IAG has launched an online tool to provide weather-related claims data to help customers prepare for severe events.
The owner of AMI, NZI, and State Insurance has launched Wild Weather Tracker, a new digital tool to help
New Zealanders protect themselves from floods and other natural catastrophes.
Amanda Whiting, chief executive of IAG New Zealand, said New Zealanders were at risk from “more frequent” weather events.
“We expect that these events will only increase as our climate warms,” she said.
“In 2021, the number of storms, floods and other instances of wild weather we recorded was 175% higher than what we recorded ten years ago, in 2012. If we look at the last five years, from 2017-2021, we recorded twice as many instances of wild weather than the previous five years, from 2012-2016.”
Wild Weather Tracker will enable people to monitor and analyse claims data in different regions. It comes after IAG’s NZ general insurance companies noted a 32% increase in claims over the past six months.
Whiting said insurance “was one component of this solution” in helping New Zealanders become more resilient to severe weather.
“It is not the full answer,” she added. “The most important thing we can do is to ensure people are not in harm’s way. Avoiding the impact on lives and people’s wellbeing must be the priority.
“This requires greater investment in infrastructure and other solutions that either protect people or move them out of harm’s way. We are working closely with the public sector to help achieve this.”
“We hope that by regularly publishing the Tracker, people will clearly see the impact climate change is having on our communities and be able to better prepare.”
According to Wild Weather Tracker data, the proportion of claims caused by severe weather relative to total house claims fluctuated between 3% and 23% over the last decade.
In 2021, severe weather made up 16% of all house claims, approximately 40% above the average. This high share of claims has not been experienced since 2016-2017.
Canterbury, Auckland, and Waikato were the hardest hit over the past six months, according to the Tracker.
In addition to the Tracker, IAG has also launched an online Disaster Claims Hub to help customers before and after storms.
IAG’s executive general manager for claims, Wayne Tippet, added: “Our natural perils team has been studying the impacts of the changing climate for nearly 20 years and is clearly seeing storms becoming more frequent and more severe. We also work closely with our customers when these events happen, and we see first-hand the enormous impacts of wild weather throughout New Zealand.”
