It's time to fix 'dumb' mistakes in NZ's infrastructure, says insurance body head

The Wellington suburb of Petone is at risk of earthquakes, tsunamis, river flooding and liquefaction, says Tim Grafton. (Image: Getty)

Greg Hurrell

Tue, 24 Oct 2023

New Zealand has made major historical mistakes in where it has built and needs to stop building in “dumb” places, the outgoing head of the Insurance Council of NZ says.Tim Grafton is stepping down as chief executive of the Insurance Council of NZ (ICNZ) next April after a frenetic 11-plus years marked by major earthquakes and national infrastructure under increasing pressure from climate change.He said insurers could only take on a certain amount of risk and could no longer be relied on to fix everything when the worst happened.&nbs...

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