Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake

What Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake does

Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC Toka Tū Ake) is a New Zealand Crown entity established in 1945 that administers the statutory first layer of natural hazards insurance for residential property owners across Aotearoa New Zealand. Originally constituted as the Earthquake and War Damage Commission and later known as the Earthquake Commission (EQC), it was rebranded and refocused in 2021 as NHC Toka Tū Ake — a Māori phrase meaning 'the foundation from which we stand strong, together' — to reflect an expanded mandate covering earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, landslides, and severe weather events. The organization delivers Natural Hazards Cover, storm/flood/landslide damage cover, claims processing, section notice management, specialized Canterbury earthquake support, and urgent repair authorization, alongside the Natural Hazards Portal, a public data and modelling platform.

The core platform is a statutory insurance scheme that attaches cover automatically to residential fire and general insurance policies; claims administration is delivered through partnerships with most insurers operating in New Zealand, who process claims on behalf of the Commission. A Resilience and Research function layers on top of the insurance operation, funding major data and loss modelling projects, risk reduction programs, and public education outreach aimed at embedding natural hazards resilience into housing, town, and city decision-making. The Natural Hazards Portal operationalizes this research mandate by exposing hazard data and modelling tools to the public.

The business model is funded by compulsory levies on residential property insurance policies and New Zealand Government appropriations rather than market-rate premiums; the entity is government-owned and not privately held or venture-backed. Reinsurance risk is transferred to global reinsurers, with a record $12.3 billion reinsurance programme reported in June 2026. No private equity, venture capital, or individual ownership interests are involved, and the Commission is not publicly traded.

Name

Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake

Legal name

Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake

Website

https://eqc.govt.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake is a New Zealand Crown entity administering statutory natural hazards insurance for residential property owners nationwide, delivering first-layer disaster cover through partnerships with most NZ insurers and operating the Natural Hazards Portal and a national resilience research function.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Natural Hazards Insurance

NAICS

Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carriers (524126)

SIC

Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental / Pollution Liability (FSAJAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Natural Hazard & Climate Physical Risk Screening for Sites (Flood, Wildfire, Sea Level) (EUAHAEAM), Public Liability (Premises/Operations) (FSAJADAD)

Keywords

• Natural hazard insurance
• Residential property insurance
• Catastrophe insurance
• Disaster risk research
• Hazard risk modelling

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NHC Toka Tū Ake provides statutory, first-layer natural hazards insurance to residential property owners across New Zealand, covering damage to homes and limited cover for land from earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, landslides, storms, and floods. Claims are administered in partnership with most NZ insurers, and the organisation also funds natural hazard research, data and loss modelling, risk reduction initiatives, and public education on hazard preparedness.

Product overview

Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake operates as a single-platform insurance and resilience service centered on Natural Hazards Cover (formerly EQC insurance), providing mandated natural disaster insurance to residential property owners. The core offering consists of the Natural Hazards Cover policy that insures homes and limited land against earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and landslides. Supporting the core insurance product are several integrated modules: Storm, Flood, and Landslide Damage Cover for severe weather events; Claims Processing for navigating settlements; Section Notices for property title tracking; Canterbury Earthquake Claims for legacy earthquake support; and Making Urgent Repairs for emergency authorization. A complementary sub-product, the Natural Hazards Portal, provides public access to hazard data and modelling. The Resilience and Research Services module delivers research, data modelling, risk reduction, and public education programs that support the organization's mission to reduce natural hazard impacts across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Natural Hazards Cover

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Most Insurers in New ZealandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNHC Toka Tū Ake partners with most insurers operating in New Zealand to simplify the claims process for homeowners. These insurer partners administer and process claims on behalf of the Commission, handling customer interactions while NHC provides the underlying natural hazards insurance coverage.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• California Earthquake Authority: California's statutorily created, publicly-managed residential earthquake insurance pool. Closely comparable as a government-backed residential natural-hazard insurance scheme providing first-layer cover through partnerships with private insurers.
• DASK (Doğal Afet Sigortaları Kurumu): Turkey's compulsory earthquake insurance pool for residential properties. Comparable as a statutory catastrophe insurance scheme funded by premiums on residential property, providing first-layer cover against a defined natural hazard.
• Citizens Property Insurance Corporation: Florida's state-created insurer of last resort providing residential property coverage in catastrophe-exposed areas. Comparable as a government-backed property insurer stepping in where private markets are unwilling or capacity-constrained.

Others

• Swiss Re: Global reinsurer participating in NZ catastrophe reinsurance programmes. Comparable as a structural reinsurance partner to national natural-hazard insurance schemes, including NHC.
• IAG New Zealand: IAG is the largest general insurer in New Zealand and one of NHC's core claims-administration partners (via brands such as AMI, NZI, and State). Comparable as the primary private distribution and claims partner for NHC's first-layer cover.
• Munich Re: Global reinsurer participating in NZ catastrophe reinsurance programmes. Comparable as a key counterparty to NHC's $12.3B reinsurance programme and as a structural supplier of capacity to residential natural-hazard pools.
• Insurance Council of New Zealand: Industry body representing NZ general insurers — NHC's distribution and claims partners. Comparable as an ecosystem participant governing the private insurer relationships that deliver NHC's cover to residential property owners.

Broad incumbents

• California FAIR Plan: California's FAIR Plan provides basic property insurance as a market of last resort for high-risk residential and commercial properties. Comparable as a government-affiliated residential property insurance mechanism for catastrophe-exposed risks.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCn008_LQ4z89psIuaDBLyFg
• Facebookfacebook.com/naturalhazardscommission
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/earthquake-commission/?originalSubdomain=nz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake