New Zealand

Canterbury earthquakes: Agency marks settling of 1000 outstanding claims

21:32 pm on 7 March 2020

A service set up to resolve some of the trickiest insurance claims from the Canterbury earthquakes is celebrating having settled 1000 outstanding claims.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook

The Greater Christchurch Claims Resolution Service was set up in April 2018, and works with a number of government and private agencies.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the service did not just focus on the technical issues but also the well-being of the claimants.

"It also looks at the well-being of those claimants who have been in a process for years," Ardern said, "and it has had a huge impact on their well-being and their family's. I think what is happening here is exactly what was needed."

She said her only regret is that it has taken so long to get such a service operating.

Ardern said the service still had another 800 claims on their books and she expected new cases would continue to come forward.

She said that people who have an on-sold properties, where unresolved earthquake damage was found after the house was purchased, had until 14 August, 2020, to register their claim with the service.