New Zealand insurance companies need to focus on the individual needs of the community and think long term, says Wayne Besant.

More than 4000 claims have poured into the Earthquake Commission following the central New Zealand earthquakes back in July, and damage assessment will begin today.

Tom Fail lists the key themes to consider when managing infrastructure project risks.

Earthquake Minister Gerry Brownlee has hinted he will not interfere with the rebuild of Christchurch's Town Hall.

Funding for talk therapy is drying up just as increasing numbers of Kiwis are feeling comfortable talking about their problems.

An insurance lawyer is questioning the basis for the new home insurance system which limits payouts to a maximum "sum insured" if a home is destroyed or extensively damaged.

Homeowners who think the only issue with house insurance changes is the likely premium increase need look no further than Christchurch.

Insurance companies are refusing policies to new customers in central New Zealand after Sunday's 6.5 earthquake.

A heavily pregnant woman driving to hospital in case she went into labour had to complete the journey by rescue chopper after her car collided with a cow.

There is a huge value in the fact that in New Zealand we have clean water and beautiful forests to enjoy, so why doesn't our GDP reflect this?

An 83-year-old spent weeks in hospital after she was hit by a car and was then smacked with a bill for $1800 by the driver's insurance company.

The mother of a 12-year-old boy hit by a car as he walked home from school is being chased for damages by the driver's insurance company.

The OECD is urging New Zealand to adopt a deposit insurance scheme to limit depositors' losses in the event of a bank failure.

Meet the carboot lawyer who wings in and out of Christchurch with a huge caseload on behalf of desperate quake-struck homeowners.

If that ancient tree on your property was blown down in the wind and took the power lines or your neighbour's fence down, who would pay for the damage?

The tornado which ripped through Hobsonville and Whenuapai in Auckland last December cost the insurance industry $8.7 million, the Insurance Council of New Zealand says.

An Otumoetai family affected by a major slip are in limbo for at least six weeks.

The receivers of failed finance company Bridgecorp have been given leave to appeal to the Supreme Court in a stoush over an insurance policy worth up $20 million.

Elderly people are being caught out by funeral insurance plans that they do not understand, the Insurance and Savings Ombudsman says.