Insurance brokers across the Wellington region are preparing to support a rise in claims following record rainfall and flooding, with the Insurance Brokers Association of New Zealand (IBANZ) advising households and businesses to contact their brokers early as they assess damage and consider their insurance options. IBANZ chief executive Katherine Wilson said the severity of the weather event and the number of people forced from homes or business premises meant many policyholders would be looking for help to understand their cover and the process ahead. “This is clearly a significant event, and it will be very worrying for those affected, particularly anyone who’s had to evacuate their home or business premises. Ensuring everyone’s safety is clearly the first priority, but those facing damage to property and belongings will also be anxious about insurance cover and how to go about making a claim,” Wilson said.
About half of all general insurance in New Zealand is placed through brokers, meaning a substantial share of claims arising from the Wellington event is expected to be handled through intermediaries. Wilson said brokers were already talking to clients about policy terms, coverage limits, and documentation and working alongside insurers and the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC) in cases involving residential land. “Brokers can help relieve stress in times like this by reviewing policies, clearly explaining the coverage available, taking care of the paperwork to lodge a claim, and advocating on their clients’ behalf to ensure a fast and fair outcome,” Wilson said.
Wilson said policyholders who arranged their insurance through a broker should make contact as soon as it is practical to do so, particularly where properties are uninhabitable, businesses have suffered interruption, or temporary accommodation and emergency repairs are required. IBANZ maintains an online directory of member firms for customers who are unsure how to reach their adviser. The event again highlights the role of brokers in organizing claims information, helping set expectations around settlement timeframes, and explaining how private insurance cover interacts with NHC responsibilities for residential land damage.
Wilson’s comments come as Wellington deals with one of its most significant recent rain events. The capital and surrounding areas remain under a state of emergency after heavy overnight rain caused flooding, slips, and disruption across multiple suburbs. Wellington Mayor Andrew Little told Radio New Zealand that rainfall in the early hours of Monday was “nearly three times the heaviest rainfall Wellington has had” previously, calling it “an extremely heavy downfall.” Fire and Emergency New Zealand responded to more than 150 incidents overnight, with many callouts from southern suburbs including Vogeltown, Mornington, Newtown, Berhampore, Kingston, and Island Bay. There have been reports of homes taking on water, vehicles being moved by floodwaters, and at least one landslide entering a bedroom. In Island Bay, streets were submerged, while slips have cut access for some residents in hill suburbs.
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MetService issued a red heavy rain warning for Wellington and Wairarapa from Monday afternoon through Tuesday evening, citing a risk of “dangerous river conditions, significant flooding and slips.” Residents in low-lying and flood-prone locations were advised to leave early rather than wait for formal instructions. An assistance centre has been opened for the wider region, and police are searching for a missing man in Karori after flooding at his property. The latest event follows earlier storms this year that led to evacuations in parts of Hutt Valley and Porirua and closures of State Highway 58, and comes shortly after Cyclone Vaianu affected the upper North Island.
The damage in Wellington is expected to add to an already active first-quarter claims profile. NHC has received 824 claims for January and February 2026, including 493 related to landslides affecting dwellings and residential land and 170 for storm and flood damage. NHC chief executive Tina Mitchell has previously said that land-damage claims “often take a while to come through because damage to land can take a while to settle,” suggesting that the final tallies from earlier events are still emerging even as new losses are reported. With fresh slips and flooding across Wellington’s southern suburbs, additional dwelling and land claims are expected, with implications for assessment capacity and settlement timeframes. The pattern of overlapping events is keeping pressure on claims operations, loss adjusting resources, and communication with policyholders awaiting resolution of earlier files.
IBANZ has set out a series of practical steps for affected customers that are consistent with wider sector guidance. Wilson and member brokers are advising policyholders to:
Earlier in the month, Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) chief executive Kris Faafoi reminded policyholders in storm-affected regions that “your insurer is ready to help as soon as you’re able to get in touch to lodge a claim,” emphasising the importance of documenting damage before disposal and keeping receipts for urgent repair work. The Wellington event is likely to provide another test of surge planning, event coordination, and communication processes. IBANZ members are expected to continue working between clients, insurers, and NHC as the scale of losses becomes clearer and recovery work progresses.
