A magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred on 17 December 2024 near Efate, Vanuatu, causing significant damage across Port Vila and neighbouring areas, and resulting in 14 fatalities and 265 injuries. In response, the New Zealand Government, through MFAT, deployed an engineering team to Vanuatu in April 2025. Under Egis coordination, working with local Vanuatu engineering firm Qualao Consulting, and with Tonkin & Taylor providing geotechnical expertise, the project supported the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and the Public Works Department (PWD) in assessing and developing remediation strategies for affected buildings. This paper outlines the key observations from the assessment programme, discusses prevalent construction forms and associated damage patterns, and summarises the remedial works recommended for implementation.
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