Lady With Nerves Of Steel - 5.6 Magnitude Quake Hits New Zealand But PM Jacinda Ardern Stays Composed Mid-Interview

An earthquake measuring 5.6 hit New Zealand's North Island but did not affect Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's composure while she was on a a live TV interview.

The quake had a depth of about 52 km near Levin, which is 90 km north of Wellington, according to the US Geological Survey as per a report in AFP.

AFP

St John Ambulance and New Zealand Police have said no initial reports of damages have come in. Also no warning has been given for a tsunami.

But Wellington did see a lot of shaking, where Ardern was giving her interview on breakfast television from the parliament's Beehive building. The building is built in a wat to absorb seismic forces by swaying slightly on its foundations.

"We're just having a bit of an earthquake here, Ryan," Ardern told Auckland-based AM Show presenter Ryan Bridge.

AFP

"Quite a decent shake here, if you see things moving behind me," she added.

"It's just stopped. We're fine, I'm not under any hanging lights, I look like I'm in a structurally sound place,¡± she went on to say.

New Zealand is on the Pacific Basin "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide to create over 15,000 earthquakes in a year. But only although only 10,0150 have enough of an impact to be felt.

A 6.3 quake in Christchurch killed 185 people in 2011, while a 7.8 one further north in 2016 was New Zealand's second strongest ever recorded earthquake.