New Zealand’s Largest General Insurer Supporting Storm-affected Customers

New Zealand’s largest general insurer supporting storm-affected customers: Insurance claims continue to rise as weather intensifies and further regions hit

AMI, State and NZI Insurance are here to help customers affected by the severe weather that continues to impact Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Waitomo as well as other regions around the North Island.

We have received 5,251 claims for damage to homes, contents, vehicles and businesses, and we expect that number to continue to rise as customers are able to assess damage, and those who have been evacuated are able to safely return home.

AMI, State and NZI CEO, Amanda Whiting said, “This weather event is unlike anything we have seen before and the loss of life and livelihoods, devastating. Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected.

“We remain available for our customers as and when they need us, and last night, as the Emergency Alert was sent to Aucklanders, we sent an up-to-the minute communication to over 320,000 customers who are living in the affected North Island areas, including business customers, detailing the support we are providing and how to keep safe.

“Our immediate focus has been supporting customers since Friday evening, with temporary accommodation and other emergency support.

“We have a large team assisting people with their claims and are continuing to add further resource to support our customers.

“The benefit of being a trans-Tasman team is that our Australian colleagues are already working alongside us – it’s all hands-on deck. We are committed and here to help.

“We’ve had teams on the ground throughout the weekend assessing the damage. Those with the highest needs are being prioritised first.

“I’ve witnessed the devastation first-hand here in Auckland and it’s been a very traumatic experience for those who have literally lost everything.

“We encourage customers who are safe and out of immediate danger to contact us online or over the phone so we can provide support and lodge claims.

“With the unsettled weather set to continue, the safety of everyone continues to be our priority and so we urge people to utilise the tips below.

“We appreciate that our customers up and down Aotearoa will also need support – claims elsewhere don’t stop. However, given the nature of this event we would ask customers outside the impacted areas to wait to lodge their claims unless it is urgent.

“We will continue to do everything we can to support affected communities during this difficult time. Again, we are here to help.”

How to make a claim

Often during a storm or flood, it’s difficult to know the full extent of damage to your home, contents, vehicle or business, especially if you need to leave your property.

We encourage AMI, State and NZI customers to get in touch once they have had a chance to assess the damage and it is safe to do so.

The quickest way to make an insurance claim is online, but they can also give us a call.

NZI customers should contact their broker.

Disaster Claims Hubs

We have information relating to issues such as emergency repairs, flooded carpet, evacuations, temporary accommodation and the process for lodging claims on our Disaster Claims Hubs:

AMI: https://ami.custhelp.com/app/disaster-claims-hub

State: https://statenz.custhelp.com/app/disaster-claims-hub

NZI: Contact your broker. For general advice, go to https://iagnz.custhelp.com/

Insurance tips

What to do if your property is damaged during a storm:

• Ensure you and your whānau are safe first. Follow all advice from Civil Defence.
• If you need to make a claim, as soon as you’re able to let us know about any damage to your property, the sooner we can help – especially if your home becomes uninhabitable or we need to arrange temporary accommodation for you, your family, and your pets.
• Be careful not to return to your home or business until it’s safe to do so and avoid anything that could potentially cause more damage.
• 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.
• It’s okay to start to clean up if you’ve been affected by flooding, especially if it can prevent further damage, but 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.
• If water has entered your home or business, turn off the power at the mains and ensure an electrician has checked the power supply before turning it back on.
• If your home or business is without power, you should turn your appliances off at the wall in case of a potentially damaging power surge.

What to do if your vehicle is damaged during a storm:

• If your windscreen has been damaged or your car has been flooded, please don’t attempt to drive it.
• There is no hurry to make a claim, but as soon as you’re able to let us know about any damage to your vehicle, the sooner we can help – especially if you have cover for a temporary vehicle that we can arrange for you.
• If your vehicle needs to be towed, remember to remove any personal items if you can, and make sure it’s securely locked with no keys left inside – the tow team will get in touch to pick your keys up instead.

Wild Weather Tracker

For historical context, weather-related insurance claims data for AMI, State and NZI is available in our six-monthly Wild Weather Trackers.

From September 2021 – February 2022 we recorded ten major storms, including ex-tropical cyclone Dovi in February. During this period, we received 8,293 weather-related claims from our customers, an increase of 32% compared to September 2020 – February 2021.

More: Wild Weather Tracker September 2021 – February 2022

More: Wild Weather Tracker March 2022 – August 2022

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