M5.6 earthquake - off the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand

What happened

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck off the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand on 19 Mar 2021, 18:52 UTC at a depth of 173 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.