Nearly 85,000 people have accessed New Zealand’s Natural Hazards Portal in the past year, reflecting a growing public interest in understanding and preparing for natural hazard risks.

Now, the Bay of Plenty region is set to play a leading role in the platform’s next evolution.

The portal, launched two years ago by the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC), provides interactive access to settled EQCover and NHCover claims data, helping users understand the types of natural hazards their property or region may be exposed to.

The Bay of Plenty region will pilot enhancements for the portal, a statement from the National Hazards Commission said.

These include integrating local and regional hazard maps with claims data, and eventually offering modelled scenarios to help users assess individual property-level risk.

“Given we live in one of the riskiest countries in the world for natural hazards, we’re pleased to see the increasing appetite for risk information,” NHC’s head of risk reduction Sarah-Jayne McCurrach said.

“Of people who visited the portal, 16% downloaded key natural hazard information in relation to the area or property they live in or want to live in. And more than half took steps to improve their resilience to natural hazards by doing things like reviewing their natural hazards insurance and securing heavy furniture,” McCurrach said.

Recent independent research by NielsenIQ confirms Kiwis are increasingly factoring natural hazards into property decisions. Some 91% of homebuyers now consider natural hazard risk when purchasing a home, and 70% of homeowners say they’ve taken action to protect their home, land or contents from damage.

“We’re seeing a real shift in awareness. More people are seeking out natural hazard information and using it to make informed decisions about their homes and safety,” McCurrach said.

“The portal is helping turn awareness into action – and ultimately resilience.

“Excitingly, we are actively developing the next phase of the portal to make the platform easier to use and expand the range and depth of available data.”

One of the enhancements will be the integration of local and regional natural hazard maps alongside settled claims data, offering users an even clearer picture of natural hazards in their area, McCurrach said.

In the near future, the portal will also provide access to modelled scenarios and offer users the ability to assess their individual property risk.

The portal is available at naturalhazardsportal.govt.nz.