Photo caption: Dr Andres Valencia, Professor Brendon Bradley, and Dr Barry Evans.
Researchers from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) will lead two of eight new three-year University Research Programmes funded by the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC) as part of a $3.6 million national investment in natural hazards research.
Principle investigator Dr Andres Valencia and lead researcher Dr Barry Evans will research exploring how fires could spread through Greater Wellington following a major earthquake. Earthquake damage to roads, water supplies and other essential services can make firefighting much more difficult, and the programme will model how fires could develop and test different response approaches.
The findings are expected to help emergency managers and communities better prepare for the complex challenges created when earthquakes and fires occur together.
Professor Brendon Bradley will lead a programme focused on improving New Zealand's earthquake hazard modelling. Building on more than six years of previous NHC-funded research, the project will combine advanced computer modelling with detailed geological data to strengthen understanding of earthquake shaking and risk.
The research will contribute to the information used to design buildings, plan infrastructure and prepare for future earthquakes.
The UC-led projects are among eight programmes receiving NHC funding across New Zealand. Each will begin in early 2027 and run for three years, with opportunities for postgraduate students, postdoctoral researchers and early-career scientists to contribute.
NHC says the investment is designed to support practical research that helps protect homes and communities and reduce the future impacts and costs of natural hazards.
