Tsunami hazard, assessment and risk in Aotearoa-New Zealand: A systematic review AD 1868-2012

This paper presents a systematic review of peer-reviewed journal articles, scientific reports, books and research theses covering tsunami hazard, assessment and risk in Aotearoa‐New Zealand (A-NZ). Fifteen electronic databases were examined using an array of keyword search strings to comprehensively gather all available sources of information spanning 1868-2012 AD. 222 references were identified as directly relevant to tsunami hazard, assessment and risk in A-NZ with a further 51 references identified by scrutinising the original 222 references. The amount of information as well as the emphasis of the science contained in these 273 references differs greatly between documents. A meta-analysis of this collective scholarship shows six principal areas of scientific endeavour: (i) observation and cataloguing of modern and historical tsunami impacts caused by earthquakes and landslides, (ii) modelling and evaluation of near- and far-field generated tsunamis, (iii) detailed mapping and assessment of offshore seismic and other geological structures responsible for near-field tsunami generation, (iv) investigation and cross-referencing of Holocene palaeo-records of tsunami deposits preserved in wetlands, dunes and other coastal landforms, (v) survey and reconnaissance of modern and historical tsunami impacts, and (vi) guidance for tsunami hazard mitigation, preparedness and land-use planning. Synthesising all of these references, it is clear that A-NZ has been affected by remote, regional and locally generated tsunami during the historic, pre-written and pre-human periods. Further, scientific knowledge of tsunami risk and the forces responsible for tsunami generation has greatly improved. However, in spite of the many scientific advances detailed in this review, much more remains to be done to better understand and deal with the diverse tsunami hazard and risk facing A-NZ.