Vanuatu is still recovering from the M7.3 earthquake that shook the region on 17 December 2024.
From the moment the earthquake struck, Earth Sciences New Zealand experts have been working side-by-side with our Vanuatu counterparts to identify landslide hazards from the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks and assess the impacts on communities and infrastructure. From the office in Lower Hutt, the team provided technical assistance to model landslide hazards from the earthquake and aftershocks.
In coordination with the Government of Vanuatu, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Humanitarian and Disaster Management Team in Wellington, Earth Sciences NZ was engaged to conduct drone surveys in priority areas in May 2025. The on-site work validated and improved the remote scientific analysis, and the Earth Sciences NZ team provided a valued surge capability resource for the local response team.
Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department (VMGD) Director, Levu Antfalo remarked that “[the teams’] expertise, paired with the in-country training and collaborative fieldwork, has significantly strengthened VMGD’s technical capacity and preparedness. This kind of partnership is exactly what resilience-building looks like in practice.”
Learn more: Fault lines to front lines – supporting our Pacific partner’s earthquake response
