Dear Toka Tū Ake – Natural Hazards Commission,

On 20 September 2023, The Press published an article, titled, “Uncertainty remains for on-sold EQC claimants”, EQC is quoted as saying “In the remaining cases [outside of the on-sold scheme/support package] where earthquake damage exceeds the statutory cap and there is no access to private insurance cover, we assess on a case-by-case basis to determine if an ex-gratia settlement is required”.

The Press further adds, “Andrews said after a review of claims not eligible for the Government’s one-off on-sold support package, only a few were determined to warrant an ex-gratia settlement”.

Finally, The Press highlights, “Unlike the on-sold scheme, which was funded by Treasury, EQC funds ex-gratia payments through its natural disaster fund”.

I request all official information held by EQC/NHC in relation to how it assesses, in required cases, whether an ex-gratia offer is warranted, how these payments are calculated and on what terms (if any) these are put forward.

This is a request pursuant to the Official Information Act 1982.

Yours faithfully,

Kenny M.