How should I use this ranking for property research?

Use the ranking as a screening step for Otago. Save realistic areas to your shortlist, compare the strongest pair, and open suburb detail pages before relying on one result.

Does the top ranked area mean it is the best choice?

No. Rankings are a shortlist input, not a final recommendation. Check price history, rent, income, population, local services, source freshness, and current listings before making a decision.

How current is the ranking data?

QuickProperty uses processed public-source datasets and refreshes automated sources where available. Use the suburb detail page source panels to see which signals are current, estimated, or missing for a specific area.

← Highest Earthquake Risk

Ranking · Otago · 50 SA2 areas

Highest Earthquake Risk — Otago

SA2 areas closest to a mapped active fault, by GNS hazard band (population > 500). Estimated regional exposure from nearest-fault distance, not a property-level seismic assessment.

Leading area

Albert TownOTAGO

Leading value

Very high

Runner-up

East TaieriOTAGO

Updated

12 July 2026

Ranking

Highest Earthquake Risk

SA2 areas closest to a mapped active fault, by GNS hazard band (population > 500). Estimated regional exposure from nearest-fault distance, not a property-level seismic assessment — Otago

50 results

How to read this ranking

Use highest earthquake risk as a shortlist tool, then verify the finalists in detail.

BEST FOR

Finding which areas deserve a closer look first.

This ranking works best as a first-pass screen in Otago, especially when you need to reduce a wide field quickly.

READ IT AS

One signal in the workflow, not the whole answer.

A rank is useful because it compresses one dimension well, but it never replaces the fuller suburb-level picture.

NEXT STEP

Move into compare or suburb detail once a few names repeat.

Use the ranking to build a shortlist, then confirm whether those finalists still hold up on the rest of the data.

VERIFY evidence

Single-signal shortlist screen

A ranking compresses one signal well, but it should hand you into compare or suburb detail before becoming a decision.

SHORTLIST SCREEN

Top candidates are research leads.

Save a small working set, then use compare and evidence depth before treating any row as a decision.

Shortlist flow

Use #1 Albert Town and #2 East Taieri as the first compare pair.

Rankings are strongest when they hand you a shortlist quickly. Compare the top two first, then open suburb detail if the head-to-head result still feels narrow.

Compare top 2Open #1 detail Open #2 detail

# ▲	AREA	REGION	RISK	NEAREST FAULT	POP
1	Albert Town	OTAGO	Very high	NW Cardrona Fault · 0.2km	2,292
2	East Taieri	OTAGO	Very high	Titri Fault · 0.5km	2,451
3	Momona	OTAGO	Very high	Titri Fault · 0.6km	2,514
4	Lake Hāwea	OTAGO	Very high	NW Cardrona Fault · 0.6km	2,001
5	Clyde	OTAGO	Very high	Damsite Fault · 0.7km	1,167
6	Seddon Park	OTAGO	Very high	Titri Fault · 0.7km	3,036
7	Wānaka Central	OTAGO	Very high	NW Cardrona Fault · 0.8km	1,467
8	Milton	OTAGO	Very high	Titri Fault · 0.8km	2,121
9	Wingatui	OTAGO	Very high	Titri Fault · 0.9km	924
10	Mosgiel Central	OTAGO	Very high	Titri Fault · 0.9km	2,682
11	Earnscleugh	OTAGO	High	Old Man Fault · 1.0km	807
12	Upper Clutha Valley	OTAGO	High	Grandview Fault · 1.0km	1,509
13	Mosgiel East	OTAGO	High	Titri Fault · 1.4km	3,123
14	Kaitangata-Matau	OTAGO	High	Unnamed · 1.7km	1,161
15	Bush Road	OTAGO	High	Titri Fault · 1.8km	2,373
16	Wānaka North	OTAGO	High	NW Cardrona Fault · 2.0km	3,027
17	Cromwell West	OTAGO	High	Pisa Fault · 2.3km	3,759
18	Cardrona	OTAGO	High	Highland Fault · 2.4km	795
19	Manuherikia-Ida Valleys	OTAGO	High	Raggedy Range Fault · 2.5km	1,278
20	Northlake	OTAGO	High	NW Cardrona Fault · 2.6km	1,110
21	Saddle Hill-Chain Hills	OTAGO	High	Titri Fault · 2.8km	1,302
22	Fairfield (Dunedin City)	OTAGO	High	Titri Fault · 3.0km	2,550
23	Lindis-Nevis Valleys	OTAGO	High	Pisa Fault · 3.1km	3,228
24	Bruce	OTAGO	High	Titri Fault · 3.1km	2,520
25	Taieri	OTAGO	High	North Taieri Fault · 3.1km	1,575
26	Wānaka West	OTAGO	High	NW Cardrona Fault · 3.1km	1,941
27	Abbotsford	OTAGO	High	Titri Fault · 3.2km	2,916
28	Cromwell East	OTAGO	High	Pisa Fault · 3.7km	3,024
29	Wānaka Waterfront	OTAGO	High	NW Cardrona Fault · 4.1km	2,082
30	West Otago	OTAGO	High	Spylaw Fault · 4.8km	2,244
31	Green Island	OTAGO	High	Titri Fault · 4.9km	2,376
32	Maniototo	OTAGO	Moderate	Waipiata Fault · 5.3km	1,731
33	Kaikorai-Bradford	OTAGO	Moderate	Titri Fault · 5.3km	1,176
34	Brockville	OTAGO	Moderate	Titri Fault · 5.4km	2,385
35	Waldronville	OTAGO	Moderate	Titri Fault · 5.5km	1,359
36	Brighton	OTAGO	Moderate	Titri Fault · 5.5km	1,443
37	Balclutha North	OTAGO	Moderate	Unnamed · 5.5km	1,734
38	Kenmure	OTAGO	Moderate	Titri Fault · 6.0km	1,944
39	Clutha Valley	OTAGO	Moderate	Clifton Fault · 6.1km	1,614
40	Halfway Bush	OTAGO	Moderate	Titri Fault · 6.2km	1,857
41	Concord	OTAGO	Moderate	Titri Fault · 6.2km	1,488
42	Waihemo	OTAGO	Moderate	Billys Ridge Fault · 6.3km	1,458
43	Calton Hill	OTAGO	Moderate	Titri Fault · 6.4km	1,479
44	Maryhill	OTAGO	Moderate	Titri Fault · 6.7km	2,238
45	Belleknowes	OTAGO	Moderate	Titri Fault · 6.9km	2,208
46	Mornington	OTAGO	Moderate	Titri Fault · 7.2km	2,799
47	Corstorphine	OTAGO	Moderate	Titri Fault · 7.2km	2,043
48	Balclutha South	OTAGO	Moderate	Unnamed · 7.3km	2,610
49	Caversham	OTAGO	Moderate	Titri Fault · 7.3km	2,292
50	Wakari	OTAGO	Moderate	Titri Fault · 7.5km	4,131

FAQ

New Zealand highest earthquake risk FAQ

What does Highest Earthquake Risk rank?

Highest Earthquake Risk ranks areas in Otago using QuickProperty's processed property and locality datasets. SA2 areas closest to a mapped active fault, by GNS hazard band (population > 500). Estimated regional exposure from nearest-fault distance, not a property-level seismic assessment
How should I use this ranking for property research?

Use the ranking as a screening step for Otago. Save realistic areas to your shortlist, compare the strongest pair, and open suburb detail pages before relying on one result.
Does the top ranked area mean it is the best choice?

No. Rankings are a shortlist input, not a final recommendation. Check price history, rent, income, population, local services, source freshness, and current listings before making a decision.
How current is the ranking data?

QuickProperty uses processed public-source datasets and refreshes automated sources where available. Use the suburb detail page source panels to see which signals are current, estimated, or missing for a specific area.