Stuff has a story about insurance technicalities.

I'm waiting for the investigative story into the risks the government is running that the EQC's reinsurers, and many other insurers have been let off the hook by the Lords of Emergency's arrogant demolitions.

Most policies make payment conditional on the insurer getting an opportunity to verify the extent of damage, and its cause. When building owners are not even notified, or given a chance to mitigate loss by removing items of value, who could blame an insurer or reinsurer for relying on such terms, or indeed pointing out that the cause of loss (or an indeterminable part of it, is not necessarily an insured event, but instead the act of a civil authority or government,

The government is going the right way about ensuring that NZ will not get the cash flows we have been paying our premiums for, and relying on to fund rebuilding. Will the government stump up to fill the gap?

See also Eric Crampton on the arrogance of the authorities.