File photoA new Emergency Management plan for Southland has unearthed an unnerving detail about warning systems in the event of a tsunami. The plan said a tsunami was unlikely, but carried high risk, and gave special mention to the Puysegur Trench southwest of Fiordland. A large tsunami from that trench posed a hazard to coastal areas on the south and west of the South Island, Tasmania and southeast Australia, it warned. The plan identified five high-risk hazards - earthquakes, tsunami, flooding, human pandemic, and animal pest or disease. "Both areas are vulnerable to Alpine Fault earthquakes, tsunami, and severe weather, with steep terrain and fragile lifelines increasing the likelihood of prolonged isolation."

Source: Otago Daily Times March 30, 2026 03:53 UTC