New Zealand has started 2026 with a reminder about the reality of extreme weather.
In January, communities across the upper North Island and East Cape experienced torrential rain, flooding and landslips that damaged homes, cut power and roads, isolated towns, and tragically cost lives.
For many families, this was not a once in a generation event.
In mid-February, the pattern repeated. Severe storms swept through Waikato and parts of the central and lower North Island, flooding homes, damaging roads and cutting off communities.
The same system later hit Banks Peninsula, where heavy rain and slips again closed roads and isolated residents.
Then in March, Northland bore the brunt of another round of extreme weather.
In Ōakura in Northland, the local store owner Nena Rogers told media it’s been like Groundhog Day, with some homes hit hard in January being hit once again in March.
These events were separate but share the same underlying drivers and the same consequences for people, property and infrastructure.
What makes this pattern even more concerning is how often New Zealand is now declaring states of emergency.
National Emergency Management Agency data shows the number of days spent under declared emergencies has increased sharply in recent years, driven largely by severe weather.
In just the first three months of 2026, there were at least 100 days when parts of the country were under a local state of emergency.
Northland alone declared three emergencies in that time.
Over the past five years, New Zealand has averaged over two months each year under some form of declared emergency.
From an insurance perspective, these events are no longer exceptional.
They reflect a clear shift toward more frequent and widespread weather-related disruption, particularly affecting smaller and rural communities that are often already exposed.
Insurance plays a critical role in recovery.
It helps families repair, communities recover and regions regain stability after disaster strikes.
However, New Zealand collectively has an opportunity to think and act differently to reduce the impact of natural disasters.
To keep people safe, protect communities and ensure Kiwis can keep accessing insurance in the future, we have the chance right now to act decisively on risk reduction.
Every destructive weather event reinforces the same lesson.
Cleaning up after disasters costs far more than reducing risk upfront.
A Climate Change Commission case study shows the Awanui Flood Protection Scheme in Kaitāia, built for
$15 million, has already avoided an estimated $50 million in damage.
And benefits continue every time floods occur.
Northland Regional Council estimates March’s deluge pushed almost twice the volume of water through the Awanui River compared with the catastrophic 1958 flood, with the Scheme saving lives and preventing millions of dollars in damage.
Elsewhere, the evidence is just as clear.
In Hawke’s Bay, the $4 million Taradale stop bank improvements, completed before Cyclone Gabrielle, were assessed as preventing billions of dollars in damage to around 10,000 properties.
In Gisborne, the $14 million Waipoua Flood Protection Scheme, partially completed before Gabrielle, protected much of the city from flooding and loss.
Clear land use rules, flood protection schemes, resilient transport corridors and stronger stormwater systems are practical measures that save lives, reduce disruption and protect livelihoods.
These actions also matter beyond our borders.
New Zealand relies heavily on international reinsurance markets to spread the cost of large natural hazard events.
Global reinsurers closely watch how countries manage their exposure to risk.
Strong, coordinated action like clear planning rules and sustained investment in resilience send a powerful signal that risk is being taken seriously.
New Zealand is getting there in terms of having a plan.
But what’s needed now is urgency and certainty.
Whoever forms the next government will need to grasp the scale of this challenge.
They will also need the support of whoever forms the next opposition.
If New Zealand is to take the opportunity to effectively reduce risk in vulnerable communities, these communities need to know that planned actions will endure political cycles.
What people in high-risk areas need is clear policy, clear investment intentions, clear communication and a clear plan.
The good news is that New Zealand is not starting from scratch.
We have high levels of insurance coverage by international standards and strong public support for acting early to reduce risk, even when that involves difficult conversations about land use and change.
What is needed now is leadership and momentum.
The Government has taken an important step by setting out a National Adaptation Framework to guide how New Zealand reduces and manages climate related risks.
However, frameworks alone will not keep communities safe.
In an election year, New Zealanders have the chance to ask their politicians some hard questions.
The most important one may be this: What are your plans to keep communities safe from extreme weather and how urgent an issue will this be for your government?
The tests will be clarity and commitment.
