The government has officially launched its Canterbury Earthquake Insurance Tribunal to help homeowners resolve long-standing insurance battles.
Photo: AFP
The Budget allocated $3.387 million for the tribunal over the next year.
It will be available to those dealing with the Earthquake Commission, the government-owned claims resolution agency, Southern Response and private insurers.
Cases can be transferred from the High Court and claimants can choose an advocate to work on their behalf.
It will only cover cases involving the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes.
Claims won't be covered if the home was sold after the damage occured.
A growing number of people are discovering botched repairs or previously unidentified damage once they have bought a home.
The tribunal is based in Christchurch and chaired by former district court judge Chris Somerville, who has been a member of a panel that provided training for judges on mediation and settlement conferencing, and chaired the Land Valuation Tribunals for North Canterbury, South Canterbury and Westland.