Wellington chimneys a silent risk ahead of future quakes

Monday, 22 September 2025

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There is news nearly every week of large earthquakes all over the world and pictures of homes reduced to rubble.

Just a few weeks ago a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia, and tsunami alerts were sent out.

Wellington homeowners are being urged to check their chimneys before the next big shake, with the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake warning that unreinforced masonry chimneys remain a serious threat to life and property.

Commission public education manager Hamish Armstrong said chimneys had been among the most dangerous features in past earthquakes.

“Pretty much every major earthquake over the past 170 years has shown that crumbling chimneys pose a significant risk to people’s safety and to our homes,” he said.

Wellington was at higher risk than most cities because of its older housing stock, with more than 60% of homes built before 1970 – when unreinforced brick or masonry chimneys were common.

A Wellington family’s harrowing close call during the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake showed how serious the danger could be.

Emily Logan’s 1920s home lost its entire chimney just metres from their baby’s cot.

She said if it had fallen a different way, it would've crushed the baby and they had not realised how close they came to disaster.

Chimneys were also a cause of injuries and deaths in the 2010–2011 Christchurch quakes, with more than 15,000 damaged or toppled. Similar tragedies have been reported after earthquakes in Turkey, Japan and Morocco in the past two years.

“Brick and concrete masonry chimneys are particularly vulnerable as they can crack, shift or collapse, causing damage to people and property,” Armstrong said.

He urged homeowners to have chimneys in pre-1970 houses assessed by licensed building practitioners, particularly if cracks, leaning, or old brickwork were visible.

“We recommend engaging a licensed building practitioner to assess your chimney conditions and provide removal quotes if needed.”

Armstrong said homeowners should pay particular attention to homes built before 1970 as they were most likely to have unreinforced brick or masonry construction, where a flue had been installed but the original chimney was in place or signs of damage.

Removal was the safest option, but above-roofline removal or bracing could reduce the risk if full removal wasn’t immediately possible.

“We all need to do what we can to remove those risks,” Logan said.

“If I were buying an older house again, checking the chimney would be the first thing I'd do.”

Armstrong said homeowners needed to understand the risk and take action where they could.