FAQs: Home, Contents, Car

You’re covered for damage to your home by both Toka Tū Ake Natural Hazards Commission (NHC) and your insurer depending on the cause of damage. Your private insurer still manages the total claim to ensure that you receive your full entitlements. For a full explanation of NHCover, please check out this explanation on the NHC website.

Land cover is only provided by Toka Tū Ake Natural Hazards Commission (NHC) although we’ll manage the claim for you on their behalf. Your land cover is limited to certain areas of the property only. In general, it covers an area 8 metres under and around your home and driveways up to 60m from your home.  The full description of what land is covered is detailed on the NHC website.

Land damage is limited to certain causes only, which includes landslide and storm/flood inundation. Where the damage is caused by landslide, it is likely that a geotechnical engineer and a land valuer will need to be engaged to determine the potential solutions for the property. The settlement will be a cash settlement that is calculated based on either the estimated cost of repair or the value of the amount of land damaged, whichever is less.   

If the cause is storm/flood that does not involve a landslide, then NHCover will help in some circumstances to clear the land of silt and/or debris. The amount of silt normally needs to be above 15mm before it will be considered damage. These claims are cash settled based on either the estimated cost to clear the area of land covered by NHCover or the value of that land, whichever is less. You can find more information in this NHC Fact Sheet (PDF).

Some landscaping cover is usually available as part of your insurance cover. You qualify for a payment under this benefit if your home is damaged and the same event also damages your gardens, garden edging and lawns. There is a maximum limit that applies, which is dependent on your specific policy. The benefit is not payable in situations where your home was not damaged.   

If the cost of repairing the damage to your house is higher than your policy limit, we will pay that limit only and any damage to landscaping will be included within that limit. If the damage to your house is less severe and the cost of repair is potentially less than the policy limit, you may be eligible for payment under the landscaping benefit.   

If we are already assessing your home damage, we will calculate the loss to your landscaping at the same time. If not, we can do this assessment remotely. A general description of the landscaping features (area/type etc) will help us to calculate your entitlement. 

Your temporary accommodation cover includes situations where you cannot access the property due to local or government authorities preventing access due to possible or impending damage to your home.

Do not try to start or drive any vehicles that have been submerged. We can have them towed to our storage area for assessment. If you need to move vehicles out of the way urgently, please move them to the nearest safe spot that you can, and we can take it from there. And don't forget to remove your contents from the vehicle first.

Yes, this does happen occasionally, and another claim needs to be lodged. If you are waiting to hear from someone about your first claim, or if it has already been settled, completing a new claim online is easy.

If you need urgent assistance, please call us on 0508 806 244 to lodge your claim. If your claim has not yet been resolved, you may already be in contact with one of our team members. In that case, you should send them an email to tell them you have had more damage or phone them if you have an urgent situation. Having your existing claim or reference number available will be very helpful.