60,000 Bay people signed up for quake drill

Kelburn Little School pupils and teachers do the 'turtle' during the ShakeOut earthquake drill on September 26, 2012. Photo/File

More than 60,000 people in the Bay of Plenty have signed up to take part in the second national earthquake drill.

The Bay has the third highest sign up rate in the country for ShakeOut 2015, Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye said.

ShakeOut 2015 participants drop, cover and hold at 9.15am on October 15.

"Wellington is currently the front runner in terms of the number of people set to take part, with 25 per cent of Wellingtonians already signed up," Ms Kaye said.

"Neck and neck behind Wellington are the West Coast and Bay of Plenty, where over 21 per cent of locals are already on board.

"Earthquakes can happen anywhere in New Zealand, so I challenge everyone, no matter where you live, to be part of ShakeOut 2015."

Ms Kaye said she would like to acknowledge the support shown by Sir Peter Jackson, Sir Richard Taylor, Jeremy Corbett, Jeremy Borland, the What Now team and MasterChef winners Kasey and Karena, who have all made great videos sharing the ShakeOut message with Kiwis.

The videos can be seen here.

"By signing up at www.shakeout.govt.nz, you can get information on the right actions to take before, during and after an earthquake. There are also resources for schools, businesses, non-English speakers and people with disabilities."

Regional sign-up rates as at September 12 (showing total numbers and percentage of local population):

Northland - 19,159 (11.28%)

Auckland - 272,585 (17.45%)

Waikato - 68,113 (15.46%)

Bay of Plenty - 60,948 (21.11%)

Gisborne - 8,938 (18.55%)

Hawkes Bay - 32,687 (20.10%)

Taranaki - 18,582 (15.83%)

Manawatu-Whanganui - 36,158 (15.23%)

Wellington - 125,841 (25.03%)

Nelson-Tasman - 14,583 (14.49%)

Marlborough - 8,724 (19.04%)

West Coast - 7,236 (21.57%)

Canterbury - 77,692 (13.23%)

Otago - 33,017 (15.25%)

Southland - 18,289 (18.53%)

Chatham Islands - 7 (0.15%)

Multi-regions - 104,649 (2.27%) - these are sign-ups from organisations with offices in more than one location

Who's behind New Zealand ShakeOut 2015?
New Zealand ShakeOut 2015 is coordinated by the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM) along with local and central government organisations, emergency and lifeline services and the private sector.

Part of Get Ready, Get Thru
New Zealand ShakeOut 2015 is run in conjunction with MCDEM's public education campaign Get Ready, Get Thru, which provides New Zealanders with information about the safest things to do before, during and after disasters.