Working groups and governance for the National Seismic Hazard Model revision programme

On this page:

NSHM group structure

GOVERNANCE

Strategic Stakeholder Group

This group is made up of senior NSHM stakeholders from across the New Zealand Government and private sector. Its role is to develop a strategy to secure funding for ongoing development of the NSHM beyond the current revision project; develop a more unified understanding of the use of seismic hazard information across government and private sector stakeholders; and receive regular progress updates on the NSHM revision project to increase stakeholder engagement and uptake. It meets quarterly.

Project Steering Group

This group is chaired by the project sponsor at GNS Science, who is accountable for project success. It has MBIE and EQC representatives. It monitors progress against agreed deliverables, budget and timeframe of the NSHM revision project. It has an agreed Terms of Reference and meets monthly.

The Project Steering Group comprises:

Sally Dellow - GNS Science
Anna Cook - MBIE
Jo Horrocks - EQC

Technical Advisory Group

The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) includes New Zealand and international experts, both in the science of seismic hazard model development and in the technical needs of the end-users of the NSHM. Its role is to provide a detailed technical review to ensure the model and its outputs are based on best available science and that it provides the information needed by end-users. It must also provide confidence in the final NSHM through a participatory review process. It has an agreed Terms of Reference and meets two-monthly.

The TAG members are:

Trevor Allen Geoscience Australia
Gail Atkinson Private consultant
Bryce Davies IAG
Ken Elwood University of Auckland
Ned Field US Geological Survey
Delphine Fitzenz RMS
Andreas Giannakogiorgos NZGS representative; Miyamoto
Tony Holden NZSEE representative; Aurecon, NZ
Nick Horspool GNS Science
Nico Luco United States Geological Survey
Marco Pagani Global Earthquake Model Foundation
Linda Poland Dunning Thornton Consultants
Peter Stafford Imperial College London
Mike Stannard Private consultant
John Townend Victoria University of Wellington
Rick Wentz NZGS representative, Wentz-Pacific Ltd

WORKING GROUPS

Core NSHM

Christchurch Basilica after Christchurch Earthquake 2011 - Image by Margaret Low

This working group is primarily responsible for deciding the direction of the National Seismic Hazard Model framework, with input and advice from the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), and for assimilating the outputs of all other working groups into the final project deliverable.

The Core NSHM team comprises:

Seismicity Rate Models Working Group (SRM)

Rupture and fence offset on the southern strand of the North Leader Fault Zone downstream of the landslide dam on the Leader River following the 2016 Kaikoura Earthquake - Dougal Townshend

The Seismicity Rate Model (SRM) Working Group is comprised of New Zealand and international scientists from GNS, universities, consultancies, and other Crown Research Institutes. This working group is responsible for the development of multiple models that will represent the magnitudes, locations, and rates of potential future earthquakes. This work, while still being prioritised, will likely cover the following topics to varying extents:

  • Use and development of the Community Fault Model
  • Development of alternative fault models
  • Fault segmentation options, earthquake source recurrence options, UCERF, etc.
  • Incorporation of geodesy: strain rate and hybrid modelling
  • Revision of the earthquake catalogue
  • Options for declustering earthquakes
  • Distributed hybrid modelling
  • The Hikurangi Subduction Zone, including magnitude-frequency distribution and segmentation
  • Scaling relationships.

The Seismicity Rate Model Working Group meets weekly on Wednesday @ 2pm. Please get in touch if you would like to attend.

Here is a list of SRM members.

Ground Motion Characterisation Models Working Group (GMCM)

Avonside Drive subsidence and lateral spreading after Christchurch Earthquake 2011 - Image by Dick Beetham

The Ground Motion Characterisation Models Working Group (GMCM) is comprised of New Zealand and international scientists from GNS Science, universities, consultancies, and other Crown Research Institutes. This working group is responsible for developing and determining the use of multiple ground motion models (GMM) for estimating ground shaking based on the occurrence of any particular earthquake source as modelled by the SRM working group. This work, while still being prioritised, will likely cover the following topics to varying extents:

  • Modelling epistemic uncertainty
  • Revision of the New Zealand Strong Motion Database
  • Site classification, including updating the national Vs30 model and application of Vs30 in hazard modelling
  • Role of simulations, model validation, etc.
  • Modelling shaking from subduction zone earthquakes (e.g. Hikurangi, NGA Subduction)
  • Basin effects (e.g. Wellington Basin, national basin framework) and use of Z1.0, Z2.5, etc.

The Ground Motion Characterisation Model Working Group meets weekly on Friday @ 11am. Please get in touch if you would like to attend.

Here is a list of GMCM members.

Service Delivery Working Group

Road damage caused by Kaikoura Earthquake 2016 - Image by Zoe Juniper

This working group is focused on the delivery of the NSHM in a way that is transparent and openly available to the end-user community. The end goal is for providing the NSHM and results in a manner that is thoroughly documented, fit-for-purpose, open-source and web-based.

To ensure usability and uptake, this group is also responsible for soliciting end-user input across the entire model development process, including through the Technical Advisory Group.

The Service Delivery Working Group meets weekly on Thursday @ 4pm. Please get in touch if you would like to attend.

Here is a list of the working group members.

back to top <<