KB).pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 January 2015 |title=Learning from experience: three case studies of New Zealand natural disasters and engineers' responses, 1878–1953 |last=Astwood |first=Karen |date=24–26 November 2014 |location=Lincoln University, New Zealand |conference=4th Australasian Engineering Heritage Conference }}</ref> When the commissioners were due to leave in May 1933, they were petitioned to stay, and Barton was invited to stand for the mayoralty, which he declined.<ref name="DNZB Barton">{{DNZB|last=Axford|first=C. Joy|id=4b9|title=John Saxon Barton|access-date=23 August 2016}}</ref>
[[File:Tin town, napier.jpg|thumb|The temporary shopping centre known as "Tin Town"]]

{{Anchor|Tin Town}}Several temporary structures were built following the earthquake, including the shopping centre commonly referred to as Tin Town in Clive Square.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=McSaveney |first=Eileen |date=12 June 2006 |title=Rebuilding Napier |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/historic-earthquakes/page-8 |access-date=11 May 2024 |website=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]]}}</ref> It remained for about two years,<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Heather |first=Ben |date=31 October 2011 |title=Napier's 'Tin Town' did it first |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/5878800/Napiers-Tin-Town-did-it-first |access-date=11 May 2024 |work=[[The Press]] |publisher=Stuff|location=New Zealand}}</ref> housed over 50 businesses, and was created with a £10,000 loan<ref name=":0" /> which did not have to be paid back. According to ''[[The Press]]'', it was the world's first "pop-up mall".<ref name=":1" />

The earthquake prompted a thorough review of New Zealand [[building code]]s,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hicks |first1=Geoffrey R. F. |url=https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q126174593 |title=Awesome Forces: The Natural Hazards That Threaten New Zealand |last2=Campbell |first2=Hamish |date=2012-01-01 |publisher=Te Papa Press |isbn=978-1-877385-87-2 |pages=51}}</ref> which were found to be totally inadequate.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://ojs.aut.ac.nz/interstices/index.php/Interstices/article/view/260/262 |last=Walker |first=Paul |date=1992 |title=Shaky Ground |journal=Interstices: Journal of Architecture and Related Arts |pages=25–44|doi=10.24135/ijara.v0i0.260 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The first earthquake building code was created in 1935.{{sfn|Dowrick|1998|p=141}} Many buildings built during the 1930s and 1940s are heavily reinforced, although more recent research has developed other strengthening techniques. Building regulations established as a result of this event mean that to this day, there are only four buildings in Hawke's Bay taller than five storeys, and as most of the region's rebuilding took place in the 1930s when [[Art Deco]] was fashionable, Hawke's Bay architecture is regarded today as being one of the finest collections of Art Deco in the world.<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/earthquake-helped-turn-city-art-deco-capital-world-180958081/ | title = How an Earthquake Turned This New Zealand Town into the Art Deco Capital of the World | last = Nalewicki | first = Jennifer | date = 19 February 2016 | website = SmithsonianMag.com | access-date = 16 November 2023}}</ref>

At the time of the earthquake, there were no national emergency response organisations or legal provisions in case of such disaster, which was a hindrance to recovery. As a result, new legislation had to be passed quickly,<ref>{{Cite web |last=McSaveney |first=Eileen |date=12 June 2006 |title=The Hawke's Bay Earthquake Act 1931 |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/document/4569/the-hawkes-bay-earthquake-act-1931 |access-date=12 May 2024 |website=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]]}}</ref> such as the Hawke's Bay Earthquake Act 1931 which received assent on 28 April to give out loans for the rebuild. The [[Great Depression]] caused difficulty gathering funds however, so a large portion came from charity.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-21 |title=Major New Zealand earthquakes since 1855 – New Zealand Parliament |url=https://www.parliament.nz/mi/pb/research-papers/document/00PLEcoRP2016031/major-new-zealand-earthquakes-since-1855 |access-date=2024-05-11 |website=parliament.nz}}</ref>

On the tenth anniversary of the earthquake, the ''[[New Zealand Listener]]'' reported that Napier had risen from the ashes like a phoenix. It quoted the 1931 principal of [[Napier Girls' High School]] as saying "Napier today is a far lovelier city than it was before".{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

The New Napier Carnival was held in January 1933 to celebrate the rebuild of the town,<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=New Napier Week Carnival |url=https://collection.mtghawkesbay.com/objects/73138/new-napier-week-carnival |access-date=14 May 2024 |website=[[MTG Hawke's Bay]]}}</ref> which officially declared it reborn.<ref name=":2" />

== Memorials ==
[[File:Hastings Clock Tower.jpg|thumb|The [[Hastings Clock Tower]] was built in 1935 to symbolise the recovery of the earthquake.]]
A [[common grave]] was created on 5 February 1931 to bury 101 of the earthquake's victims. Architect [[J. A. Louis Hay]] started designing a memorial for the site in 1932, which consists of an obelisk, a garden, the text "Their sun is gone down while it is yet day" and a written list of the victims known to be buried there.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Napier Earthquake Memorial |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/napier-earthquake-memorial |access-date=2024-05-11 |website=nzhistory.govt.nz}}</ref> [[Hastings Clock Tower|A clock tower]] memorial was built in Hastings in 1935, which serves the purpose of symbolising recovery rather than being a memorial.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hastings clock tower memorial |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/hastings-clock-tower-memorial |access-date=2024-05-11 |website=nzhistory.govt.nz}}</ref>

Hastings holds a commemoration every year on 3 February for the earthquake, which starts at 10.30{{Nbsp}}am and has clock towers ring at 10.47, which was the same time the earthquake struck.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Earthquake Commemoration {{!}} Hastings District Council |url=https://www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/hastings/about-hastings/earthquake-commemoration/ |access-date=2024-05-11 |website=hastingsdc.govt.nz}}</ref>

The HMS ''Veronica'' Sunbay memorial is located on Marine Parade, which remembers the crew of the ship ''Veronica''. It was built in 1934 and named in 1937 after the ship was decommissioned. The ship's bell is used for community services. The council decided in 2024 that the memorial will be restored again after it was deemed potentially unsafe.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 August 2024 |title=Sunbay repairs: Napier City Council to start restoration on HMS Veronica Memorial that honours 1931 quake heroes |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/sunbay-repairs-napier-city-council-to-start-restoration-on-hms-veronica-memorial-that-honours-1931-quake-heroes/LKQPOJ7N2RE3XP26FIPMINVTNI/ |access-date=10 August 2024 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="120">
File:1931 Hawkes Bay Earthquake (24629925176).jpg|Road damage
File:1931 Hawkes Bay Earthquake - Port Ahuriri (24024285884).jpg|Port Ahuriri
File:1931 Hawkes Bay Earthquake - Napier Post Office (24289573619).jpg|Napier Post Office
File:1931 Hawkes Bay Earthquake - Wairoa Post Office (24657555975).jpg|Wairoa Post Office
File:1931 Hawkes Bay Earthquake - Collapsed Building (unidentified) (24655070915).jpg|Collapsed building (unidentified)
File:1931 Hawkes Bay Earthquake - Town Hall, Napier (24529620482).jpg|Town Hall
File:1931 Hawkes Bay Earthquake - Baker and Pastrycook shop, Waipawa (24026499144).jpg|Baker and Pastrycook shop, Waipawa
File:1931 Hawkes Bay Earthquake - Dr Moore's Private Hospital (24555825871).jpg|Dr Moore's Private Hospital
File:1931 Hawkes Bay Earthquake - Port Ahuriri - HMS Veronica at Wharf (24025654223).jpg|Port Ahuriri - HMS Veronica at Wharf
File:New Zealand Loan & Mercantile Agency Co Ltd - Hastings, Hawke's Bay - Remains of office and store after Hawke's Bay earthquake (52960).jpg|New Zealand Loan & Mercantile Agency Co Ltd office
</gallery>

==See also==

* [[2011 Christchurch earthquake]]
* [[List of earthquakes in 1931]]
* [[List of earthquakes in New Zealand]]
* [[List of disasters in New Zealand by death toll]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite journal | first = Denis | last = Welch | date = 4 February 2006 | title = Shake, Rattle & Roll | journal = [[New Zealand Listener]] | issue = 3430 | pages = 29–30 | url = http://listener.co.nz/default,5417.sm | access-date = 19 February 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060205040325/http://www.listener.co.nz/default,5417.sm | archive-date = 5 February 2006 | url-status = dead}}
*{{cite web | url = http://www.hbrc.govt.nz/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=181 | title = Earthquakes | work = History of Earthquakes in Hawke's Bay | publisher = Hawke's Bay Regional Council | access-date = 20 February 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060129090609/http://www.hbrc.govt.nz/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=181 | archive-date = 29 January 2006 | url-status = dead}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/libraries/Topic_HBearthquake.htm |title=Hawke's Bay Earthquake 3&nbsp;February 1931 |work=Hastings District Libraries |access-date=20 February 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051221173022/http://www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/libraries/Topic_HBearthquake.htm |archive-date=21 December 2005 |url-status=dead }}
*Bateman ''[[New Zealand Encyclopedia]]'', edition 4 (1995). Article: ''Napier''
*{{Cite web|url=https://www.nzsee.org.nz/db/Bulletin/Archive/31(3)0139.pdf |title=Damage and intensities in the magnitude 7.8 1931 Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, earthquake |website=New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering |first=David |last=Dowrick |date=September 1998}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100706013856/http://www.artdeconapier.com/Earthquake_8.aspx Art Deco Napier]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hut7O3xwnHo Hawkes Bay Disaster] 1965 film on YouTube

{{Earthquakes in 1931}}
{{Earthquakes in New Zealand}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkes Bay}}
[[Category:February 1931]]
[[Category:1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake]]
[[Category:Earthquakes in New Zealand|1931 Hawke's Bay]]
[[Category:1931 in New Zealand]]
[[Category:1931 earthquakes]]