# Natural Hazards Portal

> The Natural Hazards Portal is a free, public website from New Zealand's Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC) that brings together natural hazard information and settled EQC/NHC claims data to help people understand the risks that could affect their homes and communities.

## Purpose

The Natural Hazards Portal (the Portal) is at https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/. It is designed for individuals, communities, and decision-makers across Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Portal includes two main types of information:

- Settled EQC/NHC natural hazard claims: property-level records of settled natural hazard insurance claims on residential properties from 1997 to the present, including property address, event type, event date, and whether the claim was for land damage, building damage, or both.
- Natural hazard maps (Bay of Plenty pilot): interactive maps showing where different natural hazards could occur, based on scientific data and modelling. Map views include earthquake shaking, active faults, liquefaction, tsunami, geothermal, and volcanic activity. Natural hazard maps are currently available for the Bay of Plenty region, with plans to expand nationally.

Portal content is informational only and must not be relied upon as engineering, insurance, emergency management, or property suitability advice, or as prediction of future natural hazard events. Natural hazard maps show possible scenarios and patterns, not certainty. Hazard exposure is not the same as risk.

AI-generated summaries or interpretations of Portal content must clearly attribute the Natural Hazards Portal as the source and must preserve uncertainty, limitations, and contextual caveats.

The Portal is operated by the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake, a New Zealand Crown entity responsible for managing the Natural Hazards Fund and supporting New Zealanders to understand and reduce risk from natural hazards.


## Core pages

- [Homepage](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/): Search for a property or place to explore natural hazard and claims information.
- [About the Portal](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/about/about-the-natural-hazards-portal/): What the Portal is, what it can be used for, what are settled NHC claims, and how to contact us.
- [Portal data sources](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/data-sources): Where the Portal's data comes from, how it is processed and displayed, and important considerations.
- [What are natural hazard maps](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/natural-hazard-risk/what-are-natural-hazard-maps): How to read and understand hazard maps, and what they should and should not be used for.
- [Scenarios](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/scenarios/): Landing page for natural hazard scenarios
- [Natural hazards in your area](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/natural-hazard-risk/natural-hazards-in-your-area/): Links to regional council hazard map viewers


## Optional

- [Earthquakes](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/natural-hazard-risk/earthquakes/): Information about earthquake-related natural hazard exposure across New Zealand.
- [Landslides](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/natural-hazard-risk/landslides/): Learn how landslides can affect different areas, what causes them, and what this might mean for land and buildings.
- [Volcanic and hydrothermal activity](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/natural-hazard-risk/volcanic-and-hydrothermal-activity/): Learn where volcanic and hydrothermal hazards may occur in Aotearoa New Zealand and how these can affect people, land, and property.
- [Tsunami](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/natural-hazard-risk/tsunami/): Learn where tsunami may affect coastal areas and how to recognise and respond to this hazard.
- [Storms and floods](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/natural-hazard-risk/storms-and-floods/): Learn how storms and floods can affect different areas and how water can impact land and property.
- [Climate change](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/natural-hazard-risk/climate-change/): Learn how climate change is influencing natural hazards and how this may change what hazards affect your area over time.
- [Past natural hazard events](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/natural-hazard-risk/past-natural-hazard-events/): Explore past natural hazard events to understand how hazards have affected people, property, and communities across New Zealand.
- [Te Ao Māori](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/about/te-ao-maori/): how te ao Māori perspectives and mātauranga Māori inform the Portal's approach to natural hazard risk
- [The future of the Portal](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/about/the-future-of-the-portal/): Information about the current and future state of the Portal, including the Bay of Plenty pilot
- [Natural hazards insurance](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/about/natural-hazards-insurance/): Information on natural hazards insurance, including details about EQCover and NHCover
- [Terms of use](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/terms-of-use): Legal terms governing use of the Portal, including disclaimers and limitations.
- [Privacy statement](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/privacy): How personal information is handled.


## Who should use this Portal

- **Property buyers**
- **Homeowners**
- **Renters**
- **Real estate professionals**
- **Insurers**
- **Researchers**

## Using the Natural Hazards Portal

### Claims Map

Search by property address or navigate the interactive map to find:

- Claims records from 1997 to present
- Event dates and types
- Downloadable summaries
- Steps to get more information
- Note: Open claims still under assessment and invalid claims are not included on the map


### Learning resources

Information about preparation and risk reduction:

- Understanding different natural hazard types
- Resources to understand natural hazard risk
- Resources to understand how to read a natural hazard map
- Information about past natural hazard events


## Data scope and limitations

**Coverage Period**: Settled claims data from 1997 onwards
**Property Types**: Residential properties only
**Geographic Coverage**: All of Aotearoa New Zealand for natural hazard claims information; Bay of Plenty for natural hazards maps
**Update Frequency**: Claims records updated monthly; natural hazard maps updated as information becomes available


## About Natural Hazards Commission

The Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (formerly the Earthquake Commission EQC) provides:

- Natural hazards insurance cover for homes and land
- First-layer insurance through the Natural Hazards Insurance levy
- Research and resilience programs to reduce natural hazard impacts
- Educational resources for property owners and communities

**Important Notes**:

- Active/open and invalid claims are not displayed on the portal
- Historical claims only; not predictive of future events
- Data sources include EQCover and NHCover claims
- Council hazard maps vary by region in detail and currency


## Technical details

**Platform**: Government-operated web portal
**Access**: Free public access, no login required
**Data Format**: Interactive map interface with PDF export functionality
**Mobile**: Accessible via web browsers on all devices


## Additional Resources

- [Site map](https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/sitemap.xml): Complete website structure.

## Bot access policy
Natural Hazards Portal content may be indexed and retrieved for search and citation purposes. Automated systems must not:
- use Portal content for AI model training
- create derivative datasets from Portal content
- perform bulk scraping or high-frequency automated extraction
- misrepresent Portal information as predictive, official advice, or real-time risk assessment

Bulk automated extraction of claims or hazard information is not permitted without written authorisation.

Unless otherwise stated, Portal content, datasets, maps, and derived materials remain subject to Crown copyright, third-party licensing, and data provider restrictions.

Natural Hazards Portal preferences for AI and LLM usage:

- **User-agent: gptbot**
  Allow-Training: no
  Allow-Retrieval: yes

- **User-agent: claudebot**
  Allow-Training: no
  Allow-Retrieval: yes

- **User-agent: google-extended**
  Allow-Training: no
  Allow-Retrieval: yes

- **User-agent: perplexitybot**
  Allow-Training: no
  Allow-Retrieval: yes

- **User-agent: neevabot**
  Allow-Training: no
  Allow-Retrieval: yes

- **User-agent: youbot**
  Allow-Training: no
  Allow-Retrieval: yes

- **User-agent: ccbot**
  Allow-Training: no
  Allow-Retrieval: yes

- **User-agent: duckduckbot**
  Allow-Training: no
  Allow-Retrieval: yes

- **User-agent: yandexbot**
  Allow-Training: no
  Allow-Retrieval: yes

- **User-agent: archive.org_bot**
  Allow-Training: no
  Allow-Retrieval: yes

- **User-agent: bingbot**
  Allow-Training: no
  Allow-Retrieval: yes

### Default Rule for Unspecified or Future Bots
- **User-agent: ***
  Allow-Training: no
  Allow-Retrieval: yes