29561 (2025). Ricardo Menéndez March to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs

29561 (2025). Ricardo Menéndez March to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: What demand, if any, does the New Zealand Claims Resolution Service forecast for their services in this year and all future years forecasted?

Hon Scott Simpson: To date, confidently forecasting demand for the New Zealand Claims Resolution Service (NZCRS) has been difficult, due to it being a demand driven service in response to unpredictable natural disasters of varying scale and complexity, which can result in a wide range of insurance issues and disputes. Due to fewer natural disasters in the past year, there has been a decrease in new claims registered with NZCRS. This means that NZCRS can focus services on efficiently supporting the resolution of existing claims. Funding was reduced in Budget 25 to match the decreased demand. NZCRS was established in February 2023, and, as more service support data is gathered, NZCRS will be well positioned to begin to identify trends in claim settlement timeframes and registrations for support.