AF8 (which stands for Alpine Fault Magnitude 8) is a collaborative effort to save lives by planning and preparing a coordinated response across the South Island following a severe earthquake on the Alpine Fault.

AF8 commenced in July 2016 with a focus on scientific modelling, response planning and community engagement designed to address that knowledge gap. It’s a partnership of all the Emergency Management Groups in the South Island, funded by the Government through the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management’s Resilience Fund. It involves scientists from six universities and Crown Research Institutes, emergency services, lifelines, iwi, health authorities and many other partner agencies.