A 'severe' 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck near Seddon shortly after midnight, as the region continues to experience significant aftershocks.
The quake struck at 12.17am, and was centred 20 kilometres south-west of the Marlborough, at a depth of 13 kilometres.
GeoNet rated the shake as 'severe'.
It was followed by a light 3.2 magnitude shake in the same region, at 12.51pm, and there were another five weak aftershocks in the early hours of this morning.
The region was also hit by a magnitude 5.5 earthquake last week, and has been dealing with hundreds of aftershocks in the wake of the 7.8 magnitude quake that struck in November.