Understanding the Consequences of Wellington’s Infrastructure Vulnerability to a Major Earthquake

The Wellington Lifelines Group (WeLG) is comprised of the lifeline utilities serving the Wellington region of New Zealand. They share a collective understanding that Wellington’s infrastructure is vulnerable to natural hazards, which was gained from previous studies based on a variety of modelling and expert opinion approaches. These initial studies provided a foundation for deeper analysis to be undertaken around the vulnerability of the region’s infrastructure to earthquakes. The focus was on the likely damage states, interdependencies, and direct and wider economic consequences of a potential major earthquake in the region. The in-depth study used computer modelling and focused stakeholder engagement to quantify the improved resilience and economic benefit of the construction of a package of infrastructure upgrades. The study informs consideration of the mitigations that could be applied to address the core issues—short-term (emergency planning works), medium term (policy change at central government level), and long-term (the potential construction of new, resilient, infrastructure). This paper outlines this WeLG project, including the objectives, process, and intended outcomes.