Today marks 77 years since Wairarapa was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, felt from Auckland to Dunedin.
It led to the formation of the Earthquake and War Damage Commission, later EQC.
Nobody was killed in the quake but nearly 20-thousand chimneys came crashing down around the region.
EQC deputy chief executive Renee Walker says many homes still have unreinforced chimneys.
She says they'd suggest people are checking older chimneys.