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Australian Plate – One of the giant tectonic plates that makes up the Earth’s surface. It meets the Pacific Plate under New Zealand, causing earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains to form.
Caldera – A huge, bowl-shaped hole in the ground formed when a volcano erupts and its top collapses.
Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) – Groups in different regions of New Zealand that help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies.
Cone Volcano – A volcano with steep sides, built up from layers of lava and ash.
Cyclone – A large, spinning storm that forms over warm tropical seas. It can bring strong winds, heavy rain, and flooding.
Emergency plan – A plan made with your family about what to do, where to go, and what to take during an emergency.
Emergency supplies (Grab bag) – A bag of important items like water, food, a torch, and first aid that you can take with you if you must leave home quickly.
Earthquake – Sudden shaking of the ground caused by movement along cracks in the Earth’s crust called faults.
Fault – A crack in the Earth’s crust where movement can cause earthquakes.
Flood – When water covers land that’s usually dry, often caused by heavy rain, storms, or overflowing rivers.
Landslide – When rocks, soil, and debris suddenly move down a slope, often caused by heavy rain, earthquakes, or unstable land.
Long or Strong, Get Gone – A safety rule for tsunamis: if an earthquake is long or very strong, first drop, cover, hold, and then move quickly to higher ground.
Magnitude – A measure of how strong an earthquake is. Higher numbers mean more powerful quakes.
Magma – Hot, melted rock found beneath the Earth’s surface.
Mātauranga Māori – Māori knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, passed down through generations.
MetService – New Zealand’s official weather service that provides forecasts and severe weather warnings.
Natural hazard – An event in nature that can harm people, property, or the environment, such as an earthquake, flood, or volcanic eruption.
Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC) – A government organisation that helps insured homeowners repair damage from natural hazards and funds research to keep communities safer.
Pacific Plate – One of the giant tectonic plates that meets the Australian Plate under New Zealand, causing earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Ring of Fire – A zone around the Pacific Ocean where many earthquakes and volcanoes occur.
Roaring forties – Strong winds found between 40° and 50° south of the equator, which affect New Zealand’s weather.
Storm surge – Extra-high waves and flooding along coasts caused by strong winds and low air pressure during storms.
Tectonic plates – Massive slabs of rock that make up the Earth’s surface. They move slowly, and where they meet, they can cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building.
Tsunami – A large and powerful wave or series of waves caused by an underwater earthquake, volcano, landslide, or meteorite.
Volcanic ash – Tiny pieces of rock blasted into the air during a volcanic eruption that can travel long distances and cause damage.
Volcanic field – An area with many small volcanoes, craters, and cones spread over the land.
Volcanic unrest – When a volcano shows signs of activity, such as rumbling or releasing gas, but hasn’t erupted.
Volcano – A mountain or hill made when magma from inside the Earth erupts onto the surface as lava, ash, and gas.
