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NHCover Dispute Resolution

Resolve disputes about your NHCover claim

Free and impartial mediation and adjudication with the NHCover Dispute Resolution service

Part of the insurance cover available to insured New Zealanders is the natural hazards cover provided by the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake for residential property damaged by natural hazard events such as an earthquake, flood, or landslide. The insurance for natural hazard damage is known as Natural Hazards Cover (NHCover). This provides the first layer of insurance for your home and cover for some of your residential land. If you have a dispute about the decisions made on your NHCover claim, you can access free and independent support from Fair Way to resolve it.

 

Your claim

  • If you have experienced damage to your property following a natural hazard event, for most people your first step is to raise a claim with your insurer. They will manage the NHCover portion of the claim on behalf of NHC Toka Tū Ake.

    You can raise a claim directly with NHC Toka Tū Ake if your insurer does not partner with them or if you are Direct NHCover customer.

    If you disagree with the decisions made about whether your claim is valid, the claim being declined, or the extent of the claim settlement, you are encouraged to a raise a complaint with your insurer, or NHC Toka Tū Ake if they manage your claim, and use their internal complaints process.

    You can also access the independent NHCover Dispute Resolution service that is provided by Fair Way.
  • Get started

Resolving a dispute

  • We can help homeowners who experience damage from natural hazard events that occur from 1 July 2024.

    If you disagree with the decisions made on your NHCover claim, you can contact us directly to start the dispute resolution process.

    Fair Way can assist you to resolve disputes about referable decisions, such as:

    • whether your claim is valid, for example whether or not the damage has been caused by a natural hazard event

    • the extent of the claim settlement, for example the cost to repair the damage or the scope of rebuilding.

    • declined claims, for example if the claim is found to be fraudulent or the damage is due to substandard construction.

    We can help in two ways – through mediation or adjudication. We recommend mediation as the first step. Both options are free and impartial.

  • Events before 1 July 2024

    If the natural hazard event occurred before 1 July 2024 you can find out about your resolution options in the FAQ section below.

Ways we can help

  • Mediation

    In mediation an independent person supports you to reach your own agreement

    Find out more

  • Adjudication

    Adjudication is when someone independent looks at your claim and makes a decision

    Find out more

Talk to us about your needs

We do our best to make the process as easy as possible for everyone to participate. If you have any special requirements, or if we can provide cultural or language support, please let us know as soon as possible so we can make suitable arrangements. 

You can contact our friendly team by:

FAQs

  • What is a natural hazard?

    The Natural Hazards Insurance Act 2023 defines natural hazards as earthquakes, hydrothermal activity, landslides, tsunami, volcanic activity, floods, storms, and fires that result from one of these natural hazards.

    The normal action of the wind or water causing gradual erosion (for example, coastal erosion, bank erosion, and sheet erosion) is not a natural hazard.

  • What is a referable decision?

    When you make an NHCover claim, you will receive claim outcome letters from your insurer or NHC Toka Tū Ake to let you know their relevant claim decisions. Most decisions about natural hazards claims are ‘referable decisions’ which means you may have the option to refer your claim to the independent NHCover Dispute Resolution service. 

    Examples of referable decisions include:

    • Validity – whether your claim is valid, eg. if it found that damage is not from a natural hazard
    • Decline – if your claim is declined, eg. if it is found to be fraudulent or the damage is due to substandard construction
    • Settlement extent – decisions about the extent or value of your settlement, eg. the costs of land or work, and/or the scope of work to be undertaken.

    Decisions about the approach or method of settlement – eg. whether to pay, repair, rebuild or relocate – are not referable decisions and are generally outside of our service.

    If you are not sure, you can contact us and our friendly team will let you know if you might be eligible for NHCover Dispute Resolution.

  • Are there any rules?

  • What are my options for disputing a claim for damage that happened before 1 July 2024?

    You can find information about making a complaint and options for raising a dispute for all natural hazards claims on the NHC Toka Tū Ake website.

    If the natural hazard event occurred on or after 1 July 2024, and you have made a NHCover claim, the NHCover Dispute Resolution service may be available to you.

Adjudication Arbitration Review

Other types of issues

If you have a complaint about your interactions with the insurer or the service received during your claim, you can raise a complaint under the Code of Insured Persons’ Rights.

Find out more

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