NZ government scientist insists week-long earthquake swarm is unconnected and random: "Mimi, mi, mi, mimimi, mi"

Is it any wonder that Muppet Labs can't predict earthquakes when they insist that all clusters of the phenomena they study are always random? A scientist in any other field who ignored this localised cluster data and the place it has in the system that causes it (ie. plate tectonics) would be drummed out of their profession... but not if you're a seisemologist, apparently.

GNS Science says a spate of earthquakes in the North Island are not connected.
A quake measuring 5.6 on the Richter Scale occurred at 7.03am on Saturday, 80km below the surface of Lake Taupo. It was felt across much of the central North Island.
An earlier quake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale occurred at 9.07pm on Thursday. It was located 10km northwest of Turangi at a depth of 120km.
Seismologist Brian Field says it is unlikely the latest earthquake has caused any significant damage.
He says a spate of recent earthquakes in the North Island are not connected and are completely random.
There were two quakes on Boxing Day: a 4.4 magnitude earthquake at 5.18pm, 40km south of Hawera, and another measuring 3.5, 60km northeast of Gisborne at 7.22am.
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Gisborne region at 8.55pm on Thursday, 20 December [...]
- 2:29pm on 29 Dec 2007 [RNZ]

"Not connected and completely random"

Which would naturally, of course explain this:

There was an earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale 50km south east of Wairoa today.
GNS Science said the earthquake occurred at 11.34am and was at a depth of 25km.
- 12:18PM Sunday December 30, 2007 [NZHerald]

The only thing unconnected in this story is the seismologist from his brain.

Peter Jackson vows Hobbit movie "will not be a musical!"

Leonard Nimoy cameo still possibility.