An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 occurred only 5 minutes ago 17 km northwest of Hicks Bay, New Zealand, New Zealand's Earthquake Commission and Geological Survey (GeoNet) reported.The quake hit at a moderately shallow depth of 30.70 km beneath the epicenter near Hicks Bay, Gisborne District, Gisborne, New Zealand, in the morning on Sunday, May 3rd, 2026, at 9:19 am local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc. In Hicks Bay (pop. 1,400) located 17 km from the epicenter, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.Weak shaking might have been felt in Opotiki (pop. 4,900) located 89 km from the epicenter, Whakatane (pop. 18,600) 109 km away, Gisborne (pop. 38,300) 123 km away, and Gisborne (pop. 38,300) 123 km away.VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.Earthquake data: Date & time: May 3, 2026 09:19 am (GMT +12) local time (2 May 2026 21:19 GMT)Magnitude: 5.2Depth: 30.70 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude: 37.55°S / 178.11°E (Gisborne District, Gisborne, New Zealand)Primary data source: GEONET (NZ)