A new project will map active faults across the Whakatāne district in greater detail, producing higher-quality information about where they are located and how they behave.

The district sits within a unique geological setting, spanning both the Taupō Volcanic Zone and the North Island Fault System – an environment that contributes to natural hazards such as earthquakes and landslides.

In simple terms, active fault mapping helps show where the ground has moved in the past and where it could move again.

Active faults in the district are already recorded in the New Zealand Active Faults Database, but some of that information is not detailed enough to be useful at a local level. This project will fill that gap.

Earth Sciences New Zealand, a specialist geological research organisation, has been engaged to carry out the work, with co-funding support from Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

Council manager policy planning and consents Nicholas Woodley said the project was about the quality of the information held by the council.

“Active faults are a natural part of our landscape and understanding them is part of understanding the place we live.

“This project is about making sure the information we have is as detailed as it can be.”

Earth Sciences New Zealand will review existing fault information, carry out detailed mapping using aerial photos and laser scanning of the land surface (known as LiDAR), and produce updated fault maps, digital mapping data and technical reports.

Scientists may also visit selected locations to verify findings on the ground.

Where access to private land is required, landowners will be contacted directly and permission sought before any visit takes place.

As the updated information becomes available, the council will use it in its day-to-day work, for example, when assessing resource and building consents or preparing property reports known as Land Information Memoranda (LIMs).

Over the longer term, it will also support natural hazards planning, emergency management and infrastructure planning.

“Better data means a clearer picture of the district’s natural environment – and that benefits everyone who lives, builds and invests here,” Woodley said.

Mapping, field verification and technical reporting will run through to December, with the project expected to be completed by the end of the year.