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Story: Natural hazards – overview

Relief camp identification card

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Relief camp identification card

One of the emergency measures introduced after the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake was to issue identification cards to everyone in relief camps. This card, issued for a two-year-old, was needed to get food.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: Eph-A-EARTHQUAKES-1931-01

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

Eileen McSaveney and Simon Nathan, Natural hazards – overview – Civil defence – coping with emergencies, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/document/6909/relief-camp-identification-card (accessed 3 June 2026).

Story by Eileen McSaveney and Simon Nathan, published 2 March 2009.