New Zealand’s Earthquake Commission is co-sponsoring a research project on tsunami risks in the city of Porirua north of Wellington.

The research will examine likely wave paths and the implications for emergency services planning should the harbour city be hit.

The EQC has provided about $NZ70,000 ($65,181) to the project, a spokesman told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

GNS Science expert Wendy Saunders will undertake the research, co-funded by Porirua City Council.

“Here in the Wellington region we’ve now got a lot of good data… that, combined with Porirua land data and new modelling technology, means we should be able to give an assessment of tsunami risk at a much more precise level,” Ms Saunders said.

The Earthquake Commission is backing the tsunami study through its biennial research grant program, which has awarded financial support for 16 projects this year.