When an earthquake occurs, clear and timely information is often critical. From today, Google is making it easier to get important post-quake information when and where you need it with the launch of Google Public Alerts in New Zealand.

Within minutes of a moderate earthquake occurring, alerts will appear with the time of the quake, epicentre, magnitude and shaking intensity, supplied by GNS Science. The alerts will also include recommended actions from the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (MCDEM).

Alerts will appear on smartphones as notifications via the Google App. Alerts will also be accessible via Google Search and Google Maps on mobile or desktop.


We hope that bringing critical information together in one place will help people make informed decisions in times of crisis. This includes informing family and friends outside the affected area of the status on the ground, as well as individuals directly affected by the incident.

Google Public Alerts will also be valuable for the almost three million visitors who come to New Zealand every year. Visitors can be unfamiliar with local sources of information, so having information pushed to smartphones means more people can be informed when they need to be.

For more information visit https://google.org/publicalerts.

Posted by Craig Nevill-Manning, Engineering Director