Overlapping claims and general confusion are delaying money payable to New Zealand for damage from the Canterbury earthquakes. The money involved is payable through reinsurance schemes taken out by insurance companies in this country, with firms overseas.
Earthquake damaged Christchurch homes written off by insurance companies are becoming hot property for investors wanting to make money renting them out.
The Christchurch couple taking their insurance company to the High Court over their earthquake payout have knocked almost a quarter of a million dollars off their claim.
On the third anniversary of the first major earthquake to hit Christchurch thousands of people with the most badly damaged homes are still wrangling with their insurance companies over rebuilds.
The debt stricken state-owned enterprise Solid energy is in crisis talks with the Treasury and its banks, two years after the Christchurch earthquakes, insurance companies are blamed for delays in the rebuild, and in dateline pacific Papua New Guinea is building up its military to build roads.