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Story: Hawke’s Bay region

Earthquake destruction in Hastings, 1931

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Earthquake destruction in Hastings, 1931

Napier is most associated with the destructive 1931 earthquake, but it was not the only town to suffer significant damage. The centre of Hastings, which like Napier was full of vulnerable masonry buildings, was also badly damaged.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Sydney Charles Smith Collection (PA-Group-00242)

Reference: G- 47694-1/2

by Sydney Charles Smith

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Kerryn Pollock, Hawke’s Bay region – 20th-century developments, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/23940/earthquake-destruction-in-hastings-1931 (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Kerryn Pollock, published 22 January 2010, updated 1 July 2015.