The Natural Hazards Commission (NHC) Toka Tū Ake has awarded over $1.2 million in its latest Biennial Grants round, supporting 13 research projects related to New Zealand’s management of natural hazards. Each project will receive up to $100,000 over a two-year period, with research topics including seismic risk assessment, insurance models for marae-based communities, and retrofitting methods for homes at risk of floods and earthquakes.
Dr. Natalie Balfour, head of research at the NHC, said the commission’s research funding is intended to support resilience initiatives. “We’re not just the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. We want to strengthen the cliff or, better yet, ensure people don’t build there in the first place,” Balfour said.
According to Balfour, this year’s grant round received a large number of applications, reflecting increased attention to resilience and multidisciplinary research. “There’s a real sense of momentum, with researchers across engineering, mātauranga Māori, social science, and physical science coming together to take a genuinely holistic approach to resilience. That’s exactly what’s needed if we’re to reduce the impact of natural hazards on people, property, and communities,” Balfour said.
Several projects funded in this round are relevant to the insurance sector. One study will examine disaster insurance for marae-centred and communal Māori living arrangements, which are not typically addressed by conventional insurance products. Another project will assess insurance incentives related to risk-reduction measures for homeowners in landslide-prone areas, including nature-based solutions.
Other initiatives include mapping the seismic activity of Auckland’s fault lines, developing retrofit techniques for reinforced concrete buildings, and updating national seismic hazard maps. Additional research will analyse household disaster preparedness and test systems related to the resilience and repairability of timber-framed homes.
The Biennial Grants are part of the NHC’s annual allocation of $10 million for research and related initiatives concerning natural hazards. Since 1989, the programme has provided more than $13.5 million to over 300 projects. The next funding round, which will focus on university-led research with grants of up to $450,000, is expected to open in early 2026.
Recent studies provide context for the research supported by the NHC’s Biennial Grants. A nationwide analysis led by Earth Sciences New Zealand found that more than 750,000 residents currently live in areas at risk of flooding from one-in-100-year rainfall events. Projections suggest this number could exceed 900,000 if the country experiences an additional 3 degrees of warming.
In the earthquake risk domain, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) recently completed its General Insurance Industry Stress Test. The scenario modelled a magnitude 8.7 earthquake along the Hikurangi Subduction Zone, with estimated property damage at $62 billion, rising to $100 billion when extrapolated to the full market. The RBNZ found that while policyholder claims would be paid, most insurers would need substantial capital support from offshore parent companies and reinsurance markets to maintain solvency and continue underwriting. The scenario also highlighted the government’s fiscal exposure for losses involving the NHC and public infrastructure recovery.
