Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake

We changed our name to better represent the role our scheme plays in supporting New Zealanders.

The change to our name was recommended by the Public Inquiry into EQC, which noted the organisation’s name should reflect that our scope extends to delivering insurance and expertise for a range of natural hazards – not just earthquakes.

Natural Hazards Commission will sit alongside our te reo Māori name – Toka Tū Ake – meaning ‘the foundation from which we stand strong, together’. Both names acknowledge the role we have in supporting New Zealand to both prepare for and recover from natural hazard events when they occur.

Toka Tū Ake

The foundation from which we stand strong, together

Toka: (noun) rock, large stone, boulder

Tū: (verb) to stand, take place, set in place, establish

Ake: (particle) to raise upwards

Toka Tū Ake expresses an age-old truth that the best way to be prepared for adversity is for communities to come together to share their knowledge and resources as support for one another.

Our land is constantly changing from earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides and floods. Communities have lived alongside those perils for hundreds of years, and Māori have always believed the relationship and connection of people to land and nature is inseparable. 

Our experience and understanding of the natural hazards facing Aotearoa New Zealand is growing constantly; together we can mitigate their impact on our people, their property and their quality of life.

Embodying who we are and our role in Aotearoa New Zealand, our new name, Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake, reflects our role as a partner to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, as well as our shared responsibility with tangata whenua for kaitiakitanga (guardianship and protection) of people and places impacted by natural hazards.