New Zealand’s Toka Tū Ake EQC says demand for land damage cover provided by the organisation is likely to increase with climate change but many residents are unclear about the insurance arrangements.

The insurer is one of the few government-backed schemes globally that offers any form of cover for land damage from natural disasters, with most others focusing on damage to buildings and property.

“Even though our historical name suggests the Earthquake Commission mainly deals with seismic events, landslides are in fact one of our most common claims, and over the past 150 years more New Zealanders have died as a result of landslides than have been killed by earthquakes.,” CEO Tina Mitchell says.

The increasing numbers of severe weather events is likely to increase the number of homeowners looking to the organisation to help repair land damage, but there are limits to the cover, she says.

EQCover includes the land under the home, land within 8 metres of the residence and the land supporting the driveway, up to 60 metres from the front door. This also includes bridges and culverts within 60 metres, as well as some retaining walls to support the home.

Recent media reports have highlighted cases of homeowners whose properties were affected by landslides, but the damage extended beyond the limits of EQCover, and the damage was also not covered by their private insurer.

“Situations that fall outside the scheme are heart breaking and as much as we wish we could help, we can only work within the bounds of the EQC Act, which has been set up to provide fairness across all homeowners, whether you have a tiny garden, a lifestyle block or 5km driveway to the main road,” Ms Mitchell says.

Many homeowners are not aware that private insurers may cover the sealing of the driveway, but traditionally won’t cover the land under those driveways, she says.

As well as resolving claims, Toka Tū Ake funds research to better understand landslides and has been working with GNS Science and the Auckland City Council to create the National Landslide Database which has catalogued over 30,000 landslides across New Zealand over the past 30 years.

Scientists, planners and developers can use the database to get a better understanding of the risks for new buildings and local councils or residents are able to add to the database after new landslides.

“Our deep understanding of our landslide threats and actively mitigating the potential impact of future landslides also plays a part in securing future reinsurance for New Zealanders,” Ms Mitchell says.