Tornadoes that touched down in the NZ North Island province of Taranaki and the east coast cities of Auckland and Tauranga last week could be the country’s most costly.

The current estimate doesn’t include claims from Taranaki, but the Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) has estimated claims so far as $NZ5 million ($4.5 million), with the figure set to rise as a picture of the damage become clearer over the coming weeks.

At least six tornadoes made landfall in the Taranaki towns of Oakura, Egmont Village, Inglewood and Waitara on Thursday night. Houses, trees and power poles were uprooted during the storms.

ICNZ Chief Executive Chris Ryan says the frequency of tornadoes in New Zealand is increasing.