A magnitude five earthquake shook an area of the East Coast of the North Island just after 8am this morning.
According to Geonet, the quake was centred 75 kilometres north of Te Araroa, at a depth of 6 kilometres.
Police in Gisborne said so far there had been no reports of damage.
Insurance payouts for the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes have hit the $13 billion mark, as more than half of all private claims have been settled.
Scientists who have discovered the 2km long tail of an active fault line in Wellington Harbour say they do not know how far it might run through the city. Audio
The Government is considering widening exemption rules for quake-prone buildings so that building owners may be excused from compliance by executive order.
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has told farmers that their farm buildings will be exempt from tough new rules around earthquake prone buildings.
Auckland has been judged to have such a low earthquake risk that no quake-related deaths are considered likely within the next 100 years.
for ad-free news and current affairs
