List of New Zealand tornadoes

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

The country of New Zealand experiences several tornadoes a year, most recently in April 2023.

Climatology and background

A tornado refers to a violently rotating column of air that reaches the ground, which can be among the most destructive of all atmospheric phenomena. Each year, there are 7–10 damaging tornadoes that touch down in New Zealand, occurring mostly along the west coast of both islands. Tornadoes in New Zealand most often form from squall lines ahead of cold fronts, which have the potential to spawn mesocyclones capable of tornadogenesis. Tornadoes in the country are usually short-lived, narrow, and weak. However, the country's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) assessed the 1948 Frankton tornado as an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, making it New Zealand's strongest known tornado. The 1948 tornado was also its most impactful, with 200 buildings damaged, as well as a rare deadly tornado in the country, with three deaths.

Events

Tornado Event	Date	Area	Tornadoes	Casualties	Notes
Parnell tornado	December 1863	Parnell, New Zealand	-	0 fatalities, numerous injuries	A tornado passed through part of Auckland suburb of Parnell, destroying every building and tree it came across, causing a total of £5,000 in damage.
Kaitaia tornado	26 August 1942	Kaitaia, New Zealand	-	1 fatality, 8 injuries	A tornado struck the town of Kaitaia in the Northland Region. The tornado damaged or destroyed numerous buildings in the town. A bus and car were also tossed into the air and destroyed. One person was killed and eight others were injured by the tornado.
Frankton (Hamilton) tornado	25 August 1948	Waikato, New Zealand	-	3 fatalities, 80 injuries	F2 damage; 163 buildings and 50 businesses.
Bay of Plenty tornado	28 May 1968	Ōmokoroa, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand	-	0 fatalities, 0 injuries	A tornado ripped across the Bay of Plenty coastline near Tauranga, affecting Ōmokoroa, Pukehina Beach and Paengaroa. Several homes were heavily damaged in Pukehina Beach, including a newly built two-story home that was flattened. No casualties were reported.
Halswell tornado	19 January 1983	Halswell, Christchurch, New Zealand	-	0 fatalities, unknown injured	This tornado was part of a severe storm that struck Christchurch. Authorities didn't believe reports made by citizens, as few buildings were damaged.
Auckland Region tornadoes	24 April 1991	Auckland region, New Zealand	4	0 fatalities, unknown injured	Tornadoes and high winds impacted portions of the Auckland region, causing significant damage to homes and businesses. A tornado at Pouto Point injured at least two people and heavily damaged a wooden marae hall, leaving behind only the floor and concrete steps. An empty house and a woolshed were also wrecked. Damage in Pouto Point was estimated at NZ$1 million. Tornadoes were also reported in Dairy Flat, Port Charles, and Albany. Trees were blown down in Dairy Flat, damaging three cars and injuring two occupants.
Albany tornado	May 1991	Albany, New Zealand	-	1 fatality, unknown injured	A local church destroyed. One man driving a bulldozer was killed by flying debris.
Waitara tornado	15 August 2004	Taranaki, New Zealand	-	2 fatalities, 2 seriously injured	The casualties occurred when a farmhouse was demolished by the tornado. Several power lines were taken out, affecting 6,662 consumers and 1,200 homes. Media reports included debris 'spread over an area 400 metres long by 50 metres wide', although other media outlets described the track length as being greater than 1 kilometre (3,300 ft). The tornado was assessed as F3 on the Fujita scale, making it the strongest on record in New Zealand.
Greymouth tornado	10 March 2005	West Coast, New Zealand	1	0 fatalities, 6 injured	The path of devastation was approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) long and 400 metres (1,300 ft) wide. It had an F1 rating with winds speeds of around 180 km/h. It was estimated that the tornado lasted 10 seconds. The insurance industry payouts for the tornado was NZ$9,200,000 (2005 money). Two tornadoes touched down in Greymouth within two years. Up to 30 people were made homeless. Six people received injuries from the tornado. Two people were admitted to hospital with moderate injuries, and one was treated and discharged. The St John's ambulance treated another three people for minor cuts and bruises. One woman was injured when the tornado flipped over the campervan she was sitting in. A 12-tonne truck was overturned along with a number of cars. West Coast is one of the most tornado-prone areas of New Zealand.
Waimate tornado	3 March 2006	Waimate, New Zealand	-	0 fatalities, 0 injuries	A strong tornado impacted rural properties to the southeast of Waimate along a 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) path. A historic two-story home lost its roof and second floor. The tornado also ripped apart grain silos and sheds. Several head of livestock were killed, and five people were left homeless.
New Plymouth tornado	4 July 2007	New Plymouth, New Zealand	-	0 fatalities	A series of tornadoes ripped through the New Plymouth district of New Zealand, damaging 50 homes and rendering 70–80% of them uninhabitable. One person was injured, and several were trapped inside vehicles by powerlines.
Auckland tornado	3 May 2011	Auckland, New Zealand	-	1 fatality, 14 injuries	A tornado struck the Auckland suburb of Albany, killing one person and injuring many others.
New Plymouth tornadoes	19 June 2011	New Plymouth, New Zealand	2 confirmed 1 unconfirmed	0 fatalities	Two tornadoes struck New Plymouth, damaging businesses in the Central Business District, St Mary's Church Hall, and a hotel.
Auckland tornado	6 December 2012	Auckland, New Zealand	More than 1	3 fatalities, at least 7 injuries	A tornado struck the Auckland suburb of Hobsonville, killing three people and injuring at least seven others.
Amberley tornado	23 February 2014	Amberley, New Zealand	1	0 fatalities, 1 injury	A tornado struck areas near the North Canterbury town of Amberley, damaging multiple homes and uprooting trees and power poles. The tornado was accompanied by large hail, lightning, and strong winds. One person was injured in the storm.
Mt Maunganui tornado	13 May 2015	Mt Maunganui, New Zealand	1	0 fatalities	A tornado struck the Tauranga suburb of Mt Maunganui, damaging homes and the nearby Baypark Stadium.
Ashburton/Fairton tornado	18 November 2018	Ashburton/Fairton, New Zealand	1	0 fatalities, 0 injured	A large landspout tornado was filmed from multiple angles as it touched down near Ashburton and Fairton. The tornado remained over open fields, though it caused damage to farm implements and trees. The same storm system also produced marble-sized hail and strong winds.
Coopers Beach tornado	5 June 2019	Coopers Beach, New Zealand	1	0 fatalities	A tornado struck the town of Coopers Beach and caused damage to 15 homes, leaving two to be deemed uninhabitable.
North Island tornadoes	11-12 August 2019	North Island, New Zealand	4	0 fatalities, 2 injuries	Four tornadoes struck the North Island over two consecutive days. Tornadoes struck Auckland and the Taranaki Region, causing major damage. Severe thunderstorms also produced large 'spiky' hail, lightning and heavy rain. Two people were injured by the tornadoes.
Christchurch tornado	18 November 2019	Christchurch, New Zealand	1	2 injuries	A tornado struck Christchurch, injuring two people and causing significant damage.
Papamoa tornado	27 June 2020	Papamoa, New Zealand	1	0 fatalities	A tornado struck the Tauranga suburb of Papamoa in the early morning and caused some damage to homes. The tornado also sent a trampoline flying across a main road into some trees lining the carpark of a local supermarket.
Papatoetoe tornado	19 June 2021	Auckland, New Zealand	1	1 fatality, 2 injuries	A tornado struck the Papatoetoe district in South Auckland. The tornado damaged roofs, trees and shipping containers. A worker at Wiri Station was killed, while two others were injured. About 1,200 homes were affected by the tornado, 60 of which were deemed to be uninhabitable.
Levin tornado	19 May 2022	Horowhenua, New Zealand	1	0 fatalities, 1 injured	Levin was hit by a tornado causing havoc, taking down trees, impacting power lines and taking off roofs. Drone footage shows approximately 30-50 houses have suffered damage, with further damage to many more fences and other property. Of those, six properties were severely damaged, eight moderately damaged, and 11 with minimal damage.
Tongariro National Park tornado	27 February 2023	Tongariro National Park, New Zealand	1	0	A weak tornado was seen over the national park
North Island tornadoes	9-11 April 2023	Taranaki, Wellington, Nelson, Tasman District, New Zealand	4	1 injury	Four tornadoes struck Taranaki, Nelson, and Wellington. Numerous homes were damaged, and one person was injured.
Lower Hutt tornado	12 December 2023	Wellington, New Zealand	1	0 fatalities, 6 injured	Six people were injured in the central city as what was described as a tornado blew in store windows, ripped up roofs, toppled fences, battered buildings and dragged buses along the street.

Climatological statistics

The following is a chart showing New Zealand tornadoes by month or by time period.

Number of recorded tornadoes affecting New Zealand

Month	Number of storms
January	1
February	2
March	2
April	5
May	4
June	5
July	1
August	6
November	2
December	2

Tornadoes affecting New Zealand by period

Period	Number of storms
1800s	1
1900s	6
2000s	4
2010s	8
2020s	4

See also

• List of natural disasters in New Zealand
• Lists of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks

External links

• Australia and Oceania listing by The Tornado Project
• Tornadoes of South America, Australia/New Zealand