Magnitude 5.9 earthquake strikes Kermadec Islands region

Earth Sciences New Zealand says a 5.9 magnitude earthquake has struck the Kermadec Islands region.

The islands are approximately 800-1000 kilometres northeast of the North Island.

The quake was recorded shortly before 10.30am on Thursday, about 200km away from Raoul Island, Geohazards duty officer Sheng Lin-Lin said.

There were no reports of damage and checks of GeoNet instruments have found all systems functioning as usual, Lin-Lin said.

There was no observed tsunami signal or unusual water levels.

Lin-Lin added that while the quake did not have a big impact it was a reminder that significant earthquakes can occur in this region and around Aotearoa.

No Earth Sciences staff were on the island at the time and it's not aware of anyone else being on the island.