Support for councils and recovery organisations
Natural Hazards Commission (NHC) has an important role when natural hazard events happen. We join with recovery organisations to help communities and homeowners prepare for and recover from the damage these events can cause.
Our role is determined by governing legislation – the Natural Hazards Insurance Act 2023 (NHI Act). The NHI Act sets out our organisation’s primary objective: to reduce the impact of natural hazards on people, property and the community.
A summary of our role in an event
We work closely with our insurance partners, central and local government, and the emergency management sector to ensure we support a coordinated recovery.
What we don’t do
We’re not a first response agency, which means we don’t rescue people and provide emergency shelter.
We also don’t:
- provide insurance cover for non-residential property or uninsured persons, or provide additional insurance for underinsured persons
- make decisions about land use or building consents
- administer, apply or remove placards on damaged homes
- fund, insure or repair public infrastructure.
How we support a coordinated recovery
The below sections give more detail into how we provide support for councils and recovery organisations in a natural hazard event.
Gathering and sharing event intelligence
When a natural hazard event occurs, it’s critical that NHC gathers event intelligence and information as early as possible. Event information helps us rapidly build an understanding of the event’s impact and scale of damage to residential property.
We continue to gather information even when a clear view of the event has been established, because events can change during the recovery phase.
We share relevant data and insights, including claims data. Event data and intelligence informs our loss modelling and internal recovery planning and decision-making.
Working with and supporting councils
We work closely with councils under the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act during an event. Common processes we can help councils to navigate include urgent works, notifications affecting Natural Hazards Cover (NHCover) like section notices, and silt and debris clean-up.
Homeowners may need to complete urgent work to make their home safe, habitable and protected from further damage. Homeowners are responsible for carrying out urgent works, however a council or recovery agency may be able to help in some limited situations. In these cases, we work closely with councils and recovery organisations to plan for effective and efficient ways to carry out urgent works.
When a homeowner makes a NHCover claim, it’s important they’re aware of section notices on their property. There are two key types of notice that may be put on a property's record of title that could affect natural hazards cover:
- Section 72 notice under the Building Act 2004, and
- Section 51 notice under the NHI Act 2023 (or Section 28 under the EQC Act 1994).
A section notice may affect the outcome of a claim, which can be difficult for a homeowner to navigate.
The clean-up of silt and debris from storms, floods, and landslides can be challenging for recovery organisations and councils. Challenges include coordinating resources, timeliness, and site access to remove silt and debris from properties.
We support councils and recovery agencies to take a coordinated approach to the clean-up of silt and debris. We can assist councils and recovery agencies to navigate silt and debris clean-up issues, and use prior experience and knowledge to advise on clean-up approaches.
We provide homeowners with information on insurance cover for silt and debris clean-up, including how we can contribute to repairing their land.
Responding to communities’ needs
A natural hazards event can often impact a community in different ways. It’s critical that affected homeowners can engage with us throughout an event.
We can support:
- community hubs
- public meetings
- the dissemination of information through our social media, our website, and community navigators
- community-led initiatives, recognising local knowledge and leadership is vital to recovery
Providing cover and claim information
NHC’s role is to provide homeowners and communities with natural hazards cover information and clearly guide them through the claims process.
Key information includes:
Understanding what you’re covered for(external link)
How natural hazards cover works(external link)
How to make a claim (external link)
Find resources in different languages and accessible formats:
Translations and accessible formats(external link)
Partnering with private insurers to manage claims
Insurance support for impacted homeowners is a critical part of a community’s recovery.
We provide homeowners with insurance cover for damage to their insured homes and eligible land following a natural hazard event. New Zealand’s private insurers manage natural hazard claims on behalf of us. They assess, manage and settle the entire claim.
The Natural Disaster Response Model (NDRM) underpins this partnership. The NDRM streamlines the claim process by providing homeowners a single point of contact for their insurance claim through their private insurer.