Nearly 85,000 people have visited the Natural Hazards Portal in the last year, reflecting growing public interest in understanding and preparing for natural hazard risks.

“Given we live in one of the riskiest countries in the world for natural hazards, we are pleased to see the increasing appetite for natural hazard risk information from New Zealanders,” says Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC) Head of Risk Reduction, Sarah-Jayne McCurrach.

“We launched the Natural Hazards Portal two years ago to make natural hazard risk information, and our settled natural hazards claims data more accessible to New Zealanders. Our goal was to improve awareness about risk and provide the tools and resources to do something about it.”

The Portal features an interactive map that lets people explore settled EQCover and NHCover claims by property or region, including information such as claim type so they can understand what natural hazards their property may be exposed to.

“Of people who visited the Portal, 16% downloaded key natural hazard information in relation to the area or property they live or want to live. And more than half took steps to improve their resilience to natural hazards by doing things like reviewing their natural hazards insurance and securing heavy furniture,” explains Sarah-Jayne.

Recent independent research by NielsenIQ confirms that Kiwis are increasingly factoring natural hazards into property decisions. 91% of homebuyers now consider natural hazard risk when purchasing a home, and 70% of homeowners say they’ve taken action to protect their home, land, or contents from damage.

“We’re seeing a real shift in awareness. More people are seeking out natural hazard information and using it to make informed decisions about their homes and safety,” says Sarah-Jayne. “The Portal is helping turn awareness into action—and ultimately resilience.”

“Excitingly, we are actively developing the next phase of the Portal to make the platform easier to use and expand the range and depth of available data.”

“One major enhancement will be the integration of local and regional natural hazard maps alongside settled claims data, offering users an even clearer picture of natural hazard in their area,” she says.

The next phase will be piloted in partnership with the Bay of Plenty region, before being rolled out across the country. In the near future the Portal will also provide access to modelled scenarios and provide users the ability to assess their individual, property level risk.

The Natural Hazards Portal is available at: https://www.naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz/s/

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