Volcanic activity

Ash fall is likely to be the most widespread hazard from volcanic activity or eruption. Volcanic ash is unlike the soft ash produced by burning wood: it is hard, abrasive, slightly corrosive and electrically charged, and it does not dissolve in water.

This can cause:

• corrosion of metal
• reduced visibility and make surfaces slippery
• structural damage or roof collapse (from heavy/wet ash)
• bigger particles of ash can cause dents
• damage to soil and plants
• clogging of ventilation systems
• damage from scratching caused during the cleaning process
• damage to or collapse of guttering and downpipes, especially if there is rainfall soon after the ash fall and the ash is not removed
• contamination of water supplies
• damage to water tanks or stormwater systems.

There is also the possibility of:

• heat damage from proximity to possible lava flow
• damage from fragments of lava or rock
• damage to finishes from exposure to chemically reactive volcanic ash
• compromised rural effluent disposal fields due to ash inundation
• total loss of buildings due to destruction from a volcanic eruption or natural disaster fire.

Natural Hazards Cover (NHCover) is provided by the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC, previously the EQC/ Earthquake Commission) for residential buildings and defined areas of residential land. It insures houses for up to the first $300,000 (+GST) as well as some areas of residential land against loss or damage from earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity, hydrothermal activity, and tsunami. It also insures some residential land (within limits) against storm and flood damage. (Note, private house insurance does not cover residential land).

To make things simpler for you, we manage the NHC component of your claim too, which means you don't need to make a claim with NHC. We have a special dedicated team of case managers with experience in natural hazard claims who will manage your claim.

Have a read through our Understanding your NHCover Claim factsheet and the NHC's Guide to Natural Hazards Cover for more information.

Most people will automatically have NHCover if they have a current Home insurance policy.

NHCover for home and land

NHCover provides your first cover for physical loss or damage directly resulting from a volcanic eruption. This applies:

• to insured residential land and buildings, within your property boundary
• to your home (such as your roof, air conditioning unit, solar panels, cladding, windows, retaining wall garages or sheds)
• to your land, within defined areas:
  • underneath and within 8m of your home and detached buildings,
  • within 60m of the accessway,
  • including the land under or supporting your driveway, where repair will reinstate access to the home (but not driveway resurfacing)
• where physical loss or damage has occurred, or is likely to occur in the next 12 months
• whether resulting directly from the eruption, or from actions taken by authorities to prevent the natural hazard damage from spreading (e.g., damage caused by the fire service).

NHCover also provides some cover for bridges and culverts within those defined areas above, and some retaining walls.

If a NHCover claim is accepted for damage from ash fall, the cover will also include removal and disposal of the debris (eg, ash), up to the NHC limit.

If you have home insurance with us, and if your home or land are damaged in a natural hazard event, you’ll be able to lodge your claims with us. We’ll assess, manage, and settle your claims, including any NHCover claim.

For more information on NHCover and residential land, visit the NHC website.

State cover for home, contents, vehicles and boats

• If the damage to your home exceeds your NHCover limit, as your insurer, we’ll cover the rest of the costs, subject to the terms and conditions of your home insurance policy, and up to your sum insured.
• All State home policies provide cover for damage to your home from volcanic eruption including rocks, lava or ash.
• Your policy may also provide cover for property not covered by NHCover, such as swimming pools, tennis courts, spas and fences.
• If you have contents cover, boat cover, or full vehicle cover, these will generally cover damage from the volcanic activity to your contents, vehicle or boat.
• Volcanic activity can also occur without an actual eruption, such as tremors. If you experience damage to your land or property as a direct result of volcanic activity, without an actual eruption, please get in touch.
• Please see your Policy Wording and policy schedule for information about what your policy covers or get in touch.

Clean-up of volcanic ash can be dangerous, time-consuming and expensive and can result in more damage occurring during the clean-up process.

Do

• Get in touch with us so we can help talk you through the insurance process and let you know what to do next.
• Take photos of any damage.
• Wait for official guidance from Civil Defence or your council on how ash can be safely and appropriately removed from your property and disposed of. This may include the use of contractors given the health and safety risks associated with removing ash, such as working at heights and potential toxicity of ash.
• Wear PPE gear and follow official health advice.
• Carry out essential repairs where necessary to make your home safe, sanitary and weather-tight.
• Keep any receipts and records of the volume of ash disposed of if you can safely and appropriately dispose of ash, in accordance with advice from authorities. If the Council or another third party removes the ash, they may invoice you directly, in which case you may be able to claim reimbursement as part of your claim.
• Vacuum where possible or use a damp cloth to gently remove ash from indoor surfaces. Use an old vacuum, if you have one, as vacuuming may cause damage to your vacuum cleaner.
• Seek advice from Civil Defence, local authorities or emergency services if you are uncertain about what to do.

Don't

• Don’t rush to remove ash as this can be very dangerous, especially if the volcanic activity is still occurring.
• Don’t do anything that puts your safety at risk or that may cause more damage.
• If damage is considered the result of negligent actions, then this may impact your ability to claim for the damage.
• Don’t clean ash from your roof yourself, as ash can be very slippery.
• Don’t do non-essential repairs until you’ve spoken to us.
• Don’t dispose of anything until you’ve spoken to your insurer, this will help speed up assessments of your claim.
• Don’t rub vigorously while cleaning up ash as it can cause scratching.

An excess is the amount you must contribute towards an accepted claim. It is deducted from the amount of your settlement.

Your NHCover excess will be discussed with you by your Case Manager prior to settlement. You can also find out more about NHCover excesses and how they’re calculated at naturalhazards.govt.nz/know-your-cover.

If you have a claim that exceeds your maximum NHCover entitlement, the standard policy excess outlined in your policy schedule will apply as well as the NHCover excess.

If your claim relates to, or includes, property not covered by NHCover (for example swimming pools, paths and driveways), you will be required to pay a natural hazard damage excess of $5,000 (minimum), as outlined in your policy wording, or the policy excess outlined in your policy schedule – whichever is greater.

Excesses can differ by policy, so check your policy wording and schedule for details of your excess or discuss this with your Case Manager.

Your usual excess applies for contents, vehicle or boat claims.

This depends on how the claim is settled. If you're getting repairs done, you'll need to pay any applicable excess to the repairer or supplier. In the case of a cash settlement, the excess will be deducted off the total amount you are paid out. To find out more about your excess, please check your policy schedule and wording.

Your policy excess

If your policies are in the same name, with the same brand, insured with the same address, and you make a claim on two or more policies for damage caused by the same event, you'll pay just one excess - whichever is the highest. We call this “one incident, one excess” and it applies to your personal insurance policies only, such as your home, contents, vehicle, or boat policies. Our Claims teams will discuss this with you when it's time to pay your excess.

NHCover excess

An additional excess will apply if you need to make an NHCover claim, which your Claim Manager will discuss with you prior to settlement. Have a read through our Understanding your NHCover Claim factsheet for more information.

If you have suffered physical loss or damage to your insured residential property following a volcanic eruption you should lodge an EQCover claim once the damage has occurred. In a volcanic eruption, damage may occur immediately following the volcanic eruption, days or even weeks later.

An event like this has a big impact on assessors and tradespeople, so although we'll be working as quickly as we can, it will take some time to get through all the assessments. Urgent assistance for those whose homes are unliveable, are experiencing vulnerability, or those who are in high-impact areas will be prioritised.

If damage occurs at a later date, please contact us as soon as possible. Please note that NHCover provides cover for physical loss or damage or expected physical loss or damage within 12 months. At the time of assessment any imminent damage would be assessed, based on expert advice.

NHCover applies to residential land that's within your property boundary - and includes:

• The land under your home and detached buildings (such as your shed or garage),
• The land that's within eight metres of your home and detached buildings, and
• The land under or supporting your main driveway, up to 60 metres from your home (but not the driveway surfacing).

NHCover also provides some cover for:

• Bridges and culverts within those defined areas above, and
• Some retaining walls.

For more information about NHCover and residential land, read through their Land cover and claims Factsheet or visit the NHC website.

Once you’ve made your claim and local authorities have confirmed it’s safe to re-enter the area, we’ll appoint an assessor to review your claim, assess the damage either in person or remotely, and agree with you on the scope and cost to repair it ‐ sometimes called a ‘scope of works’.

Depending on the property and damage, we might need to bring in specialist tradespeople like engineers, assessors, or builders, which can make your assessment take a little longer. Once the ‘scope of works’ is complete, our assessor will discuss your repair or settlement options with you.

You can do temporary 'make safe' repairs to make your home safe and weathertight, such as boarding up broken windows, just try to take photos before you do so. Where possible, please contact us before you engage a tradesperson or make any non-urgent repairs.

The damage to your fence will depend on the material it is made of and the condition of your fence prior to the event. Damage may include corrosion or bubbling of the paint. Before accepting your claim, we will need to assess whether the ash has caused physical damage to the fence as well as any existing maintenance and repairs for pre-existing damage.

We don't recommend you get up on the roof, or any heights, to remove the ash as the ash is likely to make the roof very slippery and dangerous. It may also be harmful to breath in.

We recommend getting a specialist to complete the cleaning of your swimming pool or use an external pump. Using your pool equipment will cause damage to this equipment.

If you need urgent assistance, please contact us as soon as you can. If you’re experiencing vulnerability, you’ve been evacuated, or your home is unliveable, we’ll prioritise your claim to get you back on your feet.

Depending on your policies, you might be covered for temporary accommodation. Check your policy wording and get in touch to see what support is available.

• If a local authority (such as a government agency, Police, Fire and Emergency, or Civil Defence) has asked you to evacuate, and your policy covers you for temporary accommodation, you can go ahead and arrange a place to stay. In these situations, cover will apply regardless of whether your home is damaged or not – you'll just need to pay your excess.
  
  
• It’s up to you to arrange your temporary accommodation. Just let us know your choice so we can ensure it meets the terms specified in your policy wording. It’s important to note any temporary accommodation agreement made is held between you and the accommodation provider. In most cases your policy will outline that the accommodation must be of ‘reasonable’ value, so it’s good to check reasonable market rents in your area.
  
  
• If your home or belongings suffer more damage after you’ve been evacuated, and you have multiple claims in the same name, with the same brand, and insured with the same address you won’t need to pay another excess. This is covered under “one incident, one excess”.

We will review both policies, considering the time and monetary limits on each, to determine which will provide the best outcome for you.

Your claim will be made under either your Home or Contents policy, but not both.

• We’ll refer you to our Motor Vehicle Assessor or to a local repairer, who’ll review your claim, assess the damage, and work out the scope and cost to repair it. We’ll then review the estimated repair cost against your sum insured to work out if the vehicle is economic or uneconomic to repair.
  
  
• If your vehicle is economic to repair, your Claim Manager will review your policy and discuss the next steps with you. Depending on your policy, we can either pay you a lump sum payment based on the reasonable costs to repair the covered damage, or we can arrange to have your vehicle repaired ourselves.
  
  
• If your vehicle is uneconomic to repair, our assessor will refer your claim back to your Claim Manager who will review your policy and get in touch with you to discuss your claim settlement options.

• Ash can corrode metal surfaces and cause abrasion damage to windscreens and paintwork.
• If you have had ash fall on your vehicle or boat, or there is ash outside, where possible you should not use your vehicle (or use the windscreen wipers) as this will cause more damage. Avoid cleaning it as this may cause more damage.
• If you have cover for the damage under your policy, your vehicle will be cleaned once towed as part of the assessment. Please note that towing may take a few days as we need to ensure it is safe for tow trucks to access the area.

• Remember to remove any personal items from the vehicle before it’s towed.
  
  
• Make sure your vehicle is locked securely with no keys left inside ‐ our tow team will get in touch to pick them up instead. If your personal items were damaged inside your vehicle, feel free to throw away any soft items or spoiled food, but remember to photograph and note them on your loss schedule first.
  
  
• If you have contents insurance, we’ll discuss with you whether you’re covered for any items that were damaged while inside your vehicle.
  
  
• If water entered your vehicle, it’s best to treat it as blackwater (contaminated with sewage), so make sure you stay safe by wearing heavy duty gloves, boots, and a face mask before removing your items.

• Your health and safety is paramount. Follow Civil Defence announcements. Be prepared with plenty of food/water and PPE including suitably rated dust masks and protective boots and gloves. Do not work around live electrical infrastructure until given the ‘all clear’ by lines company/electrician, as ash can cause electrical flashover when wet.
  
• To minimise the risk of flooding, after ash fall, prior to rain, cover stormwater grates with silt control cloth or similar. Prioritise cleaning gutters/drains if rain is forecast.
  
• To reduce the risk of stock contamination, close all doors, windows, vents. Turn off heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, where possible, or cover filters.
  
• Ash build up can cause structural damage. Clear ash from susceptible structures when safe to do so. Inspect and plan the clean up to avoid damaging structures.
  
• To avoid clogged water filters, be prepared to stop the intake of water and air to plant immediately or cover air intakes. Have a stock of spare filters on hand. Avoid restarting machinery until air is clear.
  
• Volcanic ash is abrasive and damage to surfaces can occur during clean up. Move any vehicle/plant/machinery under cover where possible. Vacuum and shovel where possible, don’t brush. Avoid washing down, ash is alkaline and can be corrosive and can set like cement in stormwater pipes. Avoid blowing down, this can spread fine, abrasive ash dust.
  
• To reduce the risk of water contamination, cover tank openings/reservoirs where possible.
  
• Ash can be conductive when wet and can damage electrical systems. Consider shutting off power where possible. Seek the ‘all clear’ from lines company/electrician prior to restarting.

Material Damage policies generally cover costs for removal of debris from the insured property and costs incurred to clear, clean and repair gutters, drains etc. as long as the costs result from a loss that is covered under the policy. If there is no insured loss or damage to insured property, then there is unlikely to be cover for costs incurred to remove ash. Please contact us to discuss your coverage.