The Insurance Council says almost $48m in claims have been made so far after extreme weather hit parts of the country in August.
Flood damage in Atawhai, Nelson on 19 August 2022. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Storms caused severe floods and devastation, especially across parts of Nelson and Marlborough.
The Insurance Council said the deluge resulted 3165 general claims with a provisional value of $47.98m.
Of this, the Nelson Tasman District accounted for 1248 claims and nearly half the value of claims at just under $22m.
The rest of Aotearoa New Zealand (including Marlborough), made 1917 claims valued at $26.35m.
Insurance Council chief executive Tim Grafton said the devastation of the floods has been made more difficult for some by the time taken to deal safety with the aftermath.
"In a hillside area of Nelson, this is necessitating extensive geotechnical work to ensure the land has stopped moving. This is now being followed up with site-specific damage assessments," he said.
"Once all the assessments are safely completed, the final claims data for August's event will likely be higher.
"This is a difficult time for all involved and yet another reminder of the urgency with which incoming councils must deal with building resilience to climate change."
Grafton said the running total for general insurance losses due to extreme weather events in 2022 was $298m.
The full-year total for all of last year was $324m.