Property & general
Home and contents. post-earthquake, post-flood, the wording matters.
After the Canterbury earthquakes and the 2023 North Island floods, NZ household policies are no longer commoditised. Sums insured, natural-hazard cover, EQC interaction, and rebuild definitions all differ. We arrange cover where the wording actually does what you assume it does.
Who it’s for
This page is for you if…
- Homeowners (especially in Christchurch, Wellington, and natural-hazard zones)
- Landlords with rental property portfolios
- Renters with valuable contents
- Owners of high-value or non-standard homes (architectural, character, rural)
What it does
How the cover actually works.
- Sum-insured cover for your home up to the figure you nominate (post-2014 NZ standard)
- Contents cover for everything inside. furniture, electronics, jewellery, tools, bikes
- Natural disaster cover via EQC for the first portion, then your insurer above the cap
- Optional extras: temporary accommodation, accidental damage, portable contents away from home
NZ context
What you should know about this in New Zealand.
Sum insured is your call now. and it matters
Since 2014, NZ home insurance is sum-insured (you set the rebuild figure), not full replacement. Underestimate by 20% and you’ll be 20% short at claim time. We help you size it properly.
EQC covers the first slice, not all of it
EQC covers up to $300k of dwelling damage from earthquake, landslip, volcano, and tsunami. Anything above that comes from your private insurer. and excesses on earthquake claims are higher than on standard claims.
Land cover is a separate question
EQC covers limited land damage; your private insurer often doesn’t. After 2011, this was the surprise for many Christchurch homeowners.
Common myths
Three things we hear that aren’t quite right.
“EQC covers everything.”
EQC covers the first $300k of dwelling damage from natural disaster, plus limited land and contents. Your private insurer covers above that. but with higher excesses for earthquake events.
“My rebuild figure on the policy is what the council requires.”
The figure on your policy is the maximum the insurer will pay. Most NZ homes need a quantity surveyor or a calculator like Cordell to get it right.
“Contents are auto-covered for everything.”
Most policies cap individual items (bikes, jewellery, art) at $2.5k–$5k unless specifically listed. High-value items need scheduling.
What an adviser does
Why this is hard to do on your own.
- Size sum insured properly. using rebuild calculators, not last decade’s guess.
- Compare earthquake excesses and natural-hazard exclusions across insurers.
- Schedule high-value contents items so they’re covered above the standard cap.
- Coordinate the EQC-to-private-insurer transition at claim time.