Why did Haiti suffer so much more than New Zealand?

Question 2 (8 marks)

"The level of development of a country is the most important factor in determining the impact of a tectonic hazard." To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Mark scheme (AO3, 8 marks):

For (development most important):

• NZ strict building codes (seismic engineering) → fewer structural collapses (1 mark)
• NZ well-equipped hospitals, search and rescue teams → fewer deaths and better treatment (1 mark)
• NZ Earthquake Commission (EQC): government-backed insurance → rapid, well-funded recovery (1 mark)
• Haiti: informal construction, no building codes → 97,000 homes destroyed by a 7.0 earthquake (1 mark)
• Haiti: weak, poorly resourced governance → slow, poorly coordinated relief (1 mark)

Other factors also matter:

• Magnitude and depth: both events were shallow and powerful → physical factors do matter (1 mark)
• Location (population density): Port-au-Prince's 3 million dense population increased exposure (1 mark)
• Topography and soil: Christchurch's liquefaction was a physical vulnerability specific to that area (1 mark)

Evaluation:

• Development level is the most important factor because it determines vulnerability — a country's capacity to prepare, respond and recover. Physical factors like magnitude are not controllable; vulnerability is — through investment in building codes, governance and healthcare. Haiti and Christchurch illustrate this clearly (2 marks)