About the Natural Hazards Portal

The Natural Hazards Portal is a tool for exploring New Zealand’s natural hazard risk. It provides information on natural hazard risk, and what to do about it.

At the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake we make data and knowledge available so people can understand natural hazard risk and make informed decisions on how to reduce risk and build resilience in our homes, towns and cities. 

A resilient New Zealand is one in which the potential consequences of natural hazards are carefully considered and included in everyday decisions.

We want to support people and communities to understand the choices and decisions they can make about buildings and locations. We want councils to have the data and information they need to actively consider natural hazards in their short and long-term planning - including land-use planning. And we want engineers, architects, developers and builders to have the best possible understanding of risk so we can design and build for the hazards we might face in the future.

Together, we want to prioritise the management of natural hazard risk, so that the wellbeing of our communities is protected into the future.

The Natural Hazards Portal brings together existing natural hazard information from the Natural Hazards Commission and other publicly funded organisations, making it easier to find and use in one place. You can use the Natural Hazards Portal to:

• improve your awareness about natural hazard risk
• understand how natural hazard events may impact you, your home, and your community
• explore natural hazard maps and modelling in the Bay of Plenty region
• explore where natural hazard events have occurred in New Zealand before
• consider the actions you want to take to manage risk and build resilience

The Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC) is a New Zealand Crown agency. We work to reduce the impacts of natural hazards on people, property, and communities. We do this by providing natural hazards insurance to residential property owners, investing in research, education, and by analysing and sharing information that helps people understand and manage natural hazard risk.

NHC is developing and operating the Natural Hazards Portal to make it easier for people to access and use natural hazard information.

Throughout the Portal, the term 'NHC claim' is used to refer to NHCover and EQCover claims, as provided by the Natural Hazards Commission. It provides the property address and property title, event type, event date, and claim type for settled NHC claims.

To appear on the Natural Hazards Portal, a claim must be:

• lodged since 1997
• a closed claim where a settlement has been paid to repair damage
• for building or land damage from an earthquake, landslide, hydrothermal activity, tsunami, or volcanic activity, or for land damage from a storm or flood event

The Portal does not show any information related to private insurance claims or NHC claims which have been lodged, but not settled.

More information about most claims is available upon request to the Natural Hazards Commission. If you would like to know more, we encourage you to request more detailed claims information through the Natural Hazards Commission website.

New Zealand is highly exposed to natural hazards. The damage they may cause can have major environmental, financial and social impacts. Making natural hazard and claims information easier to access helps people make more informed, risk‑based decisions about property and encourages better conversations about risk and resilience.

As a Crown agency, much of the information NHC holds is official information, and basic claims information has long been available on request under the Official Information Act. Publishing a limited set of claims information through the Portal is intended to make that information free and simple to access, rather than only available through a request process.

Property addresses shown on the Portal are considered personal information under the Privacy Act, but the Portal does not publish information about the individuals who own or live at those addresses. In addition, these addresses are considered property‑related information under the Natural Hazards Insurance Act 2023.

If you believe incorrect claims information is linked to your property, or you believe extenuating circumstances apply, please contact NHC so the information can be reviewed.

NHC will not remove claims information from the Natural Hazards Portal unless the information is incorrect, or under rare and extenuating circumstances (such as a Court order), considered on a case‑by‑case basis.