New Zealand is geologically active and has significant seismic potential resulting from its position astride the Pacific-Australian plate boundary. The Alpine Fault transects 495 km of the South Island, west of the Southern Alps. It produces large (ca. M8) earthquakes, and is late in its average seismic cycle. Recent studies have shown that the West Coast would suffer extensive damage and isolation in the event of a large earthquake. Current levels of organizational, business, and community awareness and preparedness for dealing with the outcomes of a future major earthquake are considered less than optimum, even following the recent Canterbury earthquake sequence (2010-2011). The 2009 ShakeOut exercise was an opportunity for West Coast Civil Defence organizations to assess the status quo and develop resilience in order to improve physical and economic recovery outcomes. The exercise was based on the Californian ShakeOut event, and despite many differences in geography and population density, comparisons between the West Coast ShakeOut and California ShakeOut registration data show very similar participation profiles.