![\"Cyclone](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4JQ6R3H_2_png.jpeg\")
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\nWhakatane during Cyclone Vaianu on 12 April 2026.
\nPhoto: RNZ\/Supplied\n<\/p>\n
A storm hit New Zealand every eight days on average in the last year, causing claims to the country’s largest insurer to more than triple.<\/p>\n
IAG’s Wild Weather Tracker showed there were 46 storms between March 2025 and the end of February this year.<\/p>\n
The company said an increasing number of New Zealanders were aware of the risks of climate change-related events, were taking steps to protect their properties – and wanted more investment in resilience.<\/p>\n
An increasing number of severe weather events were now happening in spring and summer, IAG said – suggesting a shift in overall climate patterns.<\/p>\n
Overall, there were more than 33,000 storm-related claims – covering rain, flood, wind and other damage.<\/p>\n
The most damaging event was the October 2025 storm in Southland, where ferocious winds toppled trees and power lines, leaving many homes without power for days.<\/p>\n
![\"Trees](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4JZ2WCO_Invercargill_jpg.jpeg\")
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\nTrees down in Invercargill, Southland during the October storms.
\nPhoto: Supplied \/ Ian Hamilton\n<\/p>\n
More than 5000 people lodged claims with AMI, State and NZI – the three insurance brands underwritten by IAG.<\/p>\n
A nationwide survey commissioned alongside the tracker showed growing awareness and levels of preparation for severe weather.<\/p>\n
The number of respondents who had taken steps to protect their homes against natural hazards had doubled since the 2022 survey, from 40 to 80 percent.<\/p>\n
Almost 60 percent said they had experienced storm-related anxiety.<\/p>\n
IAG climate spokesperson Bryce Davies said the country was now experiencing storms far more often, and with greater severity, than in the past.<\/p>\n
Over 15 years of data, storms – which the tracker defines as a damaging weather event driven by strong winds or intense rainfall – had jumped from about one a month to three or four a month.<\/p>\n
Awareness among ordinary New Zealanders was growing, Davies said.<\/p>\n
“They’re worried about this. 75 percent of New Zealanders want to see more investment [in managing the risk].<\/p>\n
“We, as a country, have spent a lot of our past responding to events… We’ve not had as much focus as we’ve need to on reducing the risk upfront.”<\/p>\n
There was a mismatch between the current level of concern and the national response to the problem, he said.<\/p>\n
“At the moment it feels very ad hoc, it feels very fragmented, and it doens’t feel like there’s a coherent system that we have as a country for managing and reducing our natural hazard risk.”<\/p>\n