Earthquakes still top of the league for insurance costs

NZ keeps a round-the-clock watch on natural hazards. (Image: NZME)

Tue, 28 Oct 2025

In a room in Lower Hutt, a rotating team of three people keeps a round-the-clock watch on disaster. Sitting before banks of monitors and connected to remote sensors, the highly trained analysts keep a lookout for earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.There are two screens dedicated to Whakaari/White Island, featuring footage from mainland webcams."We're still working with government and owners to get permission to re-instrument the island," says Graham Leonard, a volcanologist by training.Until a few months ago, Leonard...

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