Genealogist uncovers victims of the Hawke s Bay earthquake
2 Feb, 2021 07:54 PM
4 minutes to read
It s been 90 years since a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Hawke s Bay, killing 247 people and badly damaging or destroying buildings along the east coast. Photo / Earle Denford, File
Hawkes Bay Today
By: Gianina Schwanecke
For Christine Clement, the 247 people who died in the 1931 Hawke s Bay earthquake are more than just names on a plaque. The Te Puke-based genealogist spent more than a year researching and collating an official list of those who died in the quake. I have always been interested in New Zealand disasters and tragedies and was always aware that there were discrepancies with the total from the Hawke s Bay earthquake, she explained.