Aren't there towns in NZ (North Island I think) that were wiped out by earthquakes/volcanos around the time of Art Deco, so it was the style that was popular when they rebuilt?
Sorontar
Yes Sorontar . No major volcanic action for several hundred years , only a handful of minor localised eruptions. We do have massive volcanic fields that have created most of the North Island a few millennia ago. It joined the dots , NZ used to be many small islands. Auckland alone has approx 55 volcanic hills . Suburbs are all MT this MT. The Taranaki here has one big volcano.
NZ is A.K.A. " the Shakey Isles " . We have earthquakes everyday somewhere . Some parts it's daily. There are massive and small faul tines running up the country. Occasionally we have high magnitude ones . The Christchurch quakes of a few years ago
{2016 ?} did much damage . Particularly the 7.1 quake. The city is bring rebuilt in bland 2020 construction.
The notorious "Napier quake " though precipitated the famous Deco rebuild the East coast has a reputation for. Civic buildings, houses , industrial premises . I've never been, my late dad loved the place on his frequent business trips there .
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1931_Hawke's_Bay_earthquakehttps://www.napier.govt.nz/napier/about/history/napier-earthquake-1931/https://teara.govt.nz/en/historic-earthquakes/page-8https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/new-zealand/articles/architecture-art-deco-and-earthquakes-in-napier/


