Government announces categories to apply to cyclone-affected properties

Monday, 1 May 2023

The Government has announced how it will categorise land in areas affected by Cyclone Gabrielle, but is yet to tell residents which category their properties are in.

Residents who have been in limbo since the cyclone hit on February 14 are desperate to know whether they can rebuild or not on their property, and the impacts this will have on their insurance.

In March Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson visited Hawke’s Bay and said the areas to be deemed high risk would be known by the end of March.

On Monday he said the work, which involved working with insurance companies and local councils, had been progressing well, but “is more advanced in some regions than others”.

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**

He announced the three categories that would apply to affected properties. They are:

Low Risk – Repair to previous state is all that is required to manage future severe weather event risk. This means that once any flood protection near the property is repaired, the home can be rebuilt at the same site.

Managed Risk – Community or property-level interventions will manage future severe weather event risk. This could include the raising of nearby stop banks, improving drainage or raising the property. (This is split into three sub-categories depending on what work is required to make the property safe).

High Risk – Areas in the high risk category are not safe to live in because of the unacceptable risk of future flooding and loss of life. Homes in these areas should not be rebuilt on their current sites.

Robertson said communities would be consulted before any final decisions are made about which category properties are placed into.

“Those discussions will begin as soon as assessments are completed and quality assurance is done,” he said.

“The Government’s intention is to complete assessments for low risk properties in Category One quickly so people in those homes can settle with their insurance companies and get on with their recovery. Decisions on properties in Categories Two and Three will take a bit longer – but will be completed as soon as they are possible,” he said.

“We know it is stressful for residents waiting to hear about the future of their properties and I want to assure people we are doing all we can to move through this process as quickly and effectively as we can.”