Therefore the same earthquake can cause very different seismograms depending on where it is recorded. The largest earthquake recorded in New Zealand was the 1960 magnitude 9.5 Chile earthquake. This earthquake caused 5700 deaths and was recorded all around the world. The largest New Zealand earthquake to be recorded was the 1931 7.8 Napier earthquake. Larger earthquakes have occurred in New Zealand before instrumentation and so there are no actual records.
Earthquakes can trigger a tsunami, landslides and volcanic eruptions.
The combination of New Zealand topography and shallow earthquakes often produces spectacular landslides. The 1968 magnitude 7.2 Inangahua earthquake triggered a landslide that temporarily dammed the Buller river, creating a further hazard down stream. Earthquakes can also play an active part in volcanic processes helping magma, water vapour and various gases escape from the volcano. Only one marsquake was recorded and it isn't known how frequently they occur. Earthquake waves are created when the two sides of a fault rapidly grind past each other.