List of disasters in New Zealand by death toll

This is a list of New Zealand disasters by death toll, listing major peacetime disasters which occurred in New Zealand and its territories or involved a significant number of New Zealand citizens, in a specific incident, where the loss of life was 10 or more.

100 or more deaths

• 
  Air New Zealand Flight 901 in 1979
• 
  Napier Town Hall following the earthquake
• 
  Illustration of the HMS Orpheus wreck
• 
  Christchurch Cathedral following the earthquake
• 
  Tangiwai memorial plaque
• 
  Illustration of the SS Tararua wreck
• 
  SS Wairarapa wreck
• 
  Illustration of the Mount Tarawera eruption

Deaths	Name	Type	Date	Location	Notes
257	Air New Zealand Flight 901	airliner accident	28 Nov 1979	Mount Erebus, Ross Island, Antarctica	Controlled flight into terrain
256[1][2]	1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake	earthquake	3 Feb 1931	20 km north of Napier
200+	1820s Southland tsunami	tsunami	1820s	Orepuki beach	Possibly more than 200 killed
189	HMS Orpheus	shipwreck	7 Feb 1863	off Manukau Heads, near Auckland
185[3]	2011 Christchurch earthquake	earthquake	22 Feb 2011	Christchurch
151	Tangiwai disaster	train wreck/lahar	24 Dec 1953	Whangaehu River
135+[4]	1st Little Waihi landslide	landslide	1780	Waihi Village
131	SS Tararua	shipwreck	29 Apr 1881	off Waipapa Point
121	SS Wairarapa	shipwreck	29 Oct 1894	off Great Barrier Island
108–153[5][6]	1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera	volcanic eruption	10 Jun 1886	Mount Tarawera

50 to 99 deaths

• 
  Clipper ship Fiery Star
• 
  SS Penguin
• 
  Wreck of the General Grant
• 
  Burial of victims of the Brunner Mine disaster
• 
  Salvage operations on the wreck of TEV Wahine
• 
  Cape Terawhiti, where the City of Dunedin sank
• 
  The Al Noor Mosque, where the Christchurch mosque shootings began

Deaths	Name or description	Type	Date	Location	Notes
87	Fiery Star	shipwreck	11 May 1865	240 km off the Chatham Islands
75	SS Penguin	shipwreck	12 Feb 1909	off Cape Terawhiti
68[7]	General Grant	shipwreck	May 1866	Auckland Island	10 castaways survived the wreck and were successfully rescued.
65[8]	Brunner Mine disaster	mine explosion	26 Mar 1896	Brunner
65[9]	2nd Little Waihi Landslide	landslide	7 May 1846	Waihi Village	Tribal leader Mananui Te Heuheu Tukino II and most of his family were killed in the landslide[10]
53[11]	TEV Wahine	shipwreck	10 Apr 1968	Barrett Reef, Wellington Harbour
52	City of Dunedin	shipwreck	20 May 1865	off Cape Terawhiti	There are estimates of between 250 and 600 passengers perishing, but these reports were 20 or more years later
51+	Blizzard and Flood of 1863	floods and blizzards	Jul 1863 – Aug 1863	Central Otago goldfields	The actual death toll was probably higher because of the transient nature of the miners and the ruggedness of the country
51	Christchurch mosque shootings	terrorist attack	15 Mar 2019	Christchurch

10 to 49 deaths

• 
  SS Elingamite
• 
  Ralph Mine disaster
• 
  Ballantyne's fire seen from ChristChurch Cathedral
• 
  Seacliff asylum, before the fire
• 
  Kaitangata Mine disaster memorial
• 
  SS Dunedin
• 
  SS Marlborough
• 
  MV Kaitawa
• 
  MV Joyita
• 
  SS Assaye
• 
  NAC flight 441 memorial
• 
  Hyde railway disaster memorial
• 
  Strongman Mine disaster memorial
• 
  The Ongarue railway disaster
• 
  Restored grave of Dundonald's mate, Auckland Islands
• 
  Octagon building fire
• 
  Remains of sulphur mine, White Island

Deaths	Name or description	Type	Date	Location	Notes
49	Featherston Prisoner of war camp riot	riot	25 Feb 1943	Featherston
45	SS Elingamite	shipwreck	9 Nov 1902	off West Island in the Three Kings Islands
43	Ralph Mine disaster	mine explosion	12 Sep 1914	Huntly	methane and coal dust explosion[12]
41	Ballantyne's store disaster	fire	18 Nov 1947	Christchurch
40+[13][14]	Great storm of 1868, flash floods and 12 shipwrecks	storm	3 Feb 1868	Predominantly eastern areas of New Zealand	Death toll likely understated as impact on many Māori unknown
37	Seacliff Lunatic Asylum	fire	8 Dec 1942	Seacliff
34	Kaitangata Mine disaster	mine explosion	21 Feb 1879	Kaitangata	explosion of fire-damp (methane)
34[13][15]	SS Taiaroa	shipwreck	11 Apr 1886	Waiau Toa / Clarence River mouth
34[16]	Dunedin	shipwreck (presumed)	1890	between Oamaru and London
30	Marlborough	shipwreck (presumed)	1890	between Lyttelton and London
29[17]	MV Kaitawa	shipwreck	23 May 1966	near Pandora Bank, Cape Reinga
29	Pike River Mine disaster	mine explosion	19 Nov 2010	northwest of Greymouth	large methane explosion[18]
26	Barque Maria	shipwreck[15]	1851	Cape Terawhiti
25+[19][20]	Storm of 1897	floods and shipwreck	16 Apr 1897	North Island	flooding at Clive, boating accidents, and the wreck of the Zuleika near Cape Palliser. 25 confirmed deaths and 6 unconfirmed
25[21][22]	MV Joyita	ghost ship	Oct 1955	En route from Apia, Samoa to Tokelau
24[23]	Assaye	shipwreck (presumed)	1890	between London and Wellington; wreckage washed up at the Chatham Islands 7 months after the ship left London
23	New Zealand National Airways Corporation Flight 441	air accident	3 Jul 1963	Kaimai Ranges
22[24]	launch Ranui	shipwreck	30 Dec 1950	off Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty
22	2019 Whakaari/White Island eruption	volcanic eruption	9 Dec 2019	Whakaari/White Island
21[25][26]	brigantine Sophia Pate	shipwreck	Aug 1841	Kaipara Harbour
21[27]	Kopuawhara flash flood of 1938	flood	19 Feb 1938	Destroyed the Kopuawhara railway workers camp
21	Hyde railway disaster	rail accident	4 Jun 1943	near Hyde
20+[28]	Tsunami from 1868 Arica earthquake	tsunami	13 Aug 1868	Chatham Islands
20[15]	schooner St. Vincent	shipwreck	14 Feb 1869	Palliser Bay
20[29]	RNZAF Douglas C-47 disappearance	air accident	24 Sep 1945	en route from Vanuatu
19[30]	Strongman Mine	mine explosion	19 Jan 1967	near Greymouth
18[31]	Canoe on Lake Rotorua	boating accident	16 Apr 1870	near Mokoia Island on Lake Rotorua
18[32]	Clyde	shipwreck	6 Nov 1884	Horseshoe Bay, near Akaroa, Banks Peninsula
18[33]	Canoe on Motu River	boating accident	4 Aug 1900	Motu River – 25 miles from Opotiki[34]	There were 16 children and 2 adults in the six person canoe
18[35]	ketch Enterprise and steamer Tauranga	shipwreck	23 Jul 1870	between Cape Rodney and Sail Rock, Hauraki Gulf	Those lost — fourteen crew and four passengers — all came from the Tauranga. The crew of the Enterprise survived in the ship's longboat.[36]
18[37]	Lastingham	shipwreck	1 Sep 1884	Cape Jackson, Cook Strait
17	Ongarue railway disaster	rail accident[13]	6 Jul 1923	Ongarue
17[38]	1929 Murchison earthquake	earthquake	17 Jun 1929	Murchison
16[39]	1943 Liberator crash at Whenuapai	air accident	2 Aug 1943	Whenuapai	Those killed were mainly Japanese civilians who were being repatriated in a prisoner exchange.
16[40]	Capitaine Bougainville	shipwreck	3 Sep 1975	Whananaki
15[13]	Lockheed Lodestar airliner crash	air accident	18 Mar 1949	near Waikanae
15[41]	MV Holmglen	shipwreck	24 Nov 1959	near Timaru
15[42]	Brynderwyns bus accident	road accident	7 Feb 1963	Brynderwyn Hills
15[43]	Derry Castle	shipwreck	20 Mar 1887	Enderby Island, Auckland Islands
14[44][45]	Hutt River flood	floods	17 Jan 1858	Hutt Valley
14[46]	Two Hudson bombers lost off the New Zealand coast	air accident	21 Aug 1944	en route from Fiji	No. 4 Squadron RNZAF
14[47]	Aramoana massacre	spree killing	13 Nov 1990	Aramoana, near Dunedin
14	Cave Creek disaster	structural failure	28 Apr 1995	Paparoa National Park
13[15]	Tasmania	shipwreck	1897	Māhia Peninsula
13[48]	SS Ventnor	shipwreck	28 Oct 1902	off Omapere, Hokianga
13	NAC Electra air crash	air accident	23 Oct 1948	on Mount Ruapehu
12[49]	L'Alcmène	shipwreck	3 Jun 1851	Baylys Beach, Kaipara	A French navy corvette
12[50]	ferry Pride of the Yarra and paddle steamer Favourite	collision	6 Jul 1863	Otago Harbour
12[51]	Cafe Chantant fire, The Octagon, Dunedin	fire	8 Sep 1879	Dunedin
12[52]	Barque Lizzie Bell	shipwreck	24 Jul 1901	Waimate, Taranaki
12[53]	barque Dundonald	shipwreck	7 Mar 1907	Disappointment Island, Auckland Islands
12[54][55]	Brigantine Rio Loge	shipwreck (presumed)	Jan 1909	Last seen in Cook Strait on 14 January, en route from Kaipara to Dunedin	May have caused the wreck of the Penguin a month later.[56]
12[57]	Cyclone of 1936	storm	1 Feb 1936	North Island and upper South Island	A tropical cyclone that originated near the Solomon Islands
11[58]	Glen Afton No. 1 mine	Coal mine fire	24 Sep 1939	Huntly	11 miners, including the mine manager, died from carbon monoxide asphyxia
11[59]	B17 bomber crash	air accident	12 Jun 1942	RNZAF Base Auckland at Whenuapai
11[60]	2012 Carterton hot air balloon crash	air accident	7 Jan 2012	near Carterton
11[61]	Cyclone Gabrielle	cyclone	12 Feb 2023–16 Feb 2023	North Island and northern South Island
10[62]	Shamrock sailing boat	shipwreck	1834	Queen Charlotte Sound	Capsized and sank. Exact location unknown.
10[63]	Brig Australia	shipwreck	23 May 1873	off Cape Campbell
10	White Island sulphur mine	lahar following volcano crater wall collapse	10 Sep 1914	Whakaari/White Island	No bodies found.[64][65]
10[66]	Husky and Argo lost to storm in yacht race	shipwrecks	21 Jan 1951	between Wellington and Christchurch
10[67]	Aspiring Air Britten-Norman Islander, collided with terrain	air crash	8 Aug 1989	Upper Dart Valley

NOTE: The exact number of deaths in some early New Zealand shipwrecks is not fully recorded. There may be several shipwrecks not listed here which claimed ten or more lives.

Significant incidents resulting in fewer than 10 deaths

Deaths	Name or description	Type	Date	Location	Notes
9	1855 Wairarapa earthquake	earthquake	23 Jan 1855	Lake Wairarapa
9	2010 Fox Glacier FU-24 crash	air accident	4 Sep 2010	Fox Glacier
7	1941 Kowhitirangi shootings	spree killing	8 Oct 1941–9 Oct 1941	Kowhitirangi, near Hokitika	four police officers and three civilians killed
7	Cyclone Bola	cyclone	6 Mar 1988–12 Mar 1988	North Island
7	Mangatepopo Canyon disaster	flood	15 Apr 2008	Tongariro National Park
7	2015 Fox Glacier helicopter crash	air accident	21 Nov 2015	Fox Glacier
6	Raurimu massacre	spree killing	8 Feb 1997	Raurimu
5	Loafers Lodge fire	fire	16 May 2023	Newtown, Wellington
4	Ansett New Zealand Flight 703	air accident	9 Jun 1995	Tararua Range, near Palmerston North
4	2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods	flood	27 Jan 2023–2 Feb 2023	upper North Island
3	1968 Inangahua earthquake	earthquake	24 May 1968	near Inangahua Junction
3	2023 Auckland shooting	shooting	20 Jul 2023	Auckland CBD
2	1966 Air New Zealand DC-8 crash	air accident	4 Jul 1966	near Auckland Airport
2	Air New Zealand Flight 4374	air accident	17 Feb 1979	near Auckland Airport
2	Airwork Flight 23	air accident	3 May 2005	near Stratford
2	2010 Canterbury earthquake	earthquake	4 Sep 2010	near Darfield
2	2016 Kaikōura earthquake	earthquake	14 Nov 2016	near Waiau
1	1987 Edgecumbe earthquake	earthquake	2 Mar 1987	near Edgecumbe

Pandemics and health crises

Deaths	Description	Date	Location	Notes
8,600	1918 flu pandemic	1918 October–December	nationwide	[68]
4,624[69]	COVID-19 pandemic	2020 February–ongoing	nationwide	Total deaths attributed to COVID-19 as at 13 April 2025.[69] (Statistics updated weekly.)
713	HIV/AIDS pandemic	1983–ongoing	nationwide	As of December 2014.[70]
69	2009 swine flu pandemic	2009 April–September	nationwide	[71]

Significant incidents of New Zealanders being killed overseas

Confirmed Deaths	Name	Type	Date	Location	Notes
470[72]	Cospatrick	ship lost to fire	17 Nov 1874	640 km south-west of the Cape of Good Hope, en route to Auckland	Only 3 people survived
100[73]	The Trevelyan (immigrant ship en route from Glasgow)	storm	3 Jun 1888	Presumed foundered off the South African coast, en route to Port Chalmers, New Zealand
89[74]	Knowsley Hall	shipwreck (presumed)	1879	between London and Lyttelton
79[75]	Matoaka	shipwreck (presumed)	1869	between Lyttelton and London
24[76]	Pan Am Flight 816	air accident	22 Jul 1973	Papeete, French Polynesia	from list of passengers from Auckland
15[77]	1943 RNZAF Catalina crash	air accident	5 Jun 1943	south of Fiji
14[78][79]	Pan Am Flight 806	air accident	30 Jan 1974	Pago Pago, American Samoa	Only New Zealand deaths listed
12[80]	1945 RNZAF Catalina crash	air accident	27 Jan 1945	off Beqa, Fiji
10[81]	Bere Ferrers rail accident, train hit NZ troops on tracks by platform	train accident	24 Sep 1917	Bere Ferrers, Devon, UK

See also

• List of earthquakes in New Zealand
• List of massacres in New Zealand
• List of natural disasters in New Zealand
• List of New Zealand-related topics
• List of rail accidents in New Zealand