Storms are getting closer while insurance is getting further away
Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Half of all New Zealanders are worried they will no longer be able to afford home insurance as a wave of damaging weather events drives up costs.
And less than a third of us believe enough is being done to reduce the impacts of worsening weather events.
Data from the Wild Weather tracker showed a major weather event now took place every eight days with last week’s polar blast leaving widespread damage, power outages and disruption across parts of New Zealand. It follows a summer of severe flooding and weather impacts, including the devastating floods that hit Wellington and surrounding regions.
Insurance giant AMI, State and NZI has previously said between autumn 2025 and summer 2026 customers had been supported through 46 storms, resulting in 33,174 claims, an increase of 256% in storm claims.
Read more:
Treading Water: Flood maps, managed retreat and cost-sharing for storm-damaged homes
Strained infrastructure identified as NZ’s earliest climate threat
The latest AMI, State and NZI climate poll released on Tuesday showed just 27% were confident New Zealand could reduce climate impacts, while 42% say they are not — marking the fifth consecutive year where pessimism has outweighed optimism.
With storms, floods and coastal impacts expected to become more frequent and severe, New Zealanders were also seeing the financial consequences hit closer to home, with rising insurance costs becoming one of the most visible signs of a changing climate.
AMI, State and NZI chief executive Phil Gibson said the message from the poll was that New Zealand could not continue without stronger action to reduce risk.
“It is clear we cannot continue as we are. New Zealand must take stronger action to reduce the impacts of climate hazards,” he said.
The ninth annual climate poll found 92% of New Zealanders expected more frequent and extreme flooding, 90% expect more severe storms and 91% expect greater coastal impacts from sea-level rise.
Gibson said the awareness of the growing risk meant 69% of survey respondents felt the increasing number and rising cost of natural disasters was driving premium increases.
“And they are feeling the impact, with 80% saying home and contents insurance is becoming less affordable and 50% worrying they may no longer be able to afford their home insurance.”
He said without meaningful action to reduce that risk, their ability to afford or even obtain insurance would reduce.
“Fewer people with insurance simply means greater economic and social harm, and a greater call on the Government and taxpayers when the next disaster strikes.”
At the same time, 74% wanted insurers to focus on keeping people insured and for New Zealanders to have the right amount of insurance. A third - 36% - want insurers to stop supporting customers in locations where the risk is too great.
Gibson said on balance, Kiwis wanted insurers to keep people insured.
More focus on risk reduction was favoured with 61% of New Zealanders saying the Government should prioritise reducing climate risks to help bring down insurance costs.
Limiting support for development in high-risk areas came in at 80% with 79% wanting stronger zoning rules.
Gibson said at the same time, 71% said more should be done to protect existing buildings and infrastructure, including greater investment by local councils in protective infrastructure and natural defences like wetlands.
There was also strong support for building resilience into the future, with 79% saying more should be done to strengthen buildings, and 81% backing higher resilience standards for new homes.
“New Zealanders say that reducing risk is the most effective way to manage the impacts of climate change. They want practical solutions that will reduce exposure and improve resilience, and they know this requires a greater focus and investment to become a reality.”
For homes and businesses that face more risk, 61% agreed insurers should raise premiums with only 20% willing to pay more to subsidise the cost of that insurance.
“New Zealanders say that reducing risk is the most effective way to manage the impacts of climate change. They want practical solutions that will reduce exposure and improve resilience, and they know this requires a greater focus and investment to become a reality,” Gibson said.
He said the survey reinforced the message that we need a more intentional, coherent approach to risk reduction.
“The poll also highlights that responsibility for reducing climate impacts is broadly shared and that unfortunately no one is doing a good job at it,” Gibson said.