The Earthquake Recovery Minister, Gerry Brownlee, is in Europe in an attempt to convince insurance companies not to pull out of New Zealand after the Christchurch earthquakes.
The man who heads California's earthquake insurance agency says Christchurch is much better placed to recover from earthquake devastation than his state.
How much are insurance premiums going to increase by after the Christchurch earthquakes?
Gaps in the government's insurance cover will leave many schools damaged by the earthquakes in Canterbury out of pocket.
The impact of the Canterbury Earthquake on insurance and the EQC's finances.
Insurance cover has been cancelled for Christchurch's historic Arts Centre and its Catholic Cathedral which were both badly damaged in the February earthquake.
The Christchurch city and Waimakariri District councils have from today got no insurance cover for future earthquakes after their existing policies expired at 4pm.
The cost of insurance could rise by 20 per cent as a result of the Government bailout of AMI Insurance and the mounting cost of the Canterbury earthquakes.
Insurance premiums look set to rise by up to a third and even more to meet the cost of the Christchurch earthquakes and other disasters overseas.
The insurance industry says overseas insurers have become wary of New Zealand after Monday's earthquakes in Christchurch and higher premiums across the country are now almost inevitable.
Cartoons about political and social issues in New Zealand and overseas. The cartoon has the words 'Tsunami Warning cancelled' in the centre. Above are the words 'The end is nigh... insurance running out! No more cover!' Below the word 'cancelled' are the words 'We have reinsurance!' Context - Civil Defence has cancelled a tsunami warning after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the Kermadec Islands this morning (7 July 2011) The tsunami image is used to illustrate the problems that could arise from lack of insurance in Christchurch. When their policies run out on 30 June Earthquake-hit Christchurch and Waimakariri councils are in danger of having no property insurance because as the CEO of Civic Assurance, which insures most councils, says, 'the company cannot buy reinsurance'. There was also a potential problem for home-owners when AMI Insurance, the largest insurer of homes in Christchurch, was threatening insolvency. However, AMI has announced that it has re-insurance cover for earthquakes and other natural disasters from tomorrow (1 July 2011) for the next year. The Government feared AMI Insurance's directors would wind up the company affecting a huge section of New Zealand's insurance market and derail the reconstruction of Christchurch, official documents confirm. AMI said it had doubled its cover for the year to June 2012 after three large quakes in the year to June 2011. (Stuff 30 June 2011) Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The Earthquake Commission and the Insurance Council are going to the High Court for a ruling on who's responsible for 10-thousand claims from the earlier Canterbury earthquakes.
Mounting claims from the Christchurch earthquake have forced AMI insurance to go to the Government for a possible bailout.
A rat in a business suit representing 'insurance companies' carries a briefcase labelled 'Total replacement policies' and follows a fellow rat into a large hole 'loop holes' that leads into a collapsed building. The rat says 'Woo-hoo! Home sweet home!' Context - Problems for people whose houses were damaged in the Christchurch earthquakes. One of the options presented to residents in the red zone, ideal for people with replacement policies, was the government bought your land, and you dealt directly with your insurers about your house. However they got a shock when insurers told them they won't replace their homes, they'll only repair them, even though they're earmarked for certain demolition. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Text reads 'The new liquefaction?...' and the cartoon depicts a huge mass of 'insurance red tape' inside which is a man with a spade. Two people stare despairingly at the red tape and the man says 'How are we EVER gonna rebuild with this stuff bubbling up!' Context: The people are trying to rebuild their house after the Christchurch earthquakes and are having trouble with their insurance company. The Press has been contacted by people unable to get insurance to buy new homes, construct buildings or start businesses. Business leaders have called insurance delays a "cancer" eating away at the city's recovery, and Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has acknowledged insurance is an "ongoing problem". (The Press - 24 August 2011) Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
Some earthquake-affected residents in Christchurch are having their pensions and benefits cut, because they are earning interest on their insurance payouts.
Commercial property owners are facing not just higher insurance premiums following the Christchurch earthquakes, but also the prospect of much higher excesses.
The Lyttelton Harbour Information Centre's "Community Earthquake Update" bulletin, published on Friday 23 September 2011.
A story submitted by Rosie Belton to the QuakeStories website.
A man representing 'Chch' (Christchurch) walks a tightrope between two cliffs. Suddenly below there are piles of dollar notes from the 'AMI' and he says 'A safety net at last!' Context - Christchurch earthquake problems with insurance. Insurers are saying that they will only pay for repairs for houses in the Red zone that are destined for demolition but that are relatively undamaged. Maybe the cartoon is expressing an ironic response to AMI's 'total replacement' policy. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
A man representing New Zealand reads a newspaper whose headline is ''Quake may cost insurance co's up to $16B'. Above him is an enormous mosquito that represents 'increased premiums' and that is about to suck the blood out of him; it casts a huge menacing shadow in which the man stands. Context - Insurance companies have experienced massive losses after the Canterbury earthquake. This may ultimately result in higher premiums as insurance companies try to recoup from their loss. According to Chris Ryan, Insurance Council chief executive, "The quake would probably result in foreign reinsurance companies increasing the premiums they charged local insurers." (Stuff 9 Sep 2010) Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).
The Lyttelton Harbour Information Centre's "Community Earthquake Update" bulletin, published on Friday 24 June 2011.
A copy of the CanCERN online newsletter published on 15 July 2011
Are men with lower voices more attractive to the opposite sex; The Canterbury Earthquake insurance deadlock; Speed Camera tickets have doubled over the last year.
The Lyttelton Harbour Information Centre's "Community Earthquake Update" bulletin, published on Friday 22 July 2011.
A man walks away from a scene of destruction after an earthquake; he is reading a newspaper whose headline is 'ACC takes earthquake hit' and because he is not looking where he is going he is about to step into the sea in which lurks a shark that represents 'levies'. A second version has the shark representing 'Nick Smith'. Context - The second Christchurch more devastating earthquake of 22 February 2011 that followed an original earthquake on 4 September 2010. Levy changes from April 1 will give businesses discounts or penalties on their workplace ACC levies based on a three-year claims history but ACC Minister Nick Smith said today that the quake would be declared an "adverse event" so Christchurch employers would not be unfairly hit with a levy increase, unless they contributed materially to an employee's injuries. (NBR 10 March 2011) Two versions of this cartoon are available Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).
A news item titled, "Know Your Land Rights - Retaining Walls", published on the Lyttelton Harbour Information Centre's website on Friday, 15 July 2011.
A copy of the CanCERN online newsletter published on 18 November 2011
A copy of the CanCERN online newsletter published on 12 August 2011
A copy of the CanCERN online newsletter published on 2 September 2011