Survivor Stories

The 1931 Napier Earthquake was one of the most devastating natural disasters in Aotearoa New Zealand's history, with 256 deaths and a city left in ruins. In this talking heads documentary made for MTG Hawke's Bay, five survivors — children and teenagers at the time — give firsthand accounts of the monumental day and its aftermath. Director/producer Gaylene Preston includes rousing sound design amongst the interviews, giving a sense of how an earthquake of that magnitude would sound. Preston would later expand upon the topic of the Napier quake in her Qantas-nominated doco Earthquake! 

The city was about to blow up, literally.

– Napier local Audrey McKelvie (née Hurst) on the fires that followed the Napier earthquake

Key Cast & Crew

Michael Hedges

Sound Post-Production

Waka Attewell

Camera Operator

Terry Crayford

Composer

Heather Small

Editor

Gaylene Preston

Producer, Director

Mike Hopkins

Sound Post-Production