February and March storms in New Zealand cause insured losses of $25 million

Storms and flooding in the Canterbury area of News Zealand in February and March caused insured losses of about $25 million, the Insurance Council of New Zealand said this week.

“The most damaging of the storms was that on 4-5 March when $21.9 million of damage occurred. While this storm system also hit Wellington and the Hawkes Bay, the brunt of the damage totalling $19.6 million was in Canterbury where there was extensive flooding in Christchurch,” Insurance Council chief executive Tim Grafton said in a statement April 30.

“Most of the damage in Canterbury was to home and contents with $13.4 million in losses followed by damage to commercial property ($2.8 million) and motor vehicles ($2.5 million),” he said. 

A less damaging storm also hit Canterbury on February 23, causing $3.3 million of insured damage. That storm also included a hailstorm and reports of tornado damage.