Stormwater Management Takes Center Stage at Insurance Conference
As extreme weather events continue to impact New Zealand’s communities and infrastructure, the insurance industry is turning its attention to stormwater management and flood mitigation strategies. The 2025 Water New Zealand Stormwater Conference in Rotorua, which opened on May 13, is expected to draw over 500 professionals from various fields, including engineering, policymaking, local authorities, and insurance leadership.
The three-day event features a comprehensive agenda that explores new approaches to stormwater challenges amid increasingly intense rainfall and flood events. According to Gillian Blythe, chief executive of Water New Zealand, the sector is under growing pressure to adapt to these changes. “We have major challenges ahead, and we need innovative and affordable solutions to address the growing risk of more intense rainfall events and flooding,” she emphasized.
The conference’s keynote lineup includes prominent figures such as Climate Change and Local Government Minister Simon Watts, Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) chief executive Chris Faafoi, and Jonathan Rowe, programme manager of the South Dunedin Future initiative, which is focused on planning for a region particularly vulnerable to flooding and sea level rise.
Other notable speakers include Nicki Green from Thames-Coromandel District Council, Shari Gallop of Waikato University, Mike Adams from Stantec USA, and Allan Leahy from Auckland Council. The event’s themes encompass integrated water management, urban design practices that reduce flood risk, and collaborative models involving iwi and community input.
Blythe highlighted the importance of adopting a multi-faceted approach to stormwater management. “We need to ensure all communities, including hapu and iwi, work together to adopt the best of international knowledge and home-grown solutions. We know we can’t just hard engineer, or pipe our way out of many of the problems facing us. That’s why stormwater management is increasingly about adopting nature-based and water-sensitive urban design solutions as well as traditional piped networks.”
Insurance data reveals a significant increase in public concern regarding weather-related events. The latest Wild Weather Tracker report from AMI, State, and NZI found that over half of New Zealanders report anxiety tied to storms and rainfall, with 43% citing flooding as a primary concern. The survey also revealed that 54% of respondents had experienced a natural event over the past two years, and 41% reported negative impacts.
In response to these growing concerns, New Zealanders are showing greater engagement in hazard preparedness. A recent survey commissioned by the Natural Hazards Commission (Toka Tū Ake) and conducted by NielsenIQ found that 71% of homeowners had taken steps to reduce their property’s exposure to hazards, marking a 15% increase from the previous year. The survey also found that nearly 90% of respondents now factor hazard exposure into their home-buying decisions.
