M5.7 earthquake near Paraparaumu, Wellington Region

What happened

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 55 km NW of Raumati Beach, New Zealand on 15 Feb 2023, 06:38 UTC at a depth of 78 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was an intermediate-depth earthquake, so shaking is spread over a wider, gentler area.

The nearest town in our records is Paraparaumu, about 57 km away in Wellington Region, New Zealand.