M5.9 earthquake - 43 km NNW of Te Anau, New Zealand

What happened

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 43 km NNW of Te Anau, New Zealand on 16 Jul 2026, 09:14 UTC at a depth of 68 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Invercargill, about 163 km away in Southland, New Zealand.