Storm and flood

Important information to prepare for disasters, the recovery response and staying safe.

FMG was formed in 1905 by farmers for farmers. During this time, we’ve seen our fair share of disasters. We have the experience and expertise to support our clients and get them back up and running after disaster strikes.

Safety first

Your safety is the priority. If storms or heavy rainfall is heading your way, MetService will (in most cases) issue weather updates and warnings for areas at risk. If there is an alert in your area, it is best to stay informed and follow advice from local authorities and Civil Defence.

If bad weather is heading your way there are steps you can take to reduce risk:

Do not travel unless necessary.
Have your vehicle ready and put any important items in it early, so you can leave quickly if you need to evacuate.
Move small items indoors where possible. You may need to tie down larger outdoor items such as irrigators, furniture, or outdoor play equipment.
If there is a flood risk at your property or you notice surrounding water levels rising, it is best to move important items such as vehicles, livestock, stock, appliances, valuables, and important documents to higher ground. Where possible, move furniture off the floor.
Where possible, move hazardous goods such as fertiliser off the ground.
Flood water can be dangerous and contaminated. Never wade through the water.
Avoid using electrical appliances or vehicles that may have sustained water damage. If you do need to touch these items, ensure the power is turned off and you are wearing protective gear (such as gloves and masks), so you do not come into contact with anything dangerous.
If you are aware that a flood may occur and it is safe to do so, try to block vents leading into the house where floodwater could enter. This can assist with flood water flowing underneath the house and minimising further damage.

Make a claim

A flood related claim is made up of an insurance claim and Natural Hazards Commission (NHC, previously known as the Earthquake Commission or EQC) claim (NHCover claim).

The easiest way to start your claim is by calling our Specialist Claims Team on 0800 366 466. Our team will support you with this process, provide further information, and clarify the next steps.

In a disaster, we may see a high influx of claims and longer wait times on our phones. In this scenario, we will prioritise clients who are vulnerable or cannot return to their homes.

Claim guide

Flood Claim Guide Flood-Claim-Guide.pdf [PDF File 278.7 KB]

Loss Schedule Loss-Schedule.pdf [PDF File 1.4 MB]

Need support urgently?

If you need urgent assistance, your house is unliveable or you are experiencing vulnerability, please let us know so we can prioritise your claim. Depending on your policies with FMG, you may be eligible for a Temporary Accommodation benefit which could assist you with living elsewhere.

Check FMG Connect or your policy documents and get in touch to see how we can support you.

Keeping It Simple

We’ll take care of your NHCover claim too

If you have your house insurance policies with FMG and your residential land is damaged by flooding, you may be eligible to make a NHCover claim.

We will manage your house claim along with your NHCover claim (on behalf of NHC).

Frequently asked questions

General*

A large event can have a huge impact on not only our team, but assessors and tradespeople in your area. We will always endeavour to complete your claim as fast as possible, but it may take longer than normal.

Those who are vulnerable or whose house is unliveable will be prioritised, alongside those who are in highly impacted areas.

Our aim is to get you back on your feet and up and running as fast as possible.
An excess is the amount you pay towards your claim. Depending on how we settle your claim, excess payment options can vary. If you are getting repairs done, you may need to pay your excess to the repairer or supplier. If we cash settle your claim, the excess will be deducted off the total amount you are paid. To find your excess amounts, check your policy certificate.
In a large event, you may need to lodge multiple claims across your different policies. In this case you will pay only one excess (whichever one is the highest). This rule does not apply to NHCover claims, where a separate excess will apply to each claim.

We will discuss the specifics of your claims and potential excesses with you, as every claim is different.

*This information is not intended to replace your policy wording, so please remember to check your policy documents or talk to us if you are unsure.

NHCover Claims*

The Natural Hazards Insurance Act 2023 (NHI Act) provides NHCover, which is insurance for damage caused by certain types of natural disasters. This includes landslide damage to residential buildings and land, and storm & flood damage to residential land. We now make things easier for you by managing both the NHC and FMG components of your claim. This means you lodge your NHC claim with FMG and our dedicated team of claims handlers with experience in storm and flood damage will manage these claims for you.
You have NHCover if you have a house insurance policy that includes fire insurance (and most do). The premium you pay includes the Natural Hazards Insurance levy (NHI Levy), which gives you access to this NHCover.
Your NHCover applies to residential land that’s within your property boundary and includes limited cover for:

The land under your home and detached buildings (such as your shed or garage)

The land within eight metres of your home and detached buildings

The land under or supporting your main driveway, up to 60 metres from your home (but not the driveway surfacing).

NHC cover also provides cover for:

Bridges and culverts within those defined areas above

Some retaining walls.

Farmland (such as paddocks) and commercial land is not covered by the NHC.
Please take photos where you can first. If you need to remove silt or debris, make sure you keep invoices from contractors, or a record of time spent if you do it yourself.

NHC land cover may pay for the removal of silt or debris within the parameters outlined above.

FMG may cover the removal of silt and debris within a farm or commercial building.

FMG does not cover removal of silt or debris from commercial or farmland. Your local council may be able to provide some support for these costs so please contact them.

*A separate excess will apply to each NHCover claim lodged. This will be discussed with you prior to the settlement of your claim.

House

Once you have lodged your claim and local authorities have deemed it safe to re-enter the area, we can get started.

We will appoint an assessor to your claim who will either assess the damage on site or remotely, and will agree with you on the scope of the claim and an approximate cost to repair it, otherwise known as a “Scope of Works”.

Once this step is complete, we will discuss your claim settlement options with you.
We prioritise our clients who are experiencing vulnerability, their house is unable to be lived in, or who have been evacuated. Please get in touch with us as soon as you can so we can get things started to get you back on your feet. We can also check your policies to see if you are eligible for a Temporary Accommodation or Employee Rehousing benefit.
You can complete temporary repairs to make your house weather-tight or safe, such as boarding up broken windows, but please take photos before you do. Contact us before you engage any tradespeople or complete any non-urgent repairs on your property.
We recognise everyone’s needs differ, so if your house becomes unliveable let us know what your temporary accommodation needs are so that we can ensure they meet the terms of the cover in your policy.

You will need to organise your temporary accommodation or employee rehousing, and any accommodation agreement made will be between you and your accommodation provider.
Do not enter an unsafe building or cordon. If you believe your house may have sustained damage, please contact us directly and we can advise how your insurance policies can help. Once it is safe to access your house and you can check if there is damage, we will confirm the next steps for your claim.
Your safety is the priority. If floodwater has entered your house, ensure the power is turned off at the mains before you proceed. Ensure you have an electrician check the power supply before you turn the power back on. Floodwater can be contaminated with harsh chemicals and raw sewerage, so please ensure you stay safe by wearing heavy duty gloves, boots and a face mask when you enter.

When you have received clearance to re-enter your property, use a permanent marker to draw a small mark on the wall where the floodwater has reached its maximum height. Please ensure you do this in every room that has been affected by floodwater and take photos if possible.
Once the water has receded at your house, we can begin the next step in your claim. Cleaning and drying your house as quickly as possible is key, and to maximise this process it is beneficial to keep all doors and windows open while you are present to minimise the likelihood of mould growing and further damage occurring. You can start by removing any wet items.

If you see that floodwater has entered your house, call a water restoration company such as JAE Services or Chem-Dry, immediately. Whilst you may have lodged your claim with FMG, contacting these providers as soon as possible will mean they can get to your property sooner to assess the damage and reduce the risk of further damage. Please keep all receipts for these services as this will make up part of your FMG claim.
Your safety is the priority. Floodwater can be contaminated with harsh chemicals and raw sewerage so please ensure you stay safe by wearing heavy duty gloves, boots and a face mask when removing your wet carpet. It is also important to document the damaged carpet by taking photos of each room affected before proceeding.

Once you have completed these steps, lift your wet carpet, underlay and move it outside, if possible.
In a large event we may not be able to get trades people to you in the initial stages. Before you strip out any damaged parts of your house, check with us first as we will be able to provide further information, such as the gib removal height.

Once you have contacted us to make your claim, the next step is to start documenting your lost or damaged items on your Loss Schedule. If you are unable to contact us immediately, you can still proceed to document these items.

Where you can, note the items’ age, model numbers, manufacturer, purchase dates and price. It is helpful to also photograph these items to assist with your Loss Schedule.

Once you have completed your Loss Schedule, please send it through to us at claims@fmg.co.nz with your claim number in the subject line, and we will be in touch to get your claim settled.
It will take time to assess your claim, so for a start, clean up as much as you can to prevent further damage and only throw away your spoiled food. Please ensure you list these items on your Loss Schedule and photograph them before doing so.

You must take reasonable steps to minimise your claim and avoid further damage, so do what you can to take care of your property and prevent further damage (e.g. keep them safe and secure in your garage, or undercover with plenty of ventilation) to prevent further damage).

Remember floodwater can be contaminated with harsh chemicals and raw sewerage, so please ensure you stay safe by wearing heavy duty gloves, boots and a face mask when you enter.
Absolutely! This will assist with your Loss Schedule and will speed up the claims process for you. Photograph any damaged belongings or property whenever you can.

The best way to photograph the inside of your house is to stand in each corner of the room and take the photo facing towards the middle of the room (four photos per room). This will capture the entire floor area and provide our claims team with a full picture of the losses incurred. You cannot take too many photos!
There are several variables when it comes to the disposal of your damaged property, and the best way is to consult with your regional council first. They may provide skip bins or have information on refuse stations to use if the event has affected multiple households.

If you have your household contents insured with FMG, we cover the cost of removing damaged contents from your home. Speak to us first to find out what is covered. We will pay up to the amount shown on the certificate for any one event.

Please remember, until we have had a chance to assess your claim, only throw away spoiled food and ensure you document it on your Loss Schedule before you do.
Do not enter an unsafe building or cordon to retrieve your contents. If you believe your contents may have sustained damage, please contact us directly and we can advise how your insurance policies can help. Once it is safe to access your property and you can check whether your contents are damaged, we will confirm the next steps for your claim.

Vehicles

Once you have lodged your claim, we will refer you to an assessor or local repairer who will view, photograph, and assess the damage and work out the scope and cost of repairs. We then review this assessment and decide if your vehicle is economic to repair or not.

Once this step is complete, we will then discuss settlement options with you.
If your vehicle is badly damaged or if water has entered your vehicle, do not drive it.

Vehicles affected by water damage can be extremely dangerous, as they can lose function suddenly or their airbags can deploy with no warning. Please advise us immediately if your vehicle is badly damaged or water damaged.

Depending on the severity of the damage we may arrange a tow for your vehicle, so you do not have to drive your vehicle to the repairer for assessment. Please do not drive your vehicle until it has been given the all-clear by a repairer.
If your vehicle is being towed, ensure you remove any personal items from the vehicle if it is safe to do so.

If your contents policy is with FMG, we can discuss cover for any items that were damaged whilst inside your vehicle. Please note these on your Loss Schedule. Please ensure you lock your vehicle with no keys inside; the towing team will be in touch with you to pick these up instead.
Do not enter an unsafe building or cordon to retrieve your vehicle. If you believe your vehicle may have sustained damage, please contact us directly. Once it is safe to access your vehicle, we will arrange with you to have your vehicle assessed and confirm the next steps for your claim.

Farm Buildings

Once you have lodged your claim, we will determine if an assessor is required to assess the damage on site or remotely, or if the claims handler is able to manage your claim using photographs of the damage and repair quotes.

We will then reach an agreement with you on the scope of the claim and an approximate cost to repair it, otherwise known as a “Scope of Works”. Once this step is complete, we will discuss your claim settlement options with you.
Do not enter an unsafe building or cordon. If you believe your building may have sustained damage, please contact us directly and we can advise how your insurance policies can help. Once it is safe to access it and you can check if there is damage, we will confirm the next steps for your claim.
If you have sustained damage to your farm building (e.g. your dairy shed) and are unable to continue with your farming operations, you may be covered for financial loss such as income, rent or increased costs of working due to this loss.

There are various policies that can help depending on your financial loss, such as Business Interruption and Farm Contents, so contact us to discuss which of your policies may be able to help.
If you have chosen to take cover for your farm fencing on your policy, you may be covered if storm or flood damage occurs. It is important to note that if your farm fencing is damaged by flood, a limit of $20,000 +GST applies, or the amount shown on your certificate; whichever one is lesser.

The first step is to lodge your claim with FMG before repairing the affected area. Our team will advise you if can proceed with repairs.

If repairs are required urgently and before you can contact us, please photograph any damage, and outline on a farm map where the damage has occurred. Please keep your receipts for materials that you have purchased, and if you have engaged a contractor to repair the fencing, please keep all invoices as it will assist your claim.

Commercial Buildings

Once you have lodged your claim and local authorities have deemed it safe to re-enter the area, we will determine if an assessor is required to assess the damage on site or remotely, or if the claims handler is able to manage your claim using photographs of the damage and repair quotes.

We will then reach an agreement with you on the scope of the claim and an approximate cost to repair it, otherwise known as a “Scope of Works”.

Once this step is complete, we will discuss your claim settlement options with you.
Do not enter an unsafe building or cordon. If you believe your building may have sustained damage, please contact us directly and we can advise how your insurance policies can help. Once it is safe to access it and you can check if there is damage, we will confirm the next steps for your claim.
Business Interruption insurance covers certain types of financial losses and increased costs of working that result from insured damage to your building.

You must have a Business Interruption policy in place to lodge a claim. To see if you have selected this cover, please refer to your policy certificate or FMG Connect, or contact us directly for more information.

Livestock*

Collecting as much information as you can regarding your stock is important. It can be very distressing dealing with stock loss, however there is further information we require to assist your claim:

Photos of stock carcasses,

Cause of death (vet),

Valuations of stock (stock agent),

Quotations for stock (stock agent),

If you have high value animals that you have lost, receipts of purchase/sales slips can assist with substantiating the value of the animals, and

Stock reconciliations from your accountant can also be helpful to determine the number of stock unaccounted for.
After collating the information required for your claim, you can consult with your regional council to ensure you dispose of these animals within the council guidelines.

See DairyNZ for useful information on dead stock disposal.
You are not covered for the recovery of your livestock or assistance to save your livestock under FMG’s livestock policy wording. Exposure is not part of the policy, so it is best to listen to advice from MetService and Civil Defence and move stock to safer ground if possible before an event occurs.

If you have purchased the “Post Shearing Mortality” benefit under your livestock policy, your sheep are insured for accidental death during the period of insurance as a direct result of weather exposure in the 14 days immediately after shearing.

The deaths must be caused by exposure to rain, low temperature or smothering as a direct result of this exposure.

*The first step is to follow the instructions and advice from the Civil Defence, NZ Government, and your regional council. Your safety is the priority, so please do not put yourself at risk by assisting your stock while an event is occurring.

Whilst Specified Livestock are covered for death by storm, Unspecified Livestock are not. The list of events covered for Unspecified Livestock is defined as fire, electrocution, lightning, impact, stock worrying, explosion, smoke inhalation, hail, earthquake, flood, or objects falling from aircraft.

If you have a Livestock Policy and you have suffered stock loss following the event, please contact us to lodge your claim. Once we have your claim underway, there are some key pieces of information you can collect to assist with your claim.

Orchard Fruit

Your orchard fruit is not insured for loss connected in any way with:

Rainfall, wind, or water damage, other than flood, whether or not such water or moisture is from melting hailstones.

If you are unsure of whether your claim would be covered, please consult with our claims team or view your policy wording here.

There is no cover for the trees or land.
The first step is to lodge a claim for consideration with our claims team. They will advise you of the next steps and any further documentation required to support your claim.

Please ensure you document your loss as thoroughly as possible, including taking photographs of damage and developing a list of potential losses incurred.

We will arrange a specialist assessor to contact you to make an appointment to perform a site assessment. If the extent of the loss is unclear on the first inspection, the assessor may need to wait for final thinning before calculating the settlement for your claim.
Please do not begin the clean-up of your orchard fruit until you have been advised it is fine to do so by an assessor. Once they have confirmed acceptance of your claim, they will advise you of the next steps.

Crop

Growing Crop

If you have an Arable Crop policy and ‘Crop Expanded Perils and Fire’ is shown on your certificate, your growing crop is only insured for accidental loss caused directly by fire, lightning, frost, windstorm, hail, or impact by vehicles or aircraft. If a loss has occurred during one of these events, please contact our claims team and they will discuss the next steps.

Harvested Crop
Harvested crop is covered for sudden and unforeseen accidental loss for up to 12 months from the date of harvest or until sold, whichever occurs first.
Cover includes while the harvested crop is in transit or stored anywhere in New Zealand.