Early morning quakes hit Masterton

CHECKING OUT: Dave Claude, an Earthquake Commission inspector, assesses the safety of houses in Eketahuna after the magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck the town on January 20 last year. PHOTO/FILE

Earthquakes twice rattled Masterton yesterday almost a year after a major shake caused more than $8 million in damages in Eketahuna.

The pair of Masterton quakes struck minutes apart at 6.12am and 6.18am yesterday, according to GNS Science.

The first shake was centred 10km northwest of Masterton at a focal depth of 23km and was magnitude 4.1. The second shake was recorded as magnitude 3 and struck 15km northwest of the town at a focal depth of 25km.

The 6.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Eketahuna on Wellington Anniversary last year had so far cost the Earthquake Commission $8.2 million in payouts, the agency said.

Next Tuesday will be the anniversary of the quake, which struck 15km east of Eketahuna on January 20 at 3.52pm.

The commission had settled 86 per cent of 5240 claims received, mainly from the Tararua District, said Gail Kettle, general manager of customer and claims.

"EQC staff have been working hard to settle claims arising from the Eketahuna earthquake and I'm really pleased that we have completed the majority."

Most of the $8.2 million has been paid to people in Tararua District - where the most damage occurred - but also to residents in Masterton, Manawatu, Palmerston North city, Horowhenua, Kapiti Coast, Carterton, and Wellington city.

Most claims were for damage to buildings only (72 per cent), followed by building and contents (11 per cent); contents only (9 per cent); building and land (5 per cent); land only (2 per cent), and building, contents and land (1 per cent).