Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tu Ake has celebrated the first anniversary of its Natural Hazards Portal, saying it has improved New Zealanders’ understanding of home risks and helped drive mitigation efforts.

The commission says research by NielsenIQ shows more than 53% of people who visited the portal took steps to improve resilience in their homes.

The most common measure was purchasing home insurance, accounting for 30% of actions.

About 28% secured heavy furniture to walls, while others prepared emergency kits and moved beds away from windows.  

Commission head of risk reduction Sarah-Jayne McCurrach, who led development of the portal, says it is “an important resource to help people make decisions about where to live or how to strengthen their homes”, and has connected more than 57,000 people to mitigation information since it launched.  

She says the number of people who have acted to make their homes safer has increased by 10% in the past two years.  

“This research is a great way to celebrate the portal’s first birthday,” Ms McCurrach said. “We know that more New Zealanders are considering natural hazards when buying a home, and this report suggests they are turning that interest into action when they become homeowners.”  

She says the commission is working to expand the program’s capabilities, adding local and regional hazard mapping on top of the existing claims map.

“We want to be able to show people what their homes and neighbourhoods may look like in the next 10, 20 and even 50 years, and connect them with information on what to do about their risks.”  

The commission aims to make greater use of modelling and relay information to homeowners to help them make “informed and risks-based decisions”.  

“Much of this information already exists, and we want to provide it in a way that is useful for New Zealanders. By collaborating across agencies to bring this information into the portal, we can go further in helping people understand the potential risks when buying a new home.”