Abstract:
Ports are strategically significant to New Zealand’s economy, facilitating the transfer of up to 99% of all New Zealand exports and imports by volume. Ports are also a lifeline that must be immediately operational following a natural hazard, as stipulated by the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act (2002). The study reported here is the first phase of a larger research project that focuses on improving the resilience of New Zealand port systems to natural hazards. The aim of this initial study was to review and characterise port infrastructure and examine their exposure and vulnerability to natural hazards. For the majority of New Zealand ports the natural hazards that pose the highest risk are seismic and tsunami hazards. To characterise the current state of New Zealand ports, physical and economic characteristics were collected from public sources and through collaboration with port companies. The physical data collected included number, size and age of structures, material properties and development history of the port. Economic data collected included value of assets and cargo volumes. Using this data a general representation of the vulnerability of New Zealand port infrastructure to seismic and tsunami hazards is presented here.