Reunion to mark 20th anniversary of 1999 Taiwan earthquake and NZ's rescue efforts

More than 2400 lives were lost and 11,000 people injured in the Jiji earthquake of 1999. Photo / Supplied

Taiwanese-New Zealand property developer Chieng Kuei Shih, 72, remembers waking up on a September morning in 1999 to a phone call with news that his home city had been turned to rubble.

The caller was Sharon Stewart, then a Manukau City Councillor and chairwoman of the United Asian Association, who had heard that a 7.6 magnitude earthquake had struck Taiwan.

The Jiji earthquake on September 21, 1999, would turn out to be Taiwan's second-deadliest quake, killing more than 2400, injuring 11,000 and causing more than $15 billion of damage.

At a time when sending New Zealand search and rescue teams overseas was unheard of, Shih and several other local businessmen chipped in to fund a rescue team - comprising five men gathered with the help of Stewart - to help in the Taiwan hunt for quake victims.

Reunions and 20th anniversary events are being planned in Taiwan and Auckland to remember the quake victims and acknowledge New Zealand's contribution to the rescue efforts.

"I remember feeling shocked when I got the phone call from Sharon that morning. Taiwan has many earthquakes but this was one of the worst," said Shih, who moved to New Zealand with his family in 1989.

"Living so far away, I was worried for my friends and family and I felt helpless. The least we could do was to play a little part by contributing some money to send a rescue team over."

Auckland Councillor Sharon Stewart (back row, red top) with Taiwanese community leaders and the NZ quake rescue team that helped in the Taiwan earthquake in 1999. Photo / Supplied

None of Shih's family members were hurt, but several of his properties were damaged and he knew others who lost friends and loved ones.

Two delegations from Taiwan, one led by Taichung City Deputy Mayor Bruce Linghu and the other comprising members of the Taiwan National Fire Bureau will attend an official "recognition ceremony" at the Auckland Town Hall on October 4 hosted by Auckland Mayor Phil Goff.

A dinner to thank those involved, including firefighters Bryce Conybeer, Scott Bell, Royce Tatham and Gary Richardson, is being planned at the Grand Park Restaurant the night before the ceremony.

Stewart, who is currently seeking re-election as an Auckland Councillor, said she was angry at the time when she found out the New Zealand Government hadn't sent anyone to Taiwan for help and "didn't have any money".

"I didn't want to be beaten, there was a lot of Taiwanese migrating to New Zealand at the time and some of them would have been directly affected by that quake," she said.

"What the Government couldn't do, the community did. The Taiwanese people have not forgotten the assistance of the rescue teams."

In the end, the amount of money the local Taiwanese community had to fork out was "minimal", Stewart said, because Air New Zealand and Eva Air chipped in to sponsor airfares for the team.