New Zealand has experienced more than 150 severe weather events and natural disasters since ICNZ began keeping records in 1968.
Cost of natural disasters
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 which have occurred in New Zealand since 1968, and the cost to the insurance industry in paying claims for damage resulting from those events.
CPI is calculated as at 30 June 2017.
*Numbers marked with an asterisk are provisional.
| Year | Event | Day | Month | Cost ($m) | Inflation adjusted cost ($m) | More info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Nationwide Storm & Southern Lakes Floods | 3-12 | December | 17.02* | ||
| 2019 | Timaru Hail Storm | 20 | November | 83.3* | ||
| 2019 | Christchurch Tornado | 18 | November | 3.06* | ||
| 2019 | Taranaki and Auckland Storms | 10-13 | August | 6.96* | ||
| 2019 | West Coast Wind and Flooding | 26-27 | March | 4.09 | i | |
| 2019 | Tasman District fires | 5-23 | February | 3.98 | i | |
| 2018 | New Plymouth-Whakatāne tornadoes | 20 | August | 2.9 | i | |
| 2018 | Northland-Bay of Plenty flooding | 14-15 | July | 3.7 | i | |
| 2018 | Gisborne-Hawke's Bay flooding | 11-12 | June | 4.0 | i | |
| 2018 | Upper North Island-Hawke's Bay flooding | 3-4 | June | 4.3 | i | |
| 2018 | Nationwide severe weather including flooding in Rotorua | 27-29 | April | 21.3 | i | |
| 2018 | Severe weather including tornadoes | 10-11 | Apr | 74.4 | i | |
| 2018 | Ex-Tropical Cyclone Gita | 20 | Feb | 35.6 | i | |
| 2018 | Cyclone Fehi | 1 | Feb | 45.9 | i | |
| 2018 | Nationwide severe weather | 4-7 | Jan | 34.2 | i | |
| 2017 | South Island flooding | 20-22 | Jul | 31.2 | i | |
| 2017 | Nationwide snow/wind/rain | 12-14 | Jul | 12.5 | i | |
| 2017 | Cyclone Cook remnants | 13-16 | Apr | 17.2 | i | |
| 2017 | Cyclone Debbie remnants | 3-7 | Apr | 91.46 | i | |
| 2017 | Upper North Island flooding | 7-12 | Mar | 61.7 | i | |
| 2017 | Port Hills fires | 13-17 | Feb | 18.3 | i | |
| 2017 | Dunedin flooding | 13 | Feb | 1.7 | i | |
| 2017 | Nationwide severe weather | 18-23 | Jan | 8.6 | i | |
| 2016 | Lower North Island Flooding and Wind | 14-17 | Nov | 9.1 | 9.2 | i |
| 2016 | Kaikōura earthquake | 14 | Nov | 2,270 | i | |
| 2016 | Flooding - Auckland to Waikato and Hailstorm Hawke's Bay | 2-3 | Oct | 0.6 | 0.6 | i |
| 2016 | Heavy Rain and Flooding - Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Hawke's Bay | 25-30 | Sep | 1.2 | 1.2 | i |
| 2016 | Nationwide Storm | 7-9 | Sep | 3.8 | 3.9 | i |
| 2016 | Flooding and Gales - Auckland | 29 | Jun | 2.4 | 2.4 | |
| 2016 | Flooding- Lower North Island | 5 | May | 3.9 | 4.0 | i |
| 2016 | Flood - Coromandel and Auckland | 17 | Apr | 0.6 | 0.6 | i |
| 2016 | Flooding and Wind - North and South Islands | 23-24 | Mar | 30.2 | 30.9 | i |
| 2015 | Flood - Gisborne | 21 | Sep | 0.8 | 0.8 | |
| 2015 | Flooding and Storm - Upper North Island | 18-19 | Jul | 6.2 | 6.3 | |
| 2015 | Flooding and Storm South Island West Coast | 19-22 | Jun | 8.4 | 8.6 | |
| 2015 | Flooding and Storm Lower North Island including Whanganui | 18-21 | Jun | 41.5 | 42.4 | |
| 2015 | Flood and Storm - North and South Islands excluding Otago | 2-5 | Jun | 3.0 | 3.1 | |
| 2015 | Flooding and Storm - Otago | 2-4 | Jun | 28.2 | 28.8 | |
| 2015 | Extreme Weather Lower North Island | 13-15 | May | 21.9 | 22.4 | |
| 2015 | Bay of Plenty Tornado | 14 | May | 2.8 | 2.9 | |
| 2015 | Cyclone Pam | 15-18 | Mar | 2.2 | 2.2 | |
| 2015 | Flooding and Storm North and South Islands | 6-7 | Mar | 1.3 | 1.3 | |
| 2014 | Hailstorm - North and South Islands | 4 | Nov | 4.9 | 5.0 | |
| 2014 | Auckland Power Outage | 5 | Oct | 2.6 | 2.7 | |
| 2014 | Northland - Coromandel Storms | 8-10 | Jul | 18.8 | 19.3 | |
| 2014 | Severe Weather North and South Islands | 9-11 | Jun | 37.6 | 38.6 | |
| 2014 | Nelson-Tasman Floods | 25 | Jun | 2.7 | 2.8 | |
| 2014 | Easter Weekend Storm and Floods | 17 | Apr | 55.3 | 56.9 | |
| 2014 | Cyclone Lusi | 15-16 | Mar | 3.6 | 3.7 | |
| 2014 | Canterbury and Lower North Island storm | 4-5 | Mar | 22.5 | 23.2 | |
| 2014 | Canterbury storm | 23 | Feb | 4.8 | 4.9 | |
| 2013 | Cook Strait earthquake | 21 | July | 14.9 | 15.5 | |
| 2013 | Nationwide storm | 14-16 | Oct | 12.4 | 12.8 | |
| 2013 | Nationwide storm | 11-12 | Sep | 74.5 | 77.1 | |
| 2013 | Cook Strait earthquake | 16 | Aug | 16.2 | 16.8 | |
| 2013 | Nationwide storms | 20-22 | Jun | 39.3 | 41.0 | |
| 2013 | North Island Floods | 4-7 | May | 2.9 | 3.0 | |
| 2013 | Nelson/Bay of Plenty storm and floods | 19-22 | Apr | 46.2 | 48.2 | |
| 2012 | Auckland Tornado | 6 | Dec | 8.7 | 9.1 | |
| 2011 | Nelson Floods | 15-16 | Dec | 16.8 | 17.8 | |
| 2011 | Taranaki tornados | 19 | Jun | 1.6 | 1.7 | |
| 2011 | Auckland tornado | 3 | May | 6.0 | 6.4 | |
| 2011 | Flooding, Hawkes Bay | 26-27 | Apr | 6.4 | 6.8 | |
| 2011 | Storm/FloodingBay of Plenty to Northland | 29 | Jan | 19.8 | 21.3 | |
| 2011 | Flooding Mid-Upper North Island | 23 | Jan | 6.9 | 7.4 | |
| 2011 | Canterbury earthquakes 2010-2011 - accumlated (insurers only) | 22,883* | ||||
| 2010 | Gisborne Flooding | 13/14 | Oct | 0.3 | 0.3 | |
| 2010 | Southland Storm | 89 | Sep | 49.3 | 54.5 | |
| 2010 | Flooding - Northland/Coromandel/Eastern BOP | 1 | Jun | 12.5 | 14.0 | |
| 2010 | Flooding North & South Islands | 24-27 | May | 5.5 | 6.1 | |
| 2010 | Wellington Thunderstorm | 12 | Mar | 1.2 | 1.3 | |
| 2009 | North Island Storms | 11-12 | Jul | 1.7 | 1.9 | |
| 2009 | Taranaki Tornado | 21 | Jul | 0.5 | 0.6 | |
| 2009 | Fiordland Earthquake | 15 | Jul | 1.5 | 1.7 | |
| 2009 | Kaitaia Tornado | 4 | Jul | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| 2009 | Bay of Plenty Hail Storm | 11 | May | 2.3 | 2.6 | |
| 2008 | Nationwide Storms | 30-1 | Jul/Aug | 46.3 | 53.2 | |
| 2008 | Canterbury hail storm | 17 | Nov | 11.2 | 12.8 | |
| 2008 | Cambridge Tornado | 17 | Oct | 1.0 | 1.2 | |
| 2008 | Flooding Nth Canterbury and Marlborough [prelim.] | 26 | Aug | 0.8 | 0.9 | |
| 2008 | Hastings Earthquake | 25 | Aug | 0.2 | 0.3 | |
| 2008 | North Island Storms | 26-27 | Jul | 26.7 | 30.7 | |
| 2007 | Gisborne earthquake | 20 | Dec | 30.5 | 36.1 | |
| 2007 | High Winds Event, Central North and Lower South Islands | 23-24 | Oct | 4.8 | 5.7 | |
| 2007 | Storm event - Far North / Auckland / Coromande | 10-12 | Jul | 60.5 | 72.7 | |
| 2007 | Frost claims - Otago & Canterbury | 7-9 | Jul | 7.0 | 8.4 | |
| 2007 | Tornado events | 4-5 | Jul | 8.3 | 10.0 | |
| 2007 | Flooding Hawkes Bay | 17 | Jul | 1.1 | 1.3 | |
| 2007 | Flooding - Nelson & New Plymouth | 23 | May | 1.1 | 1.3 | |
| 2007 | Storm event - Far North | 29 | Mar | 12.5 | 15.2 | |
| 2006 | Windstorm damage - Mid to Upper North Island | 9 | Nov | 3.4 | 4.1 | |
| 2006 | Storm/Flood events - Wellington, Manawatu, Wairarapa | 5-7 | Jul | 2.7 | 3.3 | |
| 2006 | Storms North & South Islands | 12 | Jun | 42.5 | 52.3 | |
| 2006 | Flooding - Oamaru / Dunedin | 26 | Apr | 1.8 | 2.2 | |
| 2005 | Flooding - Gisborne/East Cape | 23 | Oct | 0.7 | 0.9 | |
| 2005 | BOP Tauranga / Matata | 18 | May | 28.5 | 36.5 | |
| 2005 | Christchurch Hailstorm | 23-24 | Mar | 13.0 | 16.7 | |
| 2005 | Flooding - Lower Nth Island | 31 | Mar | 0.6 | 0.8 | |
| 2005 | Storm damage Bay of Plenty | 25 | Mar | 0.9 | 1.2 | |
| 2005 | Greymouth Tornado | 10 | Mar | 9.2 | 11.8 | |
| 2005 | Rain Storm - Dunedin | 7 | Feb | 5.0 | 6.4 | |
| 2005 | Flooding - Wellington Region | 6 | Jan | 2.5 | 3.2 | |
| 2005 | Coastal erosion - Haumoana H.B. | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||
| 2004 | Flooding - Hawkes Bay | 18 | Oct | 4.8 | 6.2 | |
| 2004 | Storms - North and South Islands | 15-20 | Aug | 8.7 | 11.4 | |
| 2004 | Eastern Bay of Plenty Floods | 17-19 | Jul | 17.6 | 23.0 | |
| 2004 | Wanganui Hailstorm | 6 | Apr | 1.3 | 1.7 | |
| 2004 | Storm Damage - Lower Nth Island | 15-16 | Feb | 112.0 | 148.3 | |
| 2004 | Storm Damage - North Island | 20-21 | Jan | 0.8 | 1.0 | |
| 2003 | North & South Islands / Storms & Floods | 3-4 | Oct | 2.3 | 3.1 | |
| 2003 | Lower North Island Flooding / Storm Damage | 9-10 | Jun | 1.0 | 1.3 | |
| 2002 | North Island Flooding / Storm Damage | 21 | Jun | 21.5 | 29.3 | |
| 2002 | Dunedin Flooding | 17 | Jan | 0.3 | 0.4 | |
| 2002 | Canterbury Flooding | 14 | Jan | 0.3 | 0.3 | |
| 2002 | Wellington / Wairarapa Flooding | 10 | Jan | 0.6 | 0.8 | |
| 2002 | Canterbury Hail Storm | 5 | Jan | 3.0 | 4.2 | |
| 2001 | Wellington / Wairarapa Floods | 10 | Dec | 0.6 | 0.8 | |
| 2001 | Storm Damage North Island | 4 | Nov | 0.5 | 0.7 | |
| 2001 | Masterton Hailstorm | 7 | Jan | 1.5 | 2.1 | |
| 2000 | Canterbury Storms | 12 | Oct | 9.4 | 13.4 | |
| 2000 | North Island Severe Weather | 26 | Sep | 4.2 | 6.0 | |
| 2000 | Auckland / Coromandel Floods | 3 | Jul | 7.6 | 11.0 | |
| 2000 | Tauranga / Eastern Bay of Plenty Floods | 14 | Apr | 1.9 | 2.8 | |
| 1999 | Queenstown Lakes District Floods | 1 | Dec | 46.1 | 67.6 | |
| 1999 | South Canterbury Storms | 2 | Jul | 0.6 | 0.9 | |
| 1999 | Whangarei / Rotorua Floods | 1 | May | 2.1 | 3.1 | |
| 1999 | Dargaville Floods | 18 | Apr | 1.7 | 2.5 | |
| 1999 | Northland & Pukekohe Floods | 22 | Jan | 5.0 | 7.4 | |
| 1998 | Upper North Island Storms | 29 | Nov | 5.0 | 7.3 | |
| 1998 | North & South Islands Storms | 30 | Oct | 2.0 | 2.9 | |
| 1998 | North & South Islands Storms | 22 | Oct | 6.2 | 9.1 | |
| 1998 | North & South Island Floods / Storms | 1 | Jul | 11.8 | 17.3 | |
| 1998 | Mercury Energy Crisis | 1 | May | 10.2 | 15 | |
| 1997 | South Island Windstorms | 19 | Dec | 0.2 | 0.3 | |
| 1997 | North & South Island Windstorms | 1 | Dec | 2.9 | 4.3 | |
| 1997 | Southland & Otago Wind & Hail | 13 | Nov | 0.4 | 0.6 | |
| 1997 | Auckland Floods | 28 | Sep | 0.7 | 1.0 | |
| 1997 | Coromandel Floods | 25 | Sep | 0.5 | 0.7 | |
| 1997 | Northland Floods | 30 | Jun | 1.2 | 1.8 | |
| 1997 | Wairoa Floods | 3 | Jun | 0.5 | 0.8 | |
| 1997 | Auckland Floods | 24 | May | 3.7 | 5.5 | |
| 1997 | South Island Storms | 21 | Jan | 1.1 | 1.6 | |
| 1997 | Cyclone Dreena | 11 | Jan | 3.2 | 4.8 | |
| 1996 | Cyclone Fergus | 30 | Dec | 1.6 | 2.4 | |
| 1996 | Weather related losses | 1 | Dec | 2.1 | 3.1 | |
| 1996 | Weather related losses June & July | 3 | Jul | 8.1 | 12.2 | |
| 1995 | Thames / Kaiaua Floods | 18 | Jul | 2.8 | 4.3 | |
| 1995 | North & South Island Floods | 2 | Jul | 4.5 | 6.9 | |
| 1995 | New Plymouth Floods | 25 | Apr | 3.6 | 5.6 | |
| 1995 | Whangarei & District Floods | 1.7 | 2.6 | |||
| 1994 | North & South Storm / Floods | 1 | Nov | 6.0 | 9.5 | |
| 1994 | South Canterbury Floods | 19 | Feb | 1.5 | 2.4 | |
| 1994 | Hastings Hailstorm * | 10.8 | 17.4 | |||
| 1993 | Kaikoura Flood | 24 | Dec | 7.6 | 12.3 | |
| 1992 | Canterbury Snowstorm | 28 | Aug | 7.0 | 11.5 | |
| 1992 | Auckland Tornado | 1.1 | 1.8 | |||
| 1991 | Otago Floods | 18 | Feb | 1.6 | 2.7 | |
| 1991 | Albany Tornado | 1.5 | 2.5 | |||
| 1990 | Taranaki / Wanganui Floods | 8 | Aug | 1.8 | 3.1 | |
| 1988 | Greymouth Floods | Sep | 13.4 | 25.6 | ||
| 1988 | Manawatu Floods | 25 | Jul | 2.5 | 4.8 | |
| 1988 | Greymouth Floods | 1 | May | 3.2 | 6.2 | |
| 1988 | Cyclone Bola | 8 | Mar | 37 | 72.1 | |
| 1987 | Bay of Plenty Earthquake | 192 | 392.9 | |||
| 1986 | North Otago / South Canterbury Floods | 13 | Mar | 18.5 | 46.5 | |
| 1986 | Auckland Floods | 0.4 | 1.0 | |||
| 1986 | Nelson Floods | 0.4 | 1.0 | |||
| 1985 | South Auckland | 1 | May | 2.9 | 8.0 | |
| 1985 | Thames / Coromandel / Te Aroha | 5.9 | 15.9 | |||
| 1985 | Wellington / Hutt Valley | 1.4 | 3.8 | |||
| 1985 | Auckland Floods | 3.6 | 9.7 | |||
| 1985 | Chatham Islands | 0.8 | 2.1 | |||
| 1985 | Gisborne Floods | 1.7 | 4.6 | |||
| 1985 | Hawkes Bay / Wairarapa | 0.9 | 2.4 | |||
| 1984 | Invercargill / Southland Floods | 1 | Jan | 45.8 | 147.7 | |
| 1984 | Greymouth Floods | 3.5 | 11.0 | |||
| 1984 | Auckland Floods | 1.8 | 5.6 | |||
| 1983 | Christchurch Storm | 3.5 | 11.5 | |||
| 1983 | Marlborough / Golden Bay Floods | 2.3 | 7.5 | |||
| 1981 | Thames / Coromandel / Paeroa Floods | 1 | Apr | 7.0 | 30.2 | |
| 1981 | Keri Keri Floods | 1 | Mar | 2.0 | 8.7 | |
| 1980 | Onehunga Tornado | 1 | Aug | 1.0 | 4.7 | |
| 1980 | Taieri / Otago / New Plymouth Floods | 5 | Jun | 8.0 | 38.7 | |
| 1980 | South Island Summer Floods | 17 | Jan | 2.3 | 11.8 | |
| 1978 | Otago Floods | 16 | Oct | 10.3 | 63.5 | |
| 1976 | Wellington / Hutt Valley Floods | 6.2 | 50.3 | |||
| 1968 | Canterbury Storms | 1 | Aug | 7.0 | 66.1 | |
| 1968 | Wahine storm | 10 | Apr | 3.5 | 60.8 | |
| 1968 | Loss of Wahine | 10 | Apr | 10 | 173.6 |