An earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale struck the New Zealand South Island's central Canterbury region on Monday, the GNS Science said.
The quake occurred at 02:31 p.m. New Zealand local time (02:31 GMT) at a depth of 12 km, the New Zealand Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences reported.
It was centered 20 km north of Methven. There were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries, Xinhua reported.