Westport is so flood prone that a plan has been considered to move the entire town. Photo: RNZ / Anan Zaki
Nearly half the population wants the government to do more to protect people and properties from extreme weather events, new research has found.
The annual survey, which was commissioned by the Insurance Council of New Zealand, found 49 percent of respondents believe the government should invest more to safeguard lives and properties, compared with 53 percent in 2023 and 39 percent in 2002.
Some 29 percent remained unsure about this issue.
Nearly half of those surveyed (46 percent) felt the government should cover the cost of actions to reduce risk from the impact of climate change, followed by councils at 13 percent, individuals (12 percent), private sector (6 percent), and local communities (4 percent).
A majority of people (62 percent) said the government should take the lead to build New Zealand's resilience and ability to cope with natural events such as earthquakes, floods and wildfires. This was followed by councils (16 percent), local communities (6 percent), individuals (4 percent) and the private sector (3 percent).
Meanwhile an overwhelming majority of respondents (83 percent) believed there should be more control on where properties were built so they were not at risk from flooding, similar to previous surveys.
Insurance Council chief executive Kris Faafoi said the survey "sent a clear message" New Zealanders wanted to see more investment in resilience measures, and "proactive" action to avoid building in flood-prone places.
"Eighty-three percent of people agreeing that we need to do more about planning areas and not building in dumb places is quite a number. New Zealanders have clocked the fact that we have built communities and places where there is flood risk. [But] if we've got the data and the ability to prevent that happening in the future then the planning laws and the planning decisions should reflect that. [It's] certainly something that we've learned off the back of the two recent weather events."
The government was taking steps in the right direction, he added. "But the country needs to remain focused on finding solutions to reduce risk and keep communities safe as we face the prospect of more extreme weather."
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