NZ Building Answers

How do I check natural hazards on a property in NZ?

Updated June 2026

Short answer

Start with the council. The LIM lists hazard information the council holds on the site, such as flooding, erosion, slips or liquefaction, and regional councils publish hazard maps you can search by address. Check the title too, since section 72 and 73 notices flag building consents granted on hazard-prone land. Ask insurers about cover early, not after you go unconditional.

Source: Building Performance (MBIE). Updated June 2026.

Want to check the builder you're talking to? Check any NZ company, no signup.

Check a builder

Key facts

LIM reports include hazard information held by the council
Regional and district councils publish searchable hazard maps
Section 72 and 73 notices on a title flag consents granted despite a known hazard
Hazard maps are modelled risk, not predictions for a specific house
Insurance availability is a practical test of how the market rates the risk

Where hazard information lives

Hazard information about NZ property sits in a few places. The council's LIM includes what the council holds on the specific site, covering things like flooding, erosion, slips or liquefaction. Regional councils publish hazard maps you can search by address. The title itself can also carry notices that flag hazard history.

Running the address through checkmybuilder.co.nz/property pulls together the land details and known hazards for a site, which makes a useful starting point before you order anything formal.

Read hazard maps for what they are

Council hazard maps are modelled. A flood overlay means the area is assessed as carrying a level of flood risk under certain scenarios, not that the house floods. The reverse is also true: absence from a map is no guarantee. Treat the maps as a prompt for questions, ask the council what sits behind an overlay, and pay attention to what the land itself suggests about drainage and slope. After major weather events councils update their modelling, so a map you checked two years ago may have changed. Work from the current version and keep a dated copy of what you relied on.

Check the title for section 72 and 73 notices

When a council grants a building consent on land subject to natural hazards, the Building Act allows the consent to proceed with a notice placed on the title. A section 72 or 73 notice tells future owners the consent was granted despite a known hazard, and it can have insurance and liability implications worth understanding before you buy. Your lawyer will spot these on the title, and our separate answer on these notices covers the detail. Notices stay on the title when the property changes hands, so a hazard accepted by a previous owner becomes part of what you are buying.

Insurance is the practical test

Insurers price natural hazard risk, and in some areas they decline cover or apply special terms. Get an insurance quote on the actual address during your conditional period, because your lender will require insurance, and a property that is hard to insure is hard to finance and hard to resell. If an insurer hesitates, find out why before you go unconditional. A long-standing policy held by the current owner is not automatically available to you on the same terms, so get the quote in your own name.

Before you hire

Knowing the rules is half the job. The other half is knowing who you're hiring. Check any NZ builder against the public record: company status, licensing and insolvency notices, from the official NZ sources.

Check a builder No account, results in minutes.