Cost of natural disasters

Raraunga Maakete

New Zealand has experienced more than 150 severe weather events and natural
disasters since ICNZ began keeping records in 1968.

Natural hazards cost New Zealanders millions of dollars. Fortunately, New Zealand property is extremely well insured compared to other countries, which means the insurance industry bears most of the costs when disaster strikes.

The table below lists natural disasters that have occurred in New Zealand since 1968, and the cost to the insurance industry in paying claims for damage resulting from those events. This table has been updated with inflation-adjusted costs, as at 30 June 2023. The costs are exclusive of GST.

Cost Of Natural Disasters Table (NZ)

Year:

Year	Date	Event	Categories	Cost ($m)
2024	Annual total	Extreme weather	63.5	63.5
2024 Oct 1-4	South Island Otago weather event	Storm	33.8	33.8
2024 25-27 June	North Island East Coast	Storm	29.7	29.7
2024 Jan 1	Annual total	Extreme weather	3875.5	3964.9
2023 9-10 May	North Island Weather	Storms	41.4	41.7
2023 Feb 21 - 28	North Island weather	Storms	20.8	21.1
2023 Feb 11 -17	Cyclone Gabrielle to 1 Mar 2024	Storm	1835.2	1867.1
2023 Jan 27 - Feb 02	Auckland Anniversary Weekend to 1 Mar 2024	Flood	1978.1	2016.6
2023 Jan 1	Annual total	Extreme weather	351.3	359.4
2022 Nov 18 - 25	Aotearoa storms	Storms	21.6	22.2
2022 Aug 18 - 21	Remainder of New Zealand (incl. Marlborough)	Flood	36.7	38.5
2022 Aug 18 - 21	Nelson-Tasman Flooding	Flood	31.1	32.6
2022 Jul 24 - 27	New Zealand weather	Storm	17.2	18.1
2022 Jul 17 - 21	South Island weather	Storm	20.6	21.7
2022 Jul 11 - 13	New Zealand weather	Storm	18.2	19.3
2022 Jun 9 - 14	North and South Island Storm	Storm	20.3	21.6
2022 May 20 - 20	Levin Tornado	Tornado	11.1	11.8
2022 Mar 21 - 29	North Island Floods	Flood, Rain, Storm	119.6	129.2
2022 Feb 9 - 14	Cyclone Dovi	Cyclone	54.8	59.7
2022 Jan 15 - 15	Tonga Volcanic eruption and tsunami	Earthquake	5.9	6.5
2022 Jan 1	Annual total	Extreme weather	324.9	356.4
2021 Nov 3 - 5	Gisborne Floods	Flood	3.4	3.7
2021 Sep 9 - 13	South Island Windstorm	Wind, Storm	36.5	40.9
2021 Aug 30 - 31	West Auckland Flooding	Flood	62.3	69.8
2021 Jul 16 - 19	West Coast Flooding	Flood	97.2	110.2
2021 Jul 16 - 19	Wellington Floods	Flood	17.9	20.3
2021 Jul 16 - 19	Upper South Island Floods	Flood	17.4	19.7
2021 Jul 16 - 19	North Island (excluding Wellington) Floods	Flood	8.0	9.1
2021 Jun 19	South Auckland Tornado	Tornado	32.0	36.5
2021 May 29 - Jun 1	Canterbury Flooding	Flood	46.4	53.1
2021 Jan 2 - 3	Canterbury Southwards Rain and Hailstorm	Hail, Rain, Storm	3.8	4.5
2021 Jan 1	Annual total	Extreme weather	274.3	318.8
2020 Dec 26 - 26	Marlborough-Nelson Hailstorm	Hail, Storm	50.2	58.3
2020 Nov 29 - Dec 1	Greater Wellington Floods	Flood	5.4	6.3
2020 Nov 9 - 10	Napier Flooding	Flood	87.7	102.2
2020 Oct 4 - 5	Lake Ohau Fire	Fire	35.2	41.1
2020 Sep 25 - 29	Tasman low and Polar blast	Storm, Frost, Hail, Rain	4.5	5.3
2020 Jul 17 - 20	Upper North Island Flooding	Flood	44.2	51.9
2020 Jun 26 - 27	Upper North Island Storm and Tornado	Tornado, Storm	17.4	20.5
2020 Feb 3 - 8	Southland Flooding	Flood	29.6	34.8
2020 Jan 1	Annual total	Extreme weather	206.3	243.2
2019 Dec 3 - 12	Nationwide Storm & Southern Lakes Floods		15.3	18.1
2019 Nov 20	Timaru Hail Storm		171.0	202.0
2019 Nov 18	Christchurch Tornado		4.0	4.8
2019 Aug 10 - 13	Taranaki and Auckland Storms		7.9	9.4
2019 Mar 26 - 27	West Coast Wind and Flooding		4.1	4.9
2019 Feb 5 - 23	Tasman District fires		4.0	4.8
2019 Jan 1	Annual total	Extreme weather	226.3	271.8
2018 Aug 20	New Plymouth-WhakatÄne tornadoes		2.9	3.5
2018 Jul 14 - 15	Northland-Bay of Plenty flooding		3.7	4.5
2018 Jun 11 - 12	Gisborne-Hawke's Bay flooding		4.0	4.9
2018 Jun 3 - 4	Upper North Island-Hawke's Bay flooding		4.3	5.2
2018 Apr 27 - 29	Nationwide severe weather including flooding in Rotorua		21.3	25.9
2018 Apr 10 - 11	Severe weather including tornadoes		74.4	90.6
2018 Feb 20	Ex-Tropical Cyclone Gita		35.6	43.4
2018 Feb 1	Cyclone Fehi		45.9	56.1
2018 Jan 4 - 7	Nationwide severe weather		34.2	41.8
2017 Jul 20 - 22	South Island flooding		31.2	38.4
2017 Jul 12 - 14	Nationwide snow/wind/rain		12.5	15.4
2017 Apr 13 - 16	Cyclone Cook remnants		17.2	21.2
2017 Apr 3 - 7	Cyclone Debbie remnants		91.5	112.6
2017 Mar 7 - 12	Upper North Island flooding		61.7	76.2
2017 Feb 13 - 17	Port Hills fires		18.3	22.6
2017 Feb 13	Dunedin flooding		1.7	2.1
2017 Jan 18 - 23	Nationwide severe weather		8.6	10.7
2016 Nov 14	Kaikoura earthquake		2270.0	2827.9
2016 Nov 14 - 17	Lower North Island Flooding and Wind		9.1	11.3
2016 Oct 2 - 3	Flooding - Auckland to Waikato and Hailstorm Hawke's Bay		0.6	0.7
2016 Sep 25 - 30	Heavy Rain and Flooding - Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Hawke's Bay		1.2	1.5
2016 Sep 7 - 9	Nationwide Storm		3.8	4.7
2016 Jun 29	Flooding and Gales - Auckland		2.4	3.0
2016 May 5	Flooding- Lower North Island		3.9	4.9
2016 Apr 17	Flood - Coromandel and Auckland		0.6	0.8
2016 Mar 23 - 24	Flooding and Wind - North and South Islands		30.2	38.0
2015 Sep 21	Flood - Gisborne		0.8	1.0
2015 Jul 18 - 19	Flooding and Storm - Upper North Island		6.2	7.8
2015 Jun 19 - 22	Flooding and Storm South Island West Coast		8.4	10.6
2015 Jun 18 - 21	Flooding and Storm Lower North Island including Whanganui		41.5	52.2
2015 Jun 2 - 4	Flooding and Storm - Otago		28.2	35.5
2015 Jun 2 - 5	Flood and Storm - North and South Islands excluding Otago		3.0	3.8
2015 May 14	Bay of Plenty Tornado		2.8	3.5
2015 May 13 - 15	Extreme Weather Lower North Island		21.9	27.6
2015 Mar 15 - 18	Cyclone Pam		2.2	2.8
2015 Mar 6 - 7	Flooding and Storm North and South Islands		1.3	1.6
2014 Nov 4	Hailstorm - North and South Islands		4.9	6.2
2014 Oct 5	Auckland Power Outage		2.6	3.3
2014 Jul 8 - 10	Northland - Coromandel Storms		18.8	23.7
2014 Jun 25	Nelson-Tasman Floods		2.7	3.4
2014 Jun 9 - 11	Severe Weather North and South Islands		37.6	47.5
2014 Apr 17	Easter Weekend Storm and Floods		55.3	70.0
2014 Mar 15 - 16	Cyclone Lusi		3.6	4.6
2014 Mar 4 - 5	Canterbury and Lower North Island storm		22.5	28.5
2014 Feb 23	Canterbury storm		4.8	6.1
2013 Oct 14 - 16	Nationwide storm		12.4	15.8
2013 Sep 11 - 12	Nationwide storm		74.5	94.9
2013 Aug 16	Cook Strait earthquake		16.2	20.7
2013 Jul 21	Cook Strait earthquake		14.9	19.1
2013 Jun 20 - 22	Nationwide storms		39.3	50.4
2013 May 4 - 7	North Island Floods		2.9	3.7
2013 Apr 19 - 22	Nelson/Bay of Plenty storm and floods		46.2	59.4
2012 Dec 6	Auckland Tornado		8.7	11.2
2011 Dec 15 - 16	Nelson Floods		16.8	21.9
2011 Jun 19	Taranaki tornados		1.6	2.1
2011 May 3	Auckland tornado		6.0	7.9
2011 Apr 26 - 27	Flooding, Hawkes Bay		6.4	8.4
2011 Feb 1	Canterbury earthquakes 2010-2011 - accumlated (insurers only)		22,883*	30288.7
2011 Jan 29	Storm/FloodingBay of Plenty to Northland		19.8	26.2
2011 Jan 23	Flooding Mid-Upper North Island		6.9	9.1
2010 Nov 28	Southland Storm		49.3	66.0
2010 Oct 13	Gisborne Flooding		0.3	0.4
2010 Jun 1	Flooding - Northland/Coromandel/Eastern BOP		12.5	17.2
2010 May 24 - 27	Flooding North & South Islands		5.5	7.6
2010 Mar 12	Wellington Thunderstorm		1.2	1.7
2009 Jul 21	Taranaki Tornado		0.5	0.7
2009 Jul 15	Fiordland Earthquake		1.5	2.1
2009 Jul 11 - 12	North Island Storms		1.7	2.4
2009 Jul 4	Kaitaia Tornado		0.0	0.0
2009 May 11	Bay of Plenty Hail Storm		2.3	3.2
2008 Nov 17	Canterbury hail storm		11.2	15.7
2008 Oct 17	Cambridge Tornado		1.0	1.4
2008 Aug 26	Flooding Nth Canterbury and Marlborough		0.8	1.1
2008 Aug 25	Hastings Earthquake		0.2	0.3
2008 Jul 30 - Aug 1	Nationwide Storms		46.3	65.5
2008 Jul 26 - 27	North Island Storms		26.7	37.8
2007 Dec 20	Gisborne earthquake		30.5	44.4
2007 Oct 23 - 24	High Winds Event, Central North and Lower South Islands		4.8	7.0
2007 Jul 17	Flooding Hawkes Bay		1.1	1.6
2007 Jul 10 - 12	Storm event - Far North / Auckland / Coromande		50.5	74.7
2007 Jul 7 - 9	Frost claims - Otago & Canterbury		7.0	10.4
2007 Jul 4 - 5	Tornado events		8.3	12.3
2007 May 23	Flooding - Nelson & New Plymouth		1.1	1.6
2007 Mar 29	Storm event - Far North		12.5	18.7
2006 Nov 9	Windstorm damage - Mid to Upper North Island		3.4	5.1
2006 Jul 5 - 7	Storm/Flood events - Wellington, Manawatu, Wairarapa		2.7	4.1
2006 Jun 12	Storms North & South Islands		42.5	64.3
2006 Apr 26	Flooding - Oamaru / Dunedin		1.8	2.7
2005 Oct 23	Flooding - Gisborne/East Cape		0.7	1.1
2005 May 18	BOP Tauranga / Matata		28.5	44.9
2005 Mar 31	Flooding - Lower Nth Island		0.6	0.9
2005 Mar 25	Storm damage Bay of Plenty		0.9	1.4
2005 Mar 23 - 24	Christchurch Hailstorm		13.0	20.6
2005 Mar 10	Greymouth Tornado		9.2	14.6
2005 Mar 1	Coastal erosion - Haumoana H.B.		0.0	0.0
2005 Feb 7	Rain Storm - Dunedin		5.0	7.9
2005 Jan 6	Flooding - Wellington Region		2.5	4.0
2004 Oct 18	Flooding - Hawkes Bay		4.8	7.7
2004 Aug 15 - 20	Storms - North and South Islands		8.7	14.0
2004 Jul 17 - 19	Eastern Bay of Plenty Floods		17.6	28.4
2004 Apr 6	Wanganui Hailstorm		1.3	2.1
2004 Feb 15 - 16	Storm Damage - Lower Nth Island		112.0	182.5
2004 Jan 20 - 21	Storm Damage - North Island		0.8	1.3
2003 Oct 3 - 4	North & South Islands / Storms & Floods		2.3	3.8
2003 Jun 9 - 10	Lower North Island Flooding / Storm Damage		1.0	1.7
2002 Jun 21	North Island Flooding / Storm Damage		21.5	36.1
2002 Jan 17	Dunedin Flooding		0.3	0.5
2002 Jan 14	Canterbury Flooding		0.3	0.5
2002 Jan 10	Wellington / Wairarapa Flooding		0.6	1.0
2002 Jan 5	Canterbury Hail Storm		3.0	5.1
2001 Dec 10	Wellington / Wairarapa Floods		0.6	1.0
2001 Nov 4	Storm Damage North Island		0.5	0.9
2001 Jan 7	Masterton Hailstorm		1.5	2.6
2000 Oct 12	Canterbury Storms		9.4	16.5
2000 Sep 26	North Island Severe Weather		4.2	7.4
2000 Jul 3	Auckland / Coromandel Floods		7.6	13.5
2000 Apr 14	Tauranga / Eastern Bay of Plenty Floods		1.9	3.4
1999 Dec 1	Queenstown Lakes District Floods		46.1	83.2
1999 Jul 2	South Canterbury Storms		0.6	1.1
1999 May 1	Whangarei / Rotorua Floods		2.1	3.8
1999 Apr 18	Dargaville Floods		1.7	3.1
1999 Jan 22	Northland & Pukekohe Floods		5.0	9.1
1998 Nov 29	Upper North Island Storms		5.0	9.0
1998 Oct 30	North & South Islands Storms		2.0	3.6
1998 Oct 22	North & South Islands Storms		6.2	11.2
1998 Jul 1	North & South Island Floods / Storms		11.8	21.3
1998 May 1	Mercury Energy Crisis		10.2	18.5
1997 Dec 19	South Island Windstorms		0.2	0.4
1997 Dec 1	North & South Island Windstorms		2.9	5.3
1997 Nov 13	Southland & Otago Wind & Hail		0.4	0.7
1997 Sep 28	Auckland Floods		0.7	1.3
1997 Sep 25	Coromandel Floods		0.5	0.9
1997 Jun 30	Northland Floods		1.2	2.2
1997 Jun 3	Wairoa Floods		0.5	0.9
1997 May 24	Auckland Floods		3.7	6.8
1997 Jan 21	South Island Storms		1.1	2.0
1997 Jan 11	Cyclone Dreena		3.2	5.9
1996 Dec 30	Cyclone Fergus		1.6	2.9
1996 Dec 1	Weather related losses		2.1	3.9
1996 Jul 3	Weather related losses June & July		8.1	15.0
1995 Jul 18	Thames / Kaiaua Floods		2.8	5.3
1995 Jul 2	North & South Island Floods		4.5	8.5
1995 Apr 25	New Plymouth Floods		3.6	6.9
1995 Mar 1	Whangarei & District Floods		1.7	3.3
1994 Nov 1	North & South Storm / Floods		6.0	11.7
1994 Mar 1	Hastings Hailstorm		10.8	21.5
1994 Feb 19	South Canterbury Floods		1.5	3.0
1993 Dec 24	Kaikoura Flood		7.6	15.1
1992 Aug 28	Canterbury Snowstorm		7.0	14.2
1992 Mar 1	Auckland Tornado		1.1	2.2
1991 May 1	Albany Tornado		1.5	3.1
1991 Feb 18	Otago Floods		1.6	3.3
1990 Aug 8	Taranaki / Wanganui Floods		1.8	3.8
1988 Sep 1	Greymouth Floods		13.4	31.5
1988 Jul 25	Manawatu Floods		2.5	5.9
1988 May 1	Greymouth Floods		3.2	7.6
1988 Mar 8	Cyclone Bola		37.0	88.7
1987 Mar 1	Bay of Plenty Earthquake		192.0	503.4
1986 Mar 13	North Otago / South Canterbury Floods		18.5	57.2
1986 Jan 1	Auckland Floods		0.4	1.3
1986 Jan 1	Nelson Floods		0.4	1.3
1985 May 1	South Auckland		2.9	9.9
1985 Feb 1	Auckland Floods		3.6	12.9
1985 Jan 1	Thames / Coromandel / Te Aroha		5.9	21.4
1985 Jan 1	Gisborne Floods		1.7	6.2
1985 Jan 1	Wellington / Hutt Valley		1.4	5.1
1985 Jan 1	Hawkes Bay / Wairarapa		0.9	3.3
1985 Jan 1	Chatham Islands		0.8	2.9
1984 Jan 1	Invercargill / Southland Floods		45.8	181.8
1984 Jan 1	Greymouth Floods		3.5	13.9
1984 Jan 1	Auckland Floods		1.8	7.1
1983 Jan 1	Christchurch Storm		3.5	14.4
1983 Jan 1	Marlborough / Golden Bay Floods		2.3	9.5
1981 Apr 1	Thames / Coromandel / Paeroa Floods		7.0	37.2
1981 Mar 1	Keri Keri Floods		2.0	10.8
1980 Aug 1	Onehunga Tornado		1.0	5.8
1980 Jun 5	Taieri / Otago / New Plymouth Floods		8.0	47.6
1980 Jan 17	South Island Summer Floods		2.3	14.5
1978 Oct 16	Otago Floods		10.3	78.1
1976 Dec 1	Wellington / Hutt Valley Floods		6.2	59.0
1975 Aug 1	Canterbury Storms		7.0	81.3
1968 Apr 10	Loss of Wahine		10.0	213.7
1968 Apr 10	Wahine storm		3.5	74.8
Year

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Cost of natural disasters

Cost Of Natural Disasters Table (NZ)

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