A plan is being drawn up to ensure the community of Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula will survive and recover from a significant tsunami.
New information since the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 and the earthquake and devastating tsunami in Japan last year shows Mercury Bay is at high risk of a destructive wall of water.
Peter Wishart of Thames Coromandel District Council says recent modelling shows a 9.4-magnitude earthquake in the Tonga Kermadec trench would swamp the whole spit.
The strategy being drawn up includes evacuation in the event of an emergency and preparing the community for a tsunami.
Land use planning will also be looked at and questions asked about where development is appropriate.
Cook's Beach in Mercury Bay, Tairua and Pauanui will also be assessed for a tsunami risk management strategy.
