Make a complaint
If you are unhappy with the service you received, or the outcome of a claim, you can make a complaint.
Contact your insurer
Contact the insurer you have been dealing with during the claims process to make a complaint.
Contact NHC Toka Tū Ake
Make a complaint directly with Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake if your claim has been managed by us. NHC Toka Tū Ake might manage your claim directly if your insurer is not listed as one of our partners, or you are a Direct NHCover customer.
Use our complaints webform to make a complaint directly with NHC Toka Tū Ake.
You can also make a complaint to us by:
- calling 0800 DAMAGE
- emailing complaint@naturalhazards.govt.nz
- writing to NHCover claims, PO Box 311, Wellington, 6140.
Types of complaints you can make
You can make a complaint about issues such as the:
1. outcome of your claim, for example if your claim was invalid, declined or you are not satisfied with your settlement
2. way you have been treated, for example if you think the Code of Insured Persons’ Rights has been breached
3. way your claim has been managed.
Investigating and resolving your complaint
If you have made a complaint with NHC Toka Tū Ake we will be in contact within 5 working days to acknowledge that your complaint has been received, and we may ask for more information.
We will contact you regularly to update you on progress, and aim to investigate your complaint and resolve it within 2 months. If this is not possible, we will let you know.
Once a decision has been made about your complaint, we will contact you to discuss the outcome of the investigation. The outcome will be confirmed in writing.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint
If you have made a complaint and you are not satisfied with the outcome, there are some options to take the complaint further.
Have your complaint reviewed by NHC Toka Tū Ake
If your complaint is with NHC Toka Tū Ake, you can request a review by a NHC Toka Tū Ake manager by emailing resolutions@naturalhazards.govt.nz with your concerns. You will be contacted within 5 working days of us receiving your email, acknowledging your request.
Code of Insured Persons’ Rights complaints
You can apply to have the outcome of a complaint about a breach of the Code of Insured Persons’ Rights independently reviewed by Fair Way.
Contact the Ombudsman
You can raise concerns about the outcome of your complaint by contacting the Office of the Ombudsman(external link). The Ombudsman is independent and impartial. They will open an investigation when they consider it appropriate.
Disputing the outcome of a claim
A dispute is generally a disagreement or conflict about a decision made on your claim.
If you are unhappy with decisions made about your claim, we encourage you to make a complaint with your insurer or with NHC Toka Tū Ake first.
To raise a dispute, your options include:
- EQCover claims can be disputed by contacting your insurer or their dispute resolution service (EQCover claims relate to damage that first occurred before 1 July 2024).
- You can also take a dispute about an EQCover claim to the Office of the Ombudsman.(external link)
- NHCover claims can be disputed through the NHCover Dispute Resolution service operated by Fair Way, (NHCover claims relate to damage that first occurred on or after 1 July 2024).
- Claims related to the Canterbury earthquake sequence can also be disputed through the New Zealand Claims Resolution Service, or the Canterbury Earthquake Insurance Tribunal.
- Taking your dispute to court.
