Grant Robertson announces first risk date for Cyclone-damaged properties

Minister of Cyclone Recovery (and Minister of Finance) Grant Robertson talking insurance issues during a visit to Omahu Marae, between Napier and Hastings, on March 22. Photo / Warren Buckland

Assessments on the future of low-risk properties hit by Cyclone Gabrielle three month ago will be completed by the end of this month, enabling insurance settlements and repair of properties, according to Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson.

He made the announcement in a late-Thursday statement, saying: “I am encouraged by the work the Taskforce, councils and insurance companies are doing in progressing through the initial risk categorisation framework provided by the Government.”

“Providing certainty as quickly as possible to those affected has been a priority, but it is complex job and we want to get it right,” he said, reaffirming goals outlined when he spoke at Omahu Marae on March 22.

Assessments on low-risk properties in Hawke’s Bay would be completed and allow local engagement to begin with affected homeowners by May 31, and it would allow people to settle with insurance companies and “get on with the job of repairing their properties.”

The low-risk category is defined as where repair to previous state is all that is required to manage future severe weather event risk, meaning that once any flood protection near the property is repaired, the home can be rebuilt at the same site.

Engagement with individuals and communities with severely affected properties in Category 2 (managed risk) and 3 (high risk) will begin in early June, outlining the process ahead and paving the way for consultation on specific outcomes for severely affected locations.

Managed Risk is defined as where community or property-level interventions will manage future severe weather event risk, which could include raising of stop banks, improving drainage or raising the property.

High Risk are areas considered not safe to live in because of the unacceptable risk of future flooding and loss of life, meaning homes should not be rebuilt on their current sites.

Robertson said local councils have a critical role both in the assessments and in decision making, and decisions on the future for residential properties affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 flooding events are being made locally, supported by central government to give residents a path forward to recovery.

At Omahu seven weeks ago, he spoke of some of the lessons from recovery from the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010-2011, in which some claims disputes have been going through courts well over a decade later.

“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,” he said in the latest statement, but warned: “The worse thing would be for us to announce a property or community was in one category, only to change that shortly thereafter. We need to make the right decision not the quick one.”