A WAIKATO THING
Series one is about some of the incredible natural phenomena in New Zealand's Waikato region and connected areas.
A Waikato Thing was conceived, produced and directed by Drew Mehrtens. "I felt people would benefit from me pulling back the curtain to reveal all the science and research behind improvements in warning methods. I also knew people wanted to know more about the way the agencies work together, and have access to all the information usually only shared in workshops and project meetings. GNS Science and the Universities gave me extraordinary access. My team at Waikato Civil Defence supported allowing me the month of February away from my normal work to record as much as I could. Of course I needed to edit the massive amount of material, so I am grateful to my colleagues Sia Tanaki and Alicia Roberts for picking up my other tasks to allow me to get this all ready. To Julian for greenlighting it, and Irving for finding creative ways to let people know I wasn't available for things, thanks.
Scroll down for show notes and links.
Produced and Directed by Drew Mehrtens.
Production Partner (for paying for the recorder and editing studio), L'Bleu.
Copyright 2024 Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management Group and L'Bleu.
01
Introduction
Start with an overview of the forces that shape Aotearoa New Zealand and the Waikato Region. Discover the benefit of understanding the forces at play, go behind the scenes with NZ's expert on warnings, find out about earthquake weather and get a masterclass on what to look for in the stories of Maori and their place in understanding the mighty Waikato.
02
Volcanoes Part 1
The world renowned Taupo Volcanic Zone, big brother to Yellowstone, stretches from the central plateau to Whakaari White Island. The effects of this volcanic area are seen throughout the region. Today we listen to lived experiences, science and hundred’s of years of inter-generational observation (matauranga Maori).
Subjects covered include 1995 and 1975’s eruptions of Ruapehu and Tongariro, volcanic ash, behind the scenes of GNS Science’s Monday morning volcano meetings and much more.
03
Volcanoes Part 2
In part two we go inside a volcano to explore the world under our feet. Find out about our supervolcano, the six things to know, and get a deeper insight into the origins of Ruapehu and Tongariro - and indeed - life on this planet. If you've every had a fascination with volcanoes, you'll really enjoy concluding our two-parter with this love letter to volcanos.
04
Earthquakes
Join GNS Science's Brad Scott and Kate Clark, Waikato Regional Council's Rick Liefting and Whitney Mills, and Waikato-Tainui's Rahui Papa to discuss Waikato's seismic phenomenon. We discuss the effects of living on a tectonic plate boundary, liquifaction, landslides and Te Punenga fault zone near Morrinsville.
05
Introduction
What are the best tsunami warnings? What have we learned from the big tsunami disasters in countries like Japan? How much do we know about the effect of landslides beneath the waves?
06
Severe Weather
In 2019 the MetService introduced a new colour-coded warning system, and in this massive episode you'll hear from those behind that change and what the future of warnings might be, including the use of AI in the future of flood predictions and warnings.
Links
Volcano
What to tell other people in a volcanic event
What to know about a volcanic emergency (multiple languages)
GNS Science volcano information
Te Papa exhibit video showing Taupo explosion
Teach kids about calderas and tsunami in a sand and water paddling pool
Using Magma Drillers Save Planet Earth
The scientists who created Magma Drillers Save Planet Earth introduce the project
Earthquakes
Great animated video from GNS Science intro to plates and earthquakes
What to do in an earthquake in New Zealand
What to know about earthquakes (101)
What to know about earthquakes (nerdy version)
Sign up for New Zealand ShakeOut
Key moments in NZ earthquake history: Hawke's Bay 1931
Key moments in NZ earthquake history: Darfield (Canterbury) 2010
Key moments in NZ earthquake history: Christchurch 2011
Earthquakes
Great animated video from GNS Science intro to plates and earthquakes
What to do in an earthquake in New Zealand
What to know about earthquakes (101)
What to know about earthquakes (nerdy version)
Sign up for New Zealand ShakeOut
Key moments in NZ earthquake history: Hawke's Bay 1931
Key moments in NZ earthquake history: Darfield (Canterbury) 2010
Key moments in NZ earthquake history: Christchurch 2011
Tsunami
Regional Hazards Portal tsunami map
Coromandel Peninsula tsunami information
National tsunami evacuation zones
Learn more about tsunami (multiple languages including Sign Language)
Learn more about our tsunami monitoring and detection network
Public tsunami information from the National Emergency Management Agency
Severe Weather
The MetService NZ Weather app allows users to receive updates for extreme weather events (red warnigs and thunderstorm warnings) and extreme fire danger risk in partnership with Fire and Emergency.
Check out our Facebook page for up-to-date warnings
Waikato Regional Council Flood Room Live
When the Flood Room Live is activated, it combines the official MetService information with nuanced regional and local information from our hydrologists, councils and agencies (such as MPI and NZTA).
Waikato's flood protection systems (there are over 90 individual land drainage schemes) include stopbanks, floodgates, pump stations, spillways and channels, all linked and managed by computer monitoring of river levels and flows.
What to do before, during and after a storm (multiple languages)
Storms can happen any time of the year. They can bring strong winds, heavy rain or snow, thunder, lightning, tornadoes and rough seas. Find out what to do before, during and after a storm.
What to do before, during and after flooding (multiple languages)
Floods happen often in New Zealand and can cause a lot of damage and loss of life. Find out what to do before, during and after flooding.
Coastal Flooding (inundation) information from the regional council
Check out which areas are susceptible to coastal inundation, both now and in the future with projected sea level rise.
Landslides in the Waikato region
Learn more about the Taiao AI project
New Zealand data and environmental scientists using artificial intelligence to solve some of the biggest environmental issues facing New Zealand.
More on impact-based warnings from Dr Sally Potter (YouTube)
Dr Sally Potter explains impact-based forecasts and warnings that provide information about what the weather might DO rather than what the weather will BE. This enables people to take actions to try and reduce the impacts of weather events.