April storm in New Zealand caused $36 million in insured damage

A storm that hit New Zealand in late April has caused more than $36 million in insured damage, the Insurance Council of New Zealand reported Tuesday.

“This was one of the most damaging storm events in the past five years with the brunt of the damage borne by the Nelson and Bay of Plenty regions,” ICNZ chief executive Tim Grafton noted in a statement.

“Fortunately, New Zealand’s generally high levels of insurance uptake make for a sustainable recovery at times like these,” he added.

In Nelson, on the eastern shore of Tasman Bay, insured losses were about $25 million, much higher than the $16.8 million the area had in flood damage in December 2011. All figures are in New Zealand dollars.

About $12.1 million of the insured damage from April’s storm in Nelson was to residential properties, with commercial damage totaling about $11.6 million, the insurance council said. Motor vehicle damage totaled about $1 million.

Losses in the Bay of Plenty, on the northern shore of the country, came to $9.7 million, with most of the damage to residential properties ($6.3 million). Commercial damage totaled around $2.4 million, while vehicle damage is around $810,000.

There was also about three-quarters of a million dollars of insured damage in the Waikato region on the northern island, and costs elsewhere in the country bring the total insured damages to around $36 million.

Earlier this month, the country also experienced heavy rainfall and flooding, causing road and school closures.