Love your land? Know your cover.
Losing your favourite place is tough to think about, but landslides are a real threat all over New Zealand. Natural hazards insurance provides some cover, should the worst happen. But it’s not full cover – both the area and value of the land that we cover has limits.
How land cover works
Only some land is covered
Natural hazards cover only includes the land under and around your home, that keeps your home standing and accessible.
That includes the ground:
- within 8 metres of your house (and other related buildings)
- that supports your main accessway (like your driveway) within 60 metres of your house.
Land outside of these areas is not insured.
Some retaining walls, bridges and culverts may also be covered.
Natural hazards cover doesn’t typically include driveway surfacing, landscaping or gardens.
Limits to the payment amount
The amount you receive is usually only enough to cover some of the cost of repair to your land.
We base your payment on the lower of two numbers (as outlined in the Natural Hazards Insurance Act):
- the cost to repair the insured, damaged area, or
- its market value.
You're responsible for paying the rest of the repair costs.
For example, if a landslide damages your property and the cost to repair the 8 metres of land around your home is $100,000, but the market value of the land is $50,000, the most NHC can contribute is $50,000.
What's covered and what's not
Visit our About NHCover page for more detail on natural hazards insurance for your land.
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