Do you know how risky your home is? For New Zealand homeowners and buyers, that question includes whether a property may face natural hazards—and whether the relevant information is easy to find and understand. A 2026 report on Suncorp research suggests many people do not routinely check it. The findings concern natural-hazard information and insurance, not every kind of home risk, such as structural defects, fire, indoor air quality or crime.
What the reported survey found
RNZ reported in 2026 that Suncorp research found 57 percent of respondents had considered natural-hazard information when buying their most recent home. The report does not provide the survey’s sample size, field dates or methodology, so the figure should be read as a result from that research—not as a measured share of all New Zealand homebuyers.
Among the sources respondents named, official council data was most common. The findings also point to gaps in access and understanding:
- 59 percent said they used official council data to find natural-hazard information.
- 27 percent named family, friends or local knowledge.
- More than a quarter said they did not know where to find hazard information; the report gives no more precise figure.
- 20 percent said they did not know what information was available.
Those figures are attributed to Suncorp’s research as reported by RNZ. They do not show how many people checked a particular property, or whether they understood the data they found.
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Where can you find information about a property’s natural hazards?
The report says the Natural Hazards Portal links to council information, but councils present that information differently. A portal link is a starting point, not a single, standardised assessment of every address. Information may vary in the hazards covered, how it is presented and how limitations are explained.
For a property you are considering, consult the relevant local authority’s information and seek advice specific to the property and the decision you need to make. The report does not provide an address-level assessment or detailed instructions for reading hazard maps, so a general news report cannot establish whether a particular home is exposed.
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Why a quick proxy can leave questions unanswered
Local knowledge, an insurance price or a general hazard score may provide context, but none should be treated on its own as a complete account of a property’s exposure. A useful assessment needs to make clear which hazards it covers, who maintains the underlying information, how uncertainty or map limitations are described, and whether the result is simply informational or relevant to an insurer’s underwriting decision.
Suncorp New Zealand chief executive Jimmy Higgins told RNZ: “Too many homeowners are relying on proxy information like local knowledge or insurance prices or not clearly understanding the data they do use.” The point is not that such information has no value; it is that it may not answer the property-specific question a buyer or owner needs to resolve.
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What hazard information can—and cannot—tell you about insurance
RNZ’s report describes concern that growing natural-hazard risks may make insurance harder to obtain or more expensive in some areas. That is a broader trend, not a guarantee about a particular address, insurer or policy. A hazard map or score does not, by itself, establish what cover an insurer will offer. For a decision about a specific home, ask the insurer about that property and the terms of the proposed policy.
The report cites a Helen Clark Foundation estimate that 10,000 properties in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin could be uninsurable by 2050. This is a forecast attributed to the Foundation in RNZ’s 2026 report—not a current count or a determination that any named property will lose cover.
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Cotality chief property economist Kelvin Davidson told RNZ: “It’s not hard to imagine at all that over the next 10, 20 or 30 years, actually coastal retreat, climate change, insurance cost provision becomes the biggest issue.” That is attributed commentary about possible future pressures, not a prediction for an individual home.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What would make checks easier?
Suncorp proposed a central all-hazards property portal, plain-English national terminology standards and bringing insurance and hazard checks earlier into the home-buying process. These are proposals reported by RNZ, not confirmed services or standards already in operation. Higgins described the goal this way: “We want checking natural hazard risk to be as routine as researching the school zone, commute or building report.”
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For now, the practical challenge is to find the relevant local information, understand what it does and does not cover, and seek property- and policy-specific advice where the decision calls for it. Construction condition and natural-hazard exposure are distinct questions; the reported findings address the latter, not the full condition or safety of a home.
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