Homes and roads were damaged after a 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit New Zealand on Friday, with more aftershocks expected.

The quake was the latest in a series, and was the most severe since a 6.5 event in Cook Strait on July 21, which damaged buildings in Wellington and injured four people.

This time the epicentre was on land, 10km southeast of the South Island town of Seddon.

It was felt strongly in Wellington, where some buildings were evacuated. In Seddon homes suffered cracks, fallen chimneys and collapsed roofs. A nearby earth dam that cracked during an earlier quake was further damaged, but no one was injured.

Catastrophe modeller AIR Worldwide says significant losses are not expected thanks to New Zealand’s stringent building codes, the location of the epicentre and the event’s moderate magnitude.

Fellow modeller Eqecat says a quake closer to Wellington could have been significantly more damaging.

“Shallow earthquakes in this magnitude range can be very destructive if located near to areas of exposure, as was experienced in February 2011 with the devastating Christchurch earthquake.”

The Insurance Council of New Zealand says it is too early for a cost assessment.

“It wasn’t a major quake,” Insurance Manager John Lucas told insuranceNEWS.com.au. “There was damage but we don’t know anything for sure at this stage.”

A number of insurers have again instigated a stand-down period and there remains a 90% chance of a five-magnitude or greater quake in the next week, he says.

There are no further damage assessments for the July 21 quake, with data still being collected. The Earthquake Commission says more than 4400 claims have been lodged with it so far.