In most cases involving tsunamis, the New Zealand Government or Civil Defence will issue a warning. If there is an alert in your area, please move to higher ground and follow the advice of these authorities. Prioritise your safety and do not return to your property unless a local or central authority (such as the New Zealand Civil Defence or the New Zealand Government) has confirmed that it’s safe to do so.
Remember never to wade through flood water and avoid using vehicles or electrical appliances that might have water damage. Wear gloves, masks, and protective gear so you don’t come into contact with anything dangerous.
For more information on staying safe in a tsunami, visit the Get Ready site.
Once you and your whānau are safe, the quickest way to start your claim is online. If you’d prefer to speak to us, we have specialist teams available over the phone.
Once we’ve received your claim, we’ll contact you to discuss next steps. So, if you’ve already made your claim, sit tight. We’ll be in touch.
If a lot of claims are made due to a tsunami, we’ll prioritise customers whose homes are unliveable or those who are experiencing vulnerability. We’ll have extra support on board so we can help you faster.
We’ve partnered with the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC, previously the Earthquake Commission/EQC) to make the claim process simpler for you. NHC provides more than just earthquake cover ‐ if you have home insurance with us and your land or residential building is damaged in a tsunami, you may be eligible for NHCover. To keep things simple for you, we’ll manage your NHCover claims on behalf of the NHC.
Have a read through our Understanding your NHCover Claim factsheet for more information.
If you need urgent assistance, please get in touch as soon as you can. If you’re experiencing vulnerability or your home is unliveable, let us know so we can prioritise your claim.
Depending on the policies you have, you might be covered for temporary accommodation. Check your policy wording and get in touch to see what support is available.
This information is a useful guide but is not intended to replace your policy wording. Remember to double-check your policy documents and talk to us if you’re ever uncertain.
An event like this has a big impact on our assessors and tradespeople, so although we’ll be working as quickly as we can, it will take some time to get through all the assessments. Urgent assistance for those who are experiencing vulnerability will be prioritised, as well as those who are in high-impact areas.
We appreciate your patience and want to reassure you that we’ll get you back on your feet as quickly as possible.
Your policy excess
If your policies are in the same name, with the same brand, insured with the same address, and you make a claim on two or more policies for damage caused by the same disaster, you’ll pay just one excess – whichever is the highest. We call this “one event, one excess” and it applies to your personal insurance policies only, such as your home, contents, vehicle, or boat policies. Our Claims teams will discuss this with you when it’s time to pay your excess.
NHCover excess
An additional excess will apply if you need to make an NHCover claim, which your Claim Manager will discuss with you prior to settlement. Have a read through our Understanding your NHCover Claim factsheet for more information.
Natural Hazards Cover (NHCover) is provided by the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC, previously the EQC/ Earthquake Commission) for residential buildings and defined areas of residential land.
It insures houses for up to the first $300,000 (+GST) as well as some areas of residential land against loss or damage from earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity, hydrothermal activity, and tsunami. It also insures some residential land (within limits) against storm and flood damage. (Note, private house insurance does not cover residential land).
To make things simpler for you, we manage the NHC component of your claim too, which means you don’t need to make a claim with NHC. We have a special dedicated team of case managers with experience in natural hazard claims who will manage your claim.
Have a read through our Understanding your NHCover Claim factsheet for more information.
Most people will automatically have NHCover if they have a current Home insurance policy.
Once you’ve made your claim and local authorities have confirmed it’s safe to re-enter the area, we’ll appoint an assessor to review your claim, assess the damage either in person or remotely, and agree with you on the scope and cost to repair it ‐ sometimes called a ‘scope of works’.
Depending on the property and damage, we might need to bring in specialist tradespeople like engineers, assessors, or builders, which can make your assessment take a little longer.
Once the ‘scope of works’ is complete, our assessor will discuss your repair or settlement options with you.
If you need urgent assistance, please contact us as soon as you can. If you’re experiencing vulnerability, you’ve been evacuated, or your home is unliveable, we’ll prioritise your claim to get you back on your feet.
Depending on your policies, you might be covered for temporary accommodation. Check your policy wording and get in touch to see what support is available.
You can do temporary 'make safe' repairs to make your home safe and weathertight, such as boarding up broken windows, just try to take photos before you do so. Where possible, please contact us before you engage a tradesperson or make any non-urgent repairs.
We will review both policies, considering the time and monetary limits on each, to determine which will provide the best outcome for you.
Your claim will be made under either your Home or Contents policy, but not both.
You’ll need to arrange your temporary accommodation. Just let us know your choice so we can ensure it meets the terms specified in your policy wording. It’s important to note any temporary accommodation agreement made is held between you and the accommodation provider.
In most cases your policy will outline that the accommodation must be of ‘reasonable’ value, so it’s good to check reasonable market rents in your area.
If a local authority (such as a government agency, Police, Fire and Emergency, or Civil Defence) has asked you to evacuate, and your policy covers you for temporary accommodation, you can go ahead and arrange a place to stay. In these situations, cover will apply regardless of whether your home is damaged or not – you'll just need to pay your excess.
If your home or belongings are damaged after you’ve been evacuated, you won’t need to pay another excess.
Please contact us to make your claim and we’ll talk you through eligibility and the level of cover available to you.
If water has entered your home or business, turn off the power at the mains, and have an electrician check the power supply before turning it back on.
When it’s safe to enter the property, use a permanent ink pen to make a small mark on the wall at the maximum height of the flood water. Do this in every room affected by flooding.
If your house has been flooded, lift your wet carpet and underlay and move it outside, if possible. This will help your home dry out. Remember, it’s best to treat all flood water as blackwater (i.e. contaminated with sewerage), so make sure you stay safe by wearing heavy duty gloves, boots, and a face mask.
NHCover applies to residential land that’s within your property boundary - and includes:
NHCover also provides some cover for:
For more information on NHCover and residential land, visit the NHC website.
Once you've made your claim, please complete a ‘Loss Schedule’, listing all your damaged items. Remember to include the item’s age, manufacturers’ names, model numbers, purchase dates and purchase prices, wherever you can. If you’re able to do so, taking photos of your damaged items in addition to your Loss Schedule can be helpful too.
Once you’ve completed your Loss Schedule, email it back to your Claim Manager and include your claim number in the subject line.
We'll be in touch with the next steps, but if you have any questions about your claim or your Loss Schedule, please get in touch.
Clean up as much as you can to prevent further damage ‐ but until we’ve had a chance to assess your claim, only throw away spoiled food or soft furnishings (e.g. mattresses, couch, bedding) and make notes on your Loss Schedule before doing so.
Most items can be repaired, cleaned and/or sanitised, and moving items outside can help dry them out if they’re wet. If the option is available to you, please keep items under cover or put them in your garage with plenty of ventilation to prevent further damage.
Yes. Taking photos of any damaged property or belongings can often help to speed up the claim process.
This depends on the nature and severity of the damage at your property, the damaged contents to be disposed of, and even your location.
If an event has affected many households in the area, some councils will arrange a skip bin, but this approach varies between councils.
Reasonable costs to dispose of, and remove, contents damaged by the event are generally reimbursed as part of your claim. Remember, until we’ve had a chance to assess your claim, only throw away spoiled food or soft furnishings and make a note of these on your Loss Schedule before you do so.
We’ll refer you to our Motor Vehicle Assessor or to a local repairer, who’ll review your claim, assess the damage, and work out the scope and cost to repair it. We’ll then review the estimated repair cost against your sum insured to work out if the vehicle is economic or uneconomic to repair.
If your vehicle is economic to repair, your Claim Manager will review your policy and discuss the next steps with you. Depending on your policy, we can either pay you a lump sum payment based on the reasonable costs to repair the covered damage, or we can arrange to have your vehicle repaired ourselves.
If your vehicle is uneconomic to repair, our assessor will refer your claim back to your Claim Manager who will review your policy and get in touch with you to discuss your claim settlement options.
If your car is badly damaged, or if water has entered your vehicle, please don’t drive it. Water-damaged vehicles can be dangerous because they tend to lose function suddenly, and air bags can deploy without warning. Instead, let us know immediately.
We’ll arrange a tow, so you won’t have to drive your vehicle in for assessment. Once it’s been assessed, wait for the all-clear from your assessor before driving again.
