A Christchurch couple who were told that their home was lost in the Port Hills blaze, just hours after finally insuring it, appear to have had a lucky escape.

A top disaster recovery expert from New Zealand's biggest insurer flew down to Christchurch this morning in response to the Port Hills fires.

Chaos and cordons as evacuated locals try to find out how their homes survived the night.

I let my kid front-flip off the roof yesterday. It was a calculated risk. (I'm hoping his mother doesn't read this.)

Aucklanders are paying 16 per more on average for car insurance a year than what the average Kiwi pays.

A fishing boat has run aground off the sensitive Otago coast.

The Tower board said the deal would not impact Tower insurance policies or the rights of policy holders.

Suncorp Group's New Zealand insurance units posted a 57 per cent decline in first-half profit.

Statistics NZ figures show the pay gap between men and women is around 12 per cent, but at AA Insurance its less than 3 per cent.

Kaikoura quake damage to businesses has topped $900 million, according to insurance figures.

Kiwi scientist Dr Michelle "Nanogirl" Dickinson has had a close encounter with late Apple founder Steve Jobs' superyacht.

Insurers IAG and Tower are headed to court to challenge the Earthquake Commission's payouts for Canterbury earthquake claimants.

A safety report has revealed what Kiwis fear the most.

COMMENT: When Jennifer McIndoe signed on the dotted line for an Avis rental car she didn't realise the ramifications.

CBL Corporation has completed its 94.5 million euro ($142.7m) purchase of its biggest customer. The deal will see the company take

Auckland and Bay of Plenty worst hit, but authorities say reduction efforts have worked.

Disney may get $69m from an insurance policy it took out in the likelihood Carrie Fisher couldn't finish the Star Wars films.

Pioneering insurance boss Naomi Ballantyne has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours.

Insurer Youi has been fined $320,000 on 15 charges of using misleading sales techniques to sell policies to consumers seeking quotes.

Hundreds of people have lodged injury claims following last month's massive magnitude-7.8 earthquake.

The Earthquake Commission and the Insurance Council of New Zealand have struck a deal to stop double ups on assessing property.

A new report has found it would cost more than $250million to repair Christchurch's earthquake-battered Lancaster Park.

New Zealand's largest insurer says the Kaikoura quakes is likely to cost it hundreds of million of dollars.

Owners of a top Wellington restaurant could be left tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket from last month's earthquake.

The Kaikoura Earthquake will cost the Government up to $3 billion, the Treasury estimates.

Insurance companies could charge you higher premiums by using 'big data' to follow your habits.

Tower posted a wider annual loss as the general insurer set aside $25.3 million for provisions.

One in five Kiwis send texts while driving, according to a new survey tracking risky driving behaviours.

There's no word whether premiums will rise as a result.

Staff turned away from Wellington's Asteron building this morning after cracks found in stairwell.