A warning from insurers around changes to the Resource Management Act

Phase two of the Resource Management Act reform includes the development of a National Direction for natural hazards, enabling the decline of land use consents in risk areas.

Insurance Council of New Zealand chief executive Kris Faafoi says they want assurance high risk areas will be avoided, adding New Zealand has a history of building in dumb places.

Faafoi says big weather events are only going to get worse, so we need to make sure people are building in the right places, and building in a a particular way to reduce risk.