Insights from the 2025 Myanmar Earthquake: Lessons from Bangkok - WLG

Following the magnitude 7.4 Myanmar earthquake of March 2025, a multidisciplinary team of six New Zealand engineers and researchers travelled to Bangkok, located nearly 1,000 km from the epicentre of the earthquake and situated on a deep sedimentary basin. Despite the distance, reports of damage to high-rise buildings prompted a detailed investigation into the amplification of long-period ground motion, non-structural performance, and functional recovery challenges.

This Learning from Earthquakes mission was undertaken by Dr Lucas Hogan, Dr Andrew Baird, Dr Jitendra Bhatta and Dr Jitendra Bothara, and co-led by Dr Andrew Stolte and Dr Catalina Miranda.

Presented by

Dr. Andrew Stolte is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland. His research centred on the improvement of site characterisation, blending geophysical and geotechnical methods. He has characterised sites and sedimentary basins around Aotearoa New Zealand and contributed to the 2022 NSHM Update.

Dr. Catalina Miranda is a Lecturer at the Joint Centre for Disaster Research, Massey University. Catalina works at the intersection of engineering and social science. She has conducted residential surveys, combining structural assessments with interviews to understand homeowners’ experiences and perceptions.

Dr. Lucas Hogan is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland. His research focuses on the seismic response of buildings and bridges. He has expertise in the field testing of both structures and foundation systems.

Dr. Jitendra Bhatta is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Canterbury. He is an expert in seismic testing, design, and performance of non-structural components, as well as the functional recovery of buildings.

Dr. Jitendra Bothara is a practising structural engineer with over three decades of experience. He has extensive experience in post-earthquake reconnaissance, emergency response, and reconstruction efforts following major seismic events, including the 1999 Chamoli EQ, 2005 Kashmir EQ, 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence, 2015 Gorkha EQ, and the 2023 Turkey EQ, among others.

Dr. Andrew Baird is a practising structural engineer at Beca New Zealand, with 12+ years of experience following his PhD research on reducing damage to non-structural components.

About the Seminar

The seminar will present the key findings from the Bangkok reconnaissance, where non-structural damage was observed to significantly impede building functionality and recovery. These findings provide valuable insights for New Zealand’s soft-soil urban centres such as Auckland and Wellington.

Key topics include:

· Long-period ground motion and basin amplification effects

· Structural and non-structural performance of high-rise buildings

· Functional recovery and community response

· Lessons for resilience planning and communication strategies

· Implications for New Zealand’s urban environments

Who Should Attend

Engineers, architects, policymakers, emergency managers, researchers, and students interested in earthquake engineering, functional recovery, and seismic resilience.

Organised and supported by

New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (NZSEE), Te Hiranga Rū QuakeCoRE and Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake.

Seminar Schedule

Auckland

29 October 2025

Auckland University. Room 401-439.

5:30 – 7:00 PM

Christchurch

30 October 2025

Beca, ANZ Centre, Level 2, 267 High Street, Christchurch Central

5:30 – 7:00 PM

Dunedin

4 November 2025

WSP

5:30 – 7:00 PM

Wellington

5 November 2025

WSP

5:30 – 7:00 PM