How should I use this ranking for property research?

Use the ranking as a screening step for Taranaki. Save realistic areas to your shortlist, compare the strongest pair, and open suburb detail pages before relying on one result.

Does the top ranked area mean it is the best choice?

No. Rankings are a shortlist input, not a final recommendation. Check price history, rent, income, population, local services, source freshness, and current listings before making a decision.

How current is the ranking data?

QuickProperty uses processed public-source datasets and refreshes automated sources where available. Use the suburb detail page source panels to see which signals are current, estimated, or missing for a specific area.

← Highest Earthquake Risk

Ranking · Taranaki · 50 SA2 areas

Highest Earthquake Risk — Taranaki

SA2 areas closest to a mapped active fault, by GNS hazard band (population > 500). Estimated regional exposure from nearest-fault distance, not a property-level seismic assessment.

Leading area

ŌpunakeTARANAKI

Leading value

Very high

Runner-up

InglewoodTARANAKI

Updated

12 July 2026

Ranking

Highest Earthquake Risk

SA2 areas closest to a mapped active fault, by GNS hazard band (population > 500). Estimated regional exposure from nearest-fault distance, not a property-level seismic assessment — Taranaki

50 results

How to read this ranking

Use highest earthquake risk as a shortlist tool, then verify the finalists in detail.

BEST FOR

Finding which areas deserve a closer look first.

This ranking works best as a first-pass screen in Taranaki, especially when you need to reduce a wide field quickly.

READ IT AS

One signal in the workflow, not the whole answer.

A rank is useful because it compresses one dimension well, but it never replaces the fuller suburb-level picture.

NEXT STEP

Move into compare or suburb detail once a few names repeat.

Use the ranking to build a shortlist, then confirm whether those finalists still hold up on the rest of the data.

VERIFY evidence

Single-signal shortlist screen

A ranking compresses one signal well, but it should hand you into compare or suburb detail before becoming a decision.

SHORTLIST SCREEN

Top candidates are research leads.

Save a small working set, then use compare and evidence depth before treating any row as a decision.

Shortlist flow

Use #1 Ōpunake and #2 Inglewood as the first compare pair.

Rankings are strongest when they hand you a shortlist quickly. Compare the top two first, then open suburb detail if the head-to-head result still feels narrow.

Compare top 2Open #1 detail Open #2 detail

# ▲	AREA	REGION	RISK	NEAREST FAULT	POP
1	Ōpunake	TARANAKI	Very high	Ihaia Fault · 0.0km	1,476
2	Inglewood	TARANAKI	Very high	Inglewood Fault · 0.6km	3,801
3	Everett Park	TARANAKI	High	Norfolk Fault · 1.0km	2,322
4	Parihaka	TARANAKI	High	Rahotu Fault · 2.4km	2,262
5	Mangaoraka	TARANAKI	High	Inglewood Fault · 2.4km	2,046
6	Taungatara	TARANAKI	High	Kiri Fault · 3.3km	1,311
7	Manutahi-Waitōtora	TARANAKI	High	Waverley Fault · 4.5km	2,013
8	Tikorangi	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 6.0km	2,055
9	Mangorei	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 6.6km	2,208
10	Tarata	TARANAKI	Moderate	Tariki Fault · 7.3km	600
11	Kaitake	TARANAKI	Moderate	Oaonui Fault · 7.5km	2,232
12	Mangawhio	TARANAKI	Moderate	Ridge Road Fault · 8.2km	702
13	Toko	TARANAKI	Moderate	Tariki Fault · 8.9km	1,293
14	Stratford North	TARANAKI	Moderate	Tariki Fault · 8.9km	2,169
15	Glen Avon	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 9.7km	1,365
16	Stratford Central	TARANAKI	Moderate	Tariki Fault · 9.7km	2,175
17	Highlands Park (New Plymouth District)	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 9.8km	3,387
18	Welbourn	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 10.1km	3,330
19	Upper Vogeltown	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 10.2km	2,979
20	Ferndale	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 10.7km	978
21	Paraite	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 10.8km	996
22	Frankleigh Park	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 10.9km	3,330
23	Stratford South	TARANAKI	Moderate	Tariki Fault · 10.9km	1,986
24	Lepperton-Brixton	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 11.5km	1,893
25	Hurdon	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 11.5km	2,559
26	Merrilands	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 11.5km	3,039
27	Lower Vogeltown	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 12.0km	3,033
28	Pātea	TARANAKI	Moderate	Waverley Fault · 12.1km	1,320
29	Strandon	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 12.8km	2,592
30	Westown	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 12.9km	4,683
31	Kaponga-Mangatoki	TARANAKI	Moderate	Kiri Fault · 13.2km	1,326
32	Fitzroy (New Plymouth District)	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 13.3km	2,127
33	New Plymouth Central	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 13.4km	1,140
34	Pembroke	TARANAKI	Moderate	Tariki Fault · 13.6km	1,701
35	Kawaroa	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 13.6km	2,367
36	Waitara East	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 13.7km	3,294
37	Marfell	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 13.7km	1,986
38	Whalers Gate	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 13.9km	2,724
39	Bell Block West	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 14.0km	3,444
40	Bell Block Central	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 14.0km	2,895
41	Blagdon-Lynmouth	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 14.1km	2,598
42	Waitara West	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 14.5km	4,218
43	Moturoa	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 14.5km	1,908
44	Omata	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 14.7km	555
45	Bell Block East-Puketapu	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 15.0km	1,530
46	Spotswood	TARANAKI	Moderate	Inglewood Fault · 15.2km	3,864
47	Ōakura	TARANAKI	Moderate	Oaonui Fault · 15.8km	1,764
48	Kapuni	TARANAKI	Moderate	Kiri Fault · 16.0km	558
49	Manaia	TARANAKI	Moderate	Pihama Fault · 17.9km	1,083
50	Eltham	TARANAKI	Low	Tariki Fault · 20.1km	2,097

FAQ

New Zealand highest earthquake risk FAQ

What does Highest Earthquake Risk rank?

Highest Earthquake Risk ranks areas in Taranaki using QuickProperty's processed property and locality datasets. SA2 areas closest to a mapped active fault, by GNS hazard band (population > 500). Estimated regional exposure from nearest-fault distance, not a property-level seismic assessment
How should I use this ranking for property research?

Use the ranking as a screening step for Taranaki. Save realistic areas to your shortlist, compare the strongest pair, and open suburb detail pages before relying on one result.
Does the top ranked area mean it is the best choice?

No. Rankings are a shortlist input, not a final recommendation. Check price history, rent, income, population, local services, source freshness, and current listings before making a decision.
How current is the ranking data?

QuickProperty uses processed public-source datasets and refreshes automated sources where available. Use the suburb detail page source panels to see which signals are current, estimated, or missing for a specific area.