New claims data from AMI, State and NZI shows 19 natural hazard events occurred during autumn and winter, with storms making up 78% of natural hazard-related claims.
The claims data also reflects the volatile nature of our weather, with storms continuing to batter those regions still bearing the scars of flooding events like the North Island floods and Cyclone Gabrielle.
“We cannot control when the next disaster will strike, but we can move beyond seeing them as surprising or exceptional. And while we cannot eliminate all risks, we can take proactive steps individually and as a country to prepare for them, mitigate them, and reduce their impact.”
Amanda Whiting Chief Executive Officer AMI, State, and NZI Insurance.
In the last six months, we recorded seven significant storms resulting in 4,277 claims. Homes suffered damage from hail, rain, flood and wind, with the North Island bearing the brunt of the country’s wild weather.
Note: We categorise ‘significant storms’ as storms that incur over $1 million in claims costs.
During autumn and winter, significant storms made up 78% of all natural hazard event claims we received. We supported our customers with a total of 5,419 claims from 19 natural hazard events, including the Wellington Earthquake in August.
While some natural hazard events pertain to one region, the majority of the natural hazard events, such as strong winds, had a widespread impact on the country.
Aucklanders lodged the most claims for natural hazard events (44%), followed by Waikato (10%), Canterbury (9%), Hawke’s Bay (7%) and the Bay of Plenty (5%).
Note: We also received 225 natural hazard-related claims without any address or geographic coordinates provided during lodgement.
Prior to the autumn and winter months, we asked New Zealanders across all regions of the country how prepared they felt for natural hazard events. The following infographic shows the percentage of residents who felt adequately prepared in each region.
Those in the West Coast, Tasman and Southland regions felt the least prepared for the next natural hazard event, while residents in the Gisborne and Marlborough regions felt the most prepared.
Note: Ipsos research commissioned by AMI, State and NZI Insurance March 2024. Nationally representative survey of New Zealanders, total base size of n=1,000, and a margin of error of ±3.00.
Flooding can have devastating impacts on individuals, families, and communities, disrupting daily life and often requiring a long recovery in the aftermath as people work to rebuild their homes and lives.
While insurance can protect against the financial burden of flooding and other natural disasters, it can’t bring back the irreplaceable sentimental items and memories that are often lost in natural disasters.
Recently, we spoke with our customers - a local Wairoa family - who shared their story about the impacts of flooding with us. While the Wairoa community remains resilient, this story highlights a first-hand experience and the emotional toll such events can take. It also highlights the need for urgent action to stop the repeated impacts of these natural hazards on exposed communities.
You can read the full customer story about the Wairoa flood on page 7 of our October 2024 Wild Weather Tracker.
Our customer captures flooding at their Wairoa home as they evacuate their family - 26 June 2024.