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.

Main roads out of major centres were clogged with traffic today as holidaymakers hit the roads for the Easter weekend, but so far drivers were being patient police say.

The country's top traffic cop is urging drivers to make history with another fatality-free Easter weekend.

Police are challenging drivers to achieve another zero-death road toll this Easter as New Zealanders take advantage of their last holiday weekend before winter.

Labour and the Greens are right. Our banks are too big to fail and we should be honest about that by creating a deposit insurance scheme for deposits of less than $250,000.

How much would your house cost to build? If you don't know and don't want to rely on your CV or an insurer's online calculator, you may be facing a $500 bill from a valuer when a major change to the way insurance policies work kicks in.

You've just been offered a "better" life, critical illness, disablement or income protection policy. It's cheaper and the cover is superior, you're told. Should you sign up?

Having cysts removed from above my eyebrows cost me $800, which I paid the same time as the visit. I sent my account to Sovereign for a refund and was told that I couldn't claim because it wasn't for $1,200.

Kingsland property owner Pam Willis says insurance premiums may reach the point where owners start tearing down commercial buildings.

Mark Simmonds who, with his wife Bronwyn Paul, runs a wedding and event venue in a renovated Edwardian building in Wanganui, can no longer get insurance cover for earthquake damage.

Weekend Herald consumer finance writer Diana Clement explains changes to home insurance policies and how they could affect you.

Looks like details of the long-awaited Mighty River Power float are set to be released on Monday with the Government raring to go after receiving the all clear from the Supreme Court.

On Monday the Financial Services Council released a report called "Exploring Underinsurance within New Zealand".

The owners and insurers of the MV Rena want to leave part of the cargo ship on the Astrolabe Reef - but Tauranga's Mayor would rather have the whole wreck gone.

New Zealanders are under-insured by $650 billion, a two-year research project has found.

Kiwis need to get a whole lot more interested in their house insurance or it will cost them dearly.