Insurance expert: Floods a wakeup call to two-thirds of Kiwis

An insurance expert says the weekend's flooding at Westport should be a warning to the two-thirds of New Zealanders who live on a flood plain. Melissa Heath is director of Residential Risk Analysis, which advises councils on climate change-induced disaster risk and helps would-be homebuyers with potential insurance and financial issues with a property before purchase. She says New Zealand is unique in that insurers still cover events that wouldn't be covered overseas - but premiums are steadily increasing and homeowners are often under-insured.