I had to duck a few LCDs and drop ceiling tiles in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, 60 seconds would've been handy to hide under my desk.
It would've been useful in the 2016 Kaikoura quake though - watching the models* of how that fault unzipped up the east coast of the South Island should've given Marlborough and Wellington some warning.
* Here's an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1HWet9j070