As of 9am this morning, AMI, State and NZI have received over 21,000 claims for the recent North Island floods (57% home claims, 21% contents, 6% commercial and business, and 16% motor vehicle).
AMI, State and NZI CEO Amanda Whiting says the recent flooding, and now the arrival of Cyclone Gabrielle, has been heart-breaking and hugely disruptive for those affected.
“These weather events are what we plan for and what we do – it’s why we exist.
“We are working our way through the flooding claims as quickly as possible, while also processing claims from those affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. As always, our number one focus is supporting our customers and communities through this really tough time.
“Some claims will be settled quickly, if not already, but some will take time as each customer’s situation is unique. But no matter how long it takes, we will be here for our customers.
“We also know that these weather events will put significant pressure on the building industry and associated suppliers. We are actively working with our partners to minimise these challenges, however, there may be some delays as we work through this.
“In the last two weeks, we’ve paid out over $23 million in claims.
“The size and scale of these events are something we haven’t seen since the Kaikoura earthquakes. We have pulled in help from right across our business - we currently have 316 teams of builders on the ground stripping out homes, and we are focussed on expediting the claims process and closing claims for our customers as soon as we possibly can.
“Last week, I visited a few of our customers’ properties. The disruption to people’s lives was hard to see, but I was also heartened to hear the many stories of community resilience and to witness people pitching in to help each other.
“Our team is working extremely hard to support our customers and will continue to do so until every last claim is closed.
“Please be assured that paying claims and getting New Zealanders back on their feet is what we are here to do.”
Further information and numbers regarding Cyclone Gabrielle will be provided in due course.
First floods, then a cyclone - what is happening to New Zealand’s weather?
Forecasting insights from AMI, State and NZI’s meteorological team
AMI, State and NZI meteorologist, Dr Bruce Buckley, says the weather the North Island has experienced in 2023 is a classic example of warmer tropical seas feeding greater quantities of moisture into extremely damaging, heavy rainbands.
“While New Zealand’s physical location means it has always been susceptible to systems with tropical moisture influences, the effects of climate change and the current and future La Niña patterns means they are likely to have higher impacts when they occur.
“Typically, tropical cyclones transition into extra-tropical cyclones before reaching our shores, but they can still carry damaging winds and intense rainfall. New Zealand will become more susceptible to stronger storms, because having warmer, more tropical seas means there’s less opportunity for the systems to weaken before reaching New Zealand.”
In a survey conducted late last year by AMI, State and NZI Insurance, 82% of New Zealanders reported that they believe wild weather is becoming more severe and more frequent.*
ENDS
* For more from this study, refer to page 7, Wild Weather Tracker, October 2022
For full commentary from Dr Bruce Buckley, refer to page 9, Wild Weather Tracker, October 2022
*For historical context, weather-related insurance claims data for AMI, State and NZI is available in our six-monthly Wild Weather Trackers.
From September 2021 – February 2022 we recorded ten major storms, including ex-tropical cyclone Dovi in February. During this period, we received 8,293 weather-related claims from our customers, an increase of 32% compared to September 2020 – February 2021.
How to make a claim
Often during a storm or flood, it’s difficult to know the full extent of damage to your home, contents, vehicle or business, especially if you need to leave your property.
We encourage AMI, State and NZI customers to get in touch once they have had a chance to assess the damage and it is safe to do so.
The quickest way to make an insurance claim is online, but they can also give us a call.
NZI customers should contact their broker.
Disaster Claims Hubs
We have information relating to issues such as emergency repairs, flooded carpet, evacuations, temporary accommodation and the process for lodging claims on our Disaster Claims Hubs:
AMI: https://ami.custhelp.com/app/disaster-claims-hub
State: https://statenz.custhelp.com/app/disaster-claims-hub
NZI: Contact your broker. For general advice, go to https://iagnz.custhelp.com/
Insurance tips
What to do if your property is damaged during a storm:
What to do if your vehicle is damaged during a storm: