EQC claims: 178 resolved, 114 to go

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

More than 100 Gisborne claims for land damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle are still to be resolved through the Earthquake Commission.

Toka Tū Ake EQC chief executive Tina Mitchell said 292 reported Gisborne claims had been generated by Cyclone Gabrielle. Of those,  178 had been resolved so far, with a value of $2.43 million.

“Our thoughts are with all homeowners affected by the severe weather events earlier this year and the range of challenges they have had to navigate.

“Many of the claims have been for damage to land, which is a unique protection only offered in New Zealand. Land claims often take longer to settle than building claims as the land needs to stop moving before it can be assessed, and it requires a range of expert assessments to scope the claim.

“Properties that are part of the current categorisation process and/or have had a red or yellow placard applied during a risk assessment by the council may also have experienced some delays as a result of those processes.

“Private insurers manage the entire claim for any homeowner affected by the severe weather, including the EQC cover part on behalf of Toka Tū Ake EQC. This partnership gives homeowners a single point of contact at every stage of their insurance claim.

“We know insurers have been working hard to progress EQC over claims lodged with them.”

EQC claims refer only to damage to land, not property.

Last week the Insurance Council of New Zealand confirmed more than 70 percent of insurance claims for cyclone-damaged homes here had been resolved.

A total of 991 homes were subject to a residential dwelling claims here at an estimated total damage value of $49.8 million.

To date, 714 claims have been completed, resulting in $33.98m paid out; 277 claims remain open, accounting for $15.82m in property damage from Cyclone Gabrielle.