2016 Christchurch earthquake

On February 14, 2016, at 1:13 p.m., an earthquake hit Christchurch. It was first measured at 5.9 on the Richter scale, then later reviewed as 5.7. This one, often called the Valentine's Day earthquake, was centered in the sea just off New Brighton, about 15 kilometers deep. It was the first big earthquake here since May 2012, and it was part of that whole series that started with the Canterbury earthquake back in September 2010.

A lot of the cliffs collapsed, like at Scarborough, which includes Godley Head and Whitewash Head, and also at Richmond Hill and Sumner, specifically Peacock's Gallop. There were still shipping containers along Peacock's Gallop on Main Road, and they actually stopped falling rocks from hitting cyclists passing by. Two surfers were even below Whitewash Head when car-sized rocks crashed into the sea right around them.

The impact was felt pretty widely. Places like Westfield Riccarton, Eastgate Mall, The Palms, and Ballantynes were all evacuated and closed for engineering checks. There was some confusion at Northlands Shopping Centre where police told some shopkeepers to evacuate, but the alarm wasn't sounded. Some shop owners were even told by mall management they'd face financial penalties if they didn't stay open. Nearly 50 shops ended up closing there, partly because stock had fallen off shelves. The Press newspaper was pretty critical of the mall management afterward.

Seven of the forty historic facades on New Regent Street were found to be unstable after the quake, which meant they had to be cordoned off. That stopped the heritage tram from running, which really hurt the businesses that were still open. The tram finally started up again in May 2016. Liquefaction happened in Bexley, Parklands, and right here in New Brighton. About 500 houses lost power. The CoCA Art Gallery, which had only just reopened the day before, on February 13, for the first time since the 2011 earthquake, had to close again.

There wasn't much structural damage reported in the Central City, and luckily, no serious injuries were reported either. St. John Ambulance even deactivated its emergency operations center later that day. Some tracks in the Port Hills were closed because of rockfall, like Rāpaki Track and the Bridle Path.

Psychologists pointed out that survivors of the 2011 earthquake, especially those who lost homes or friends, would experience painful memories during these aftershocks. The Canterbury District Health Board had been asking for more funding for mental health since shortly after the 2011 quake. But then, two days after this Valentine's Day earthquake, it was revealed that the Ministry of Health was proposing to cut the CDHB's mental health budget, while other health boards were getting more funding. The Press called it "disgraceful and distressing." The health minister, Jonathan Coleman, later announced that more funding for mental health would be assigned to Canterbury, saying that as soon as the Valentine's Day quake hit, he knew it would be a big deal for the health sector. Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel said she even screamed, which surprised her because she thought she'd gotten used to earthquakes. The Earthquake Commission received almost 14,000 damage claims from this event.