We've compiled information and resources to support engineers responding to natural hazards and involved in response and recovery phases, including post-event assessments and natural hazard insurance claims.

Engineers play a critical role following natural hazards, from emergency response activities through to post-hazard damage assessment, recovery and claims-related work. They may be engaged by public agencies, insurers, recovery services or homeowners to provide independent technical advice that supports safety, reinstatement and fair outcomes.

Engineering New Zealand supports engineers involved in response and recovery by providing guidance, resources and frameworks that promote consistent, objective and trusted engineering practice.

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Natural hazard response

Natural hazard recovery

Professional obligations and wellbeing

Resources and tools

Natural hazard response roles and expectations

Natural hazards and severe weather events may trigger a coordinated emergency response led by Civil Defence and partner agencies. Affected regions may be declared in a state of emergency to enable coordinated responses across multiple organisations.

Engineers may be called on to assist with stabilisation, infrastructure repair, building assessments, and other tasks as part of the emergency response effort.

Engineers' roles during emergency response

Engineers involved in emergency response may assist with:

  • stabilisation of land or critical structures
  • prioritisation and repair of emergency infrastructure
  • rapid building assessments where required
  • advice on safe access and work practices on damaged property
  • support for search and rescue or allied efforts when appropriately tasked

Key points for engineers in emergency settings

When working in emergency response contexts, engineers should:

  • follow official instructions from Civil Defence, local councils and emergency management agencies
  • prioritise safety for yourself, your team and the public
  • ensure appropriate personal protective equipment and site inductions are in place
  • be aware of health, safety and welfare risks associated with damaged infrastructure and unstable ground
  • contact Civil Defence to report slips, flooding or damage
  • call 111 where life or safety is at risk

Engineering New Zealand will share important information for engineers during and after major events through its website and branches.

Natural hazard recovery assessments and engineering engagement

Following a natural hazard event, engineers are often engaged by homeowners, insurers, local authorities or recovery services to assess damage, investigate causes, and recommend how structures can be reinstated.

The aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes led to some people in Christchurch losing trust and confidence in engineers. To help rebuild this confidence, Engineering New Zealand supported the Government's Greater Christchurch Claims Resolution Service and continues to support its replacement, the New Zealand Claims Resolution Service.

Your role as an engineer

You may be engaged by homeowners or insurers to assess how a property has been damaged by a natural hazard and how that damage can be reinstated to the standard required by the insurance policy.

In doing so:

  • you may be advising on an insurance response, which must also meet Building Code requirements to the extent required by the Building Act, as set out in your engagement
  • you may be providing information to help all parties, not just your client, reach a fair and just resolution based on the required standard

Your role is to act independently and objectively, guided by the questions set out in the letter of engagement. You are not an advocate for any party. Your responsibility is to provide technically accurate advice, regardless of whether it aligns with your client's interests or views.

Obligations in assessments

When undertaking damage assessments and reinstatement reviews, engineers should:

  • ensure there is a clear letter of engagement defining scope and the required reinstatement standard
  • act independently and objectively, providing impartial advice
  • clearly define the required standard of repair or reinstatement, with reference to the relevant insurance policy or regulatory baseline

Clear engagement and scope definition can reduce misunderstanding and disputes during claims resolution.

Before starting work, engineers should ensure there is a clear letter of engagement so expectations are understood. This should include a clear statement of the reinstatement standard, such as the standard set out in an insurance policy. Engineering New Zealand recommends using its letter of engagement templates, which can be tailored to specific policy requirements. See the Recovery resources and tools section for available templates.

Gathering information

Once you are engaged, you'll need to gather information to help you answer the questions in your letter of engagement.

The first question is whether there has been natural disaster damage. To answer this, you need to form a view about what the property was like before the natural disaster.

Engaging with homeowners

Homeowners have a unique and valid perspective on damage to their property. Whether you are engaged by the homeowner or the insurer, we encourage you to discuss the property's condition with the homeowner. Ask them how the property changed through the event and any action taken to reinstate the damage since then. Also ask them for any records or photos they have that will help with your assessment.

Useful information sources

Other useful information can include:

  • the council's property file
  • other engineering, surveying or other assessments carried out on the property
  • other reports relating to the property, including previous work to reinstate damage
  • aerial photographs of land damage and liquefaction
  • peak ground accelerations from the area (available from the NZ Geotechnical database)
  • sub-floor void CCTV footage
  • the original EQC scope of works

If you think there is a gap in the information available to you, you should let your client know as soon as possible.

Site visit protocols

You'll also gather information during a site visit. If you are the Chartered Professional Engineer, Chartered Member or senior engineer signing off on the assessment report, then you should be part of the site visit team.

At the site visit, make sure you:

  • introduce yourself to the homeowner and let them know your registrations and affiliations
  • explain what you'll be doing at the site visit and why. For example, if you are creating a damage mark-up of the property, how you will go about doing this

Being thorough in your site visit

Be thorough in your site visit and evidence gathering. Many of these outstanding claims are particularly complex. It is easier for the homeowner if you do one thorough assessment than coming back multiple times. How you engage with the homeowner during this visit can affect how they'll view your report, as well as their trust in you and the profession generally.

Being thorough means:

  • thinking about what you might need to assess before you go. If you know you will need to lift carpet, then arrange to take a carpet layer with you
  • assessing the house as a whole. Don't just assess part of the house and extrapolate from there. Consider what you see against what you know about how the house shook in the earthquakes, where it is located, what the ground performance was, whether there was liquefaction, what material type the house is, and the roof type etc. Looking at all the data helps you to assess whether damage is likely to have been caused by the earthquakes
  • looking at changes in non-structural features that can tell you about structural changes. For example, measuring benchtops, window sills, weatherboards, and hinge sets on doors can provide indicators of pre-existing conditions that may not be a result of earthquake damage.

Assessing the information

Once you've gathered information, you need to assess it to answer the questions in your letter of engagement.

There are a number of tools you can use to help assess the information. The MBIE Guidance contains criteria and information that can help engineers to work through earthquake damage and repairs. But your reference point for any reinstatement recommendations is the required standard in the insurance policy.

The MBIE Guidance doesn't define what damage is in insurance contract terms, and it still requires the application of engineering judgement to how criteria are applied and reinstatement options selected.

Writing report

The Engineering New Zealand report framework includes recommended subheadings for your report, and is included as an Appendix in the Letter of Engagement templates. It makes sure reports are set out in a consistent way, which makes it easier for homeowners and insurers to compare different reports. See the Recovery resources and tools section for the report framework.

Including homeowner observations

While you should not rely exclusively on the homeowner's observations, they should be reflected in your report. If you disagree or agree with the homeowner's view, you should explain why and cite evidence.

Writing for clarity

Write your report so that a reader unfamiliar with the property could get a clear understanding of its history, damage you observed, and how you recommend it can be reinstated to meet the policy standard. If you disagree with other engineering reports, you should say why.

Supporting your findings

You must include reasons and evidence to support your findings and conclusions. Don't assume something if you could easily investigate it. If you are making assumptions, make it clear what assumptions you are making and why. Say if you think further investigations are required.

Communicating your opinion

How you communicate your opinion is really important. Your credibility is about more than technical proficiency. It's also about the journey you take your client on, and how you interact with them.

Don't simply send your engineering report to your client by email. Contact your client and talk them through what your report includes. Ask them if they have any questions. Use plain English to explain technical points.

Working with homeowners and insurers

When working with clients after a natural hazard event:

  • clearly explain what you will assess and how the site visit will be carried out
  • gather available background information, such as photographs, previous reports and council property files
  • document how conclusions were reached and explain assumptions and limitations
  • use consistent reporting structures to support comparison and review.

Natural hazard claims and dispute resolution

Engineers' role in claims

Engineers provide technical evaluations that inform natural hazard insurance claims. This may include:

  • assessing whether damage is attributable to the natural hazard or to pre-existing conditions
  • determining the extent of damage and how reinstatement can achieve the required policy standard
  • identifying investigation limitations and explaining assumptions used in forming professional opinions

Engineers may be engaged by:

  • homeowners seeking technical assessment to support a claim
  • insurers requiring independent engineering advice
  • claims resolution services supporting dispute resolution or expert facilitation

Engineers should maintain independence and clearly explain the basis of their conclusions in all reports.

New Zealand Claims Resolution Service

Engineering New Zealand supports the New Zealand Claims Resolution Service, which assists homeowners and insurers to resolve disputes arising from natural hazard insurance claims.

Engineers on the NZCRS Natural Hazard Recovery Panel may provide:

  • initial appraisals
  • peer reviews of existing engineering assessments
  • explanations of engineering findings to non-technical parties
  • technical facilitation between experts with differing opinions
  • expert evidence for formal claim determinations

Managing differing opinions and disputes

Engineering assessments involve professional judgement, and differences of opinion can occur.

What happens when you have a different opinion from another engineer?

This forensic type of engineering assessment is not straightforward. Engineers need to look at a property post-disaster and make assumptions about what it was like before and how it's changed. This requires professional judgement, and sometimes engineers can reasonably disagree.

If you come to a conclusion that's different from another engineer's, don't immediately assume one is right and one is wrong. To help your client move forward with their claim, discuss with the other engineer in a professional and respectful way how your reports differ and why. Be prepared to listen to the other engineer's point of view. Ask some key questions:

  • were you working to the same brief?
  • did you both look at the same information?
  • what differences might you have found in your site visits?

Where conclusions differ, engineers should discuss differences professionally and respectfully, considering scope, assumptions, information sources and site observations. Peer review or technical facilitation may assist.

Where appropriate, NZCRS pathways can support structured facilitation or determination.

Safety, wellbeing and professional obligations

Response and recovery work can be physically and emotionally demanding. Engineers should plan work carefully, use available support resources, and monitor personal and team wellbeing.

Engineering New Zealand provides access to emergency response resources and wellbeing support. See the Emergency response resources and Recovery resources and tools sections below for available resources.

Engineers must operate within New Zealand's professional and regulatory framework, including compliance with the Chartered Professional Engineers of New Zealand Act 2002, professional and ethical obligations, and requirements for technically robust, evidence-based reporting.

Emergency response resources

Buildings and worksites

Business

General information

Recovery resources and tools

Templates and frameworks

Post-earthquake assessments

Developed following the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence in consultation with insurers and homeowners, this template provides a framework for assessing and reporting earthquake damage and reinstatement. It remains relevant for all earthquake events.

Download the post-earthquake engagement letter – includes scope definition, reinstatement standard options, and reporting requirements for earthquake damage assessments

Structural assessments after other natural hazards

Developed in 2023 for non-earthquake natural hazards. Subject to ongoing review.

Download the structural assessment engagement letter – template for structural assessments following floods, storms, and other non-earthquake events

Geotechnical assessments after natural hazards

Developed in 2023 for use after all natural hazard events. Subject to review.

Download the geotechnical assessment engagement letter – template for geotechnical assessments including land damage and stability

Geotechnical assessments after the Auckland flood events

Developed by Auckland Council in August 2023 for flood damage assessments following the Auckland flood events.

Download the Auckland flood events geotechnical assessment engagement letter - specific template for Auckland flood-related geotechnical work

Download a report framework – standardised structure for geotechnical reports

Report framework

Engineering New Zealand provides a report framework to support consistent reporting.

Download the report framework – recommended subheadings and structure for damage assessment reports

Lessons learnt and reference material

Engineering New Zealand developed legacy documentation in 2023 to capture lessons from the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence, informed by expert panel work and stakeholder input from the Homeowners Advisory Group, private insurers, Toka Tū Ake EQC, NZCRS and lawyers.

The Canterbury earthquakes engineering journey

A summary of the key engineering lessons, themes and experiences in the residential recovery following the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence.

Panel Legacy Document – Engineering Journey – overview of lessons learnt, common challenges, and reflections from engineers involved in the recovery

Guidance for engineers on residential damage assessment and reinstatement

Practical advice and key considerations for engineers undertaking an engineering assessment of residential buildings damaged by natural disasters.

Panel Legacy Document – Guidance for Engineers on residential damage assessment and reinstatement – detailed technical guidance on assessment methodologies, reporting, and reinstatement approaches

Guidance for engineers on insurance law

A summary of key legal and insurance considerations from the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence, including a summary of case law relevant to engineers working in the area of natural disaster damage assessment and repair.

Panel Legacy Document – Guidance for Engineers on Insurance Law – legal principles, insurance policy interpretation, and relevant case law for engineers

Panel instruction letter and brief

A summary of the referral services provided by the Panel, including the instruction and brief for each service. Documentation presented is representative of NZCRS referrals only, with an exception for the facilitation service, as there are significant differences between NZCRS and Tribunal facilitation service. Example reports are given for each service from past GCCRS engagements.

Panel Legacy Document – Panel Instruction and Brief – includes instruction letters, scope definitions, and example reports for panel services

Reference library

Key technical documents relevant to engineering assessments.

Panel Legacy Document – Reference Library - collection of technical standards, guidance documents, and reference materials

Tips and case studies

Wellbeing

Key reference documents

  • MBIE and Civil Defence guidance
  • rapid building assessment frameworks
  • official national emergency information