The Natural Hazards Commission (NHC) Toka Tū Ake has recorded more than 800 natural hazard claims in the first two months of 2026. NHC chief executive Tina Mitchell said the commission received 824 claims for January and February events. Of these, 493 related to landslide damage to dwellings and residential land, while 170 were for storm and flood damage to land. The remainder arose from other perils, including earthquakes.
The claims followed a period of heavy rain and flooding in January that affected Northland, the Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty, the East Coast, and Gisborne. That month included landslides at the Beachside Holiday Park at Mt Maunganui and at Pāpāmoa, which resulted in fatalities. In February, another storm system affected multiple regions. The Bay of Plenty, Tairāwhiti Gisborne, parts of Christchurch, and Banks Peninsula experienced flooding, while Wellington saw flooding and gales. Waikato also recorded flooding and slips, and states of emergency were declared in several districts.
Mitchell said NHC is still receiving additional notifications from the January and February events, reflecting the way land damage can evolve. “Claims often take a while to come through because damage to land can take a while to settle,” Mitchell said, as reported by Interest.co.nz. The commission advises homeowners to lodge claims within three months of a natural hazard event to support assessment and settlement. For March, NHC has so far received 133 claims for damage from landslides, storm, and floods, indicating continued claim activity into the new quarter.
Mitchell said the country’s exposure to multiple perils underpins the existence of the national scheme. “New Zealand is a place that is particularly prone to natural hazards, which is why the country has a natural hazards insurance scheme. NHC is prepared for this by having the systems and funds available to provide support when people need it after an event,” Mitchell said. She said recent weather has been shaped by conditions tracking from lower latitudes. “Storms can happen at any time of year but the patterns we have seen over the last few months have been predominantly caused by subtropical weather patterns. We include these potential impacts in our loss modelling,” she said.
Under the NHC framework, homeowners pay a Natural Hazards Insurance Levy with their residential insurance premium. The levy is paid into the Natural Hazard Fund, which is used to meet claims after natural hazard events, purchase reinsurance from international markets, cover scheme administration, and support research and education activity. For each natural hazard event, NHC currently contributes up to $300,000 toward rebuilding or repairing a residential building under the building cover cap. The Natural Hazards Insurance Levy is set at 16 cents per $100 of the insurance cover amount. The levy and fund structure influence retentions, reinsurance limits, and pricing for domestic property portfolios and interact with private policy wordings at the claims and recovery stages.
As NHC processes earlier claims, brokers are examining the implications of Cyclone Vaianu for policyholders with unresolved storm losses. With several North Island states of emergency now lifted, the Insurance Brokers Association of New Zealand (IBANZ) has highlighted the position of customers who have open or partially settled claims from previous weather events. IBANZ chief executive Katherine Wilson said the timing of loss will be a central issue. “This latest weather event is clearly significant, and it will be particularly worrying for those still working through claims from previous events,” Wilson said. She said clear separation of damage from different storms will be necessary. “It will be important for any new damage to be separately documented and reported. Anyone who has an open or partially settled claim from an earlier event should contact their insurance broker to get advice,” she said.
Around half of all general insurance in New Zealand is placed through brokers, meaning a large portion of households and businesses with Vaianu-related losses will work through claims with an intermediary. Wilson also reiterated policyholders’ duty to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage where it is safe to do so, such as covering exposed areas, moving undamaged contents, or arranging urgent temporary repairs. “These costs are potentially recoverable so keep receipts for any emergency spending. Insurers will be managing high volumes of claims in the weeks ahead. Brokers will be focused on helping policyholders navigate the complexities of multiple event claims, including advocating on their behalf for a fast and fair settlement outcomes,” she said.
Meteorological data from MetService is expected to inform how insurers, brokers, and reinsurers define the Vaianu event, distinguish it from earlier systems, and report accumulations. On Sunday, Cyclone Vaianu brought strong winds, heavy rain, and large swell to parts of Aotearoa New Zealand. Exposed coastal areas of the Bay of Plenty were among the most affected as the system moved in from the north. Recorded peak gusts included 133 km/h at Great Mercury Island, 126 km/h at Māhia, 102 km/h at Gisborne Airport, and 94 km/h at Whakatāne before observations at that station ceased. The Pinnacles site in Coromandel Forest Park measured 332 mm of rain in the 24 hours to 4pm Sunday. The cyclone’s centre moved onshore over the Bay of Plenty near the Maketu Peninsula shortly after 2pm Sunday with an estimated central pressure of about 978 hPa, then crossed the North Island and moved offshore from Hawke’s Bay at around 6pm.
By Monday, MetService reported the low’s centre offshore and tracking south, with Watches and Warnings directly related to Vaianu lifted. A Heavy Rain Watch remained in place for parts of the western North Island – including northern Taranaki, Waitomo, Taumarunui, and Taupō west of the lake – as showery westerlies and embedded thunderstorms moved onto the country. MetService meteorologist Michael Pawley said conditions were expected to remain unsettled. “The next few days we can expect showers, especially in the west. These could be heavy, with possible thunderstorms and hail, as a series of fronts roll in from the Tasman Sea,” he said.
