New Zealand straddles the boundary between the Pacific and Australian plates, which makes it intensely seismic and volcanic. Along the North Island the Pacific Plate subducts beneath the Australian Plate, while in the South Island the two plates grind past each other along the Alpine Fault, one of the world's great strike-slip faults capable of producing enormous earthquakes.
The North Island's Taupo Volcanic Zone hosts active volcanoes such as Ruapehu, Tongariro and White Island (Whakaari), whose 2019 eruption killed 22 people, along with the supervolcano beneath Lake Taupo. The 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence devastated Christchurch, with the February 2011 quake killing 185 people and prompting sweeping changes to the country's building standards.