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Evidence · Home and contents insurance

Every question, every answer, every source

Explore all 372 home and contents insurance questions and the 1,476 answers saved on 11 October 2026. Read the original responses and download the tables behind the study’s comparisons, sources, sentiment and factual checks.

questions
372
answers saved, of 1488 planned
1476
consumer situations
12
named regions
16
AI platforms
4

01

Every question, with its answers

Each question went to the four AI platforms. All were collected with a New Zealand setting. Open a question to read every captured answer in full.

Showing 20 of 372 questions

Show all 372

02

The tables behind the study

Every figure on the study page comes from these tables. They are CSV files, which open in any spreadsheet.

  • Questions

    questions.csv

    One row per question, with its exact saved wording.

    Question ID, source references, question, consumer situation, named regions, question group and collection setting

    372rows

    Download questions (CSV)

  • Answers

    answers.csv

    One row per captured answer, with its full text.

    Answer ID, question ID, platform, collection setting, consumer situation, named regions and full answer

    1,476rows

    Download answers (CSV)

  • Sources by answer

    sources.csv

    One row per website recorded as a source of an answer.

    Answer ID, question ID, assistant, collection setting, website and publisher type

    9,014rows

    Download sources by answer (CSV)

  • Checks against primary sources

    checks.csv

    One row per stated assertion checked, for one platform.

    Check, question and answer IDs, assistant, exact passage, verdict, primary-source finding, URL and date

    97rows

    Download checks against primary sources (CSV)

  • Consumer recommendation coding

    consumer-recommendation-coding.csv

    One row per reviewed provider role in a consumer-selection answer.

    Answer ID, question ID, consumer, platform, provider, role, counted recommendation, exact passage and conditions

    659rows

    Download consumer recommendation coding (CSV)

  • Consumer selection membership

    consumer-selection-membership.csv

    One row per answer in the matched consumer-selection comparison.

    Answer ID, question ID, consumer, platform, question group and full text; twelve home and twelve contents selection questions, with missing captures preserved

    94rows

    Download consumer selection membership (CSV)

  • Ongoing support coding

    support-coding.csv

    One row per reviewed named-provider role in an eligible support answer.

    Answer ID, question ID, consumer, platform, provider, role, support-preference decision and exact passage

    75rows

    Download ongoing support coding (CSV)

  • Ongoing support membership

    support-membership.csv

    One row per answer in the actual consumer-support group.

    Answer ID, question ID, consumer, platform, question group and full text; acquisition validation is excluded

    71rows

    Download ongoing support membership (CSV)

  • Regional recommendation coding

    regional-recommendation-coding.csv

    One row per reviewed provider role in a region-named selection answer.

    Answer ID, question ID, named consumer region, platform, provider, recommendation decision and exact passage

    1,017rows

    Download regional recommendation coding (CSV)

  • Regional selection membership

    regional-selection-membership.csv

    One row per answer in the matched regional comparison.

    Answer ID, question ID, named consumer region, platform and equal-comparison membership; four home and three contents platform answers per region

    112rows

    Download regional selection membership (CSV)

  • Insurer sentiment

    insurer-sentiment.csv

    One row per unique saved claim about an insurer in a selection answer.

    Claim, question and answer IDs, insurer, saved stance, exact passage and original-answer offsets

    3,828rows

    Download insurer sentiment (CSV)

  • Recorded source URLs

    source-urls.csv

    One row per recorded answer, website and URL association.

    Answer ID, question ID, platform, website, URL, source records and presence in the captured answer text

    13,048rows

    Download recorded source urls (CSV)

  • Matched consumer platform membership

    platform-membership.csv

    One row per answer in the identical-question platform comparison.

    Answer ID, question ID, product, consumer and platform; 22 identical questions per platform

    88rows

    Download matched consumer platform membership (CSV)

  • Matched regional platform membership

    regional-platform-membership.csv

    One row per answer in the identical-question regional platform comparison.

    Answer ID, question ID, product, region and platform; 31 identical questions per platform

    124rows

    Download matched regional platform membership (CSV)

Use these tables to trace findings back to the original questions and answers. The full text of each answer is also on this page, under its question.

03

Read in full and checked

Some answers were read in detail or checked against official sources. Those appear on the study page, beside the findings they support.

ChatGPT · New Zealand

Our house is in the Marlborough Sounds, where road access can be cut off by bad weather. Does house insurance help if we can't stay there?

Yes, house insurance in New Zealand may help if you can't stay at your Marlborough Sounds home, but it depends on why you can't stay there and the wording of your policy.

The key distinction is between your home being uninhabitable because it has suffered insured damage and your home being perfectly safe but inaccessible because bad weather has cut off the road.

  • If a storm, flood or landslide damages your house: your policy may cover temporary accommodation while repairs are carried out, subject to its terms, limits and exclusions.
  • If the road is washed out or blocked, but your house is undamaged: temporary accommodation costs are much less likely to be covered under standard house insurance.
  • If you need a boat or other transport to reach your property: don't assume those costs are covered either. They may need to be covered by a specific policy benefit or special agreement with your insurer.

For a remote property in the Marlborough Sounds, the important question is whether your insurance covers loss of access, not just damage to the house itself.

Some NZ policies do cover being unable to access your home

There are exceptions worth knowing about. For example:

  • AA Insurance says its home policy covers reasonable temporary accommodation costs if a government or local authority prevents access to your home, even if the house is otherwise safe. Its policy applying from 1 July 2026 has a $40,000 limit per event. Home Insurance Policy
  • MAS lists emergency evacuation cover for situations where access to a house is denied due to safety concerns or an emergency, with a $50,000 sub-limit. House Insurance Policy Details

These are examples, not a guarantee that your policy provides the same cover. The Insurance Council of New Zealand also advises people to get their insurer's agreement before incurring accommodation or evacuation expenses. civildefence.govt.nz

What I'd recommend for your Marlborough Sounds property

Ask your insurer or broker these questions, preferably in writing:

  1. Road access: If a storm, slip or flood closes the only road to our house for several days or weeks, will you pay for alternative accommodation even if the house itself is undamaged?
  2. Evacuation: Does our policy cover emergency evacuation or loss of access when Civil Defence, police or a local authority restricts access?
  3. Other transport: Are water taxi, boat transfer or other reasonable transport costs covered?
  4. Holiday home: If the house is a second home rather than our principal residence, does the same cover apply?
  5. Limits: What is the maximum amount payable, and do we need your approval before booking accommodation?

You can read the Insurance Council of New Zealand guidance here: Temporary accommodation and severe-weather insurance advice.

One important question: Is your Marlborough Sounds house your main home or a holiday home? That can make a difference to which policy benefits apply, and I can narrow down what to look for in your cover.

Ask anything

ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.

Captured 11 October 2026

Gemini · New Zealand

Our house is in the Marlborough Sounds, where road access can be cut off by bad weather. Does house insurance help if we can't stay there?

In New Zealand, whether house insurance helps when bad weather cuts off road access to your Marlborough Sounds property depends heavily on why you can't stay there and how your policy is classified.

Insurance can cover these situations, but several crucial conditions apply:

1. Is it a primary residence or a holiday home?

  • Primary Residences: Most standard New Zealand home policies include a Temporary Accommodation (or Alternative Accommodation) benefit.
  • Holiday Homes: If your property is insured specifically as a holiday home or second home, temporary accommodation benefits are almost universally excluded under standard NZ policies. Insurers generally only cover alternative living costs if it is your permanent, primary place of residence.

2. The reason for the road being cut off matters

Insurers look at specific triggers to activate temporary accommodation when a house itself isn't physically destroyed:

  • Official Evacuation Orders: If Civil Defence, the local council, or emergency services issue a legal order or direction to evacuate or prevent access due to an immediate risk of damage from a covered event (e.g., severe storm, slip, or flooding risk), most policies will kick in to cover reasonable alternative accommodation.
  • Voluntary Decision / General Inconvenience: If the council has not issued an access restriction or evacuation order, and your house is structurally sound and safe—even though the road is blocked and you choose not to cross/walk-in/boat-in—insurers typically will not cover temporary accommodation. They generally require an official restriction or physical uninhabitable damage.
  • Access Cut Off Due to Land Damage Only: If the driveway or access road is completely washed away by a slip, but the house itself is untouched, many policies state that unless a government/local authority blocks access or there is direct damage to the insured dwelling itself, temporary accommodation may not be triggered. Note that land damage itself is primarily handled by the Natural Hazards Commission (NHC Toka Tū Ake), which has specific rules separate from house structures.

What should you check?

  • Your Policy Wording: Look specifically at the "Temporary Accommodation" or "Alternative Accommodation" section. Check if there is a clause covering "compulsory evacuation" or "prevention of access by government/local authority order".
  • Policy Limits: Note whether your policy caps this benefit at a specific dollar amount (e.g., $20,000, $40,000, or a percentage of the sum insured) or a maximum timeframe.

If you are facing a weather event or local road closure that has cut off access, your best step is to call your insurance provider directly, explain that you live in the Marlborough Sounds, and ask how they interpret access restrictions under your specific policy wording.

Ask Gemini

Gemini is AI and can make mistakes.

Captured 11 October 2026

AI Overviews · New Zealand

Our house is in the Marlborough Sounds, where road access can be cut off by bad weather. Does house insurance help if we can't stay there?

AI Overview

Whether your house insurance will help depends entirely on why you cannot stay there.

Under standard New Zealand home insurance policies, your Temporary Accommodation (or alternative accommodation) benefit is typically triggered only by specific conditions:

1. If the house itself is undamaged, but the road is blocked 🛣️

  • Generally No Coverage for Inconvenience: If your house is perfectly safe and habitable, but the road closure just makes it difficult, inconvenient, or impossible to get to work or town, your insurance will not pay for temporary accommodation.

  • Yes, if there is a Government Evacuation Order: If a local authority (such as the Civil Defence, Marlborough District Council, or NZ Police) issues an official mandatory evacuation order or legally bars access to your property due to an active safety risk (like an imminent landslide threat), most major NZ insurers (such as AA Insurance, AMI, and Vero) will cover reasonable alternative housing costs—even if your house ends up undamaged.

2. If the house is physically impacted or unsafe 🏡

  • Yes, if Uninhabitable: If the severe weather physically damages your house (e.g., a slip impacts the structure, the roof blows off, or essential services like sewage and power are cut off by the storm) making it legally or practically uninhabitable , your policy will cover temporary accommodation while it is being repaired.

Key Things to Verify in Your Policy Wording

Because Marlborough Sounds properties face unique geographic isolation challenges, you should review your specific policy documentation for:

  • "Prevention of Access" or "Compulsory Evacuation" clauses: Check what specific authority must issue the order to trigger the cover.

  • Policy Limits: Temporary accommodation coverage is usually capped either by a maximum timeframe (e.g., up to 12 months) or a dollar amount (ranging anywhere from $15,000 to $40,000 depending on your insurer and tier).

  • Prior Approval: Never book long-term alternative accommodation without contacting your insurer first, as they must formally agree that your situation meets the "uninhabitable" or "restricted access" thresholds.

Would you like help reviewing the exact wording of your specific insurer's policy, or do you need information on government-funded temporary accommodation support (like MBIE's Temporary Accommodation Service) if insurance doesn't apply?

Ask anything

Captured 11 October 2026

Google AI Mode · New Zealand

Our house is in the Marlborough Sounds, where road access can be cut off by bad weather. Does house insurance help if we can't stay there?

Whether your house insurance helps when weather cuts off road access in the Marlborough Sounds depends entirely on how the access is blocked and the specific wording of your policy.

Here is how New Zealand insurers generally handle temporary accommodation and access restrictions:

  • Official Local Authority or Civil Defence Restrictions: Many standard New Zealand house policies include a "temporary accommodation" or "loss of use" benefit if a government agency, local council, or Civil Defence officially prohibits you from accessing your home due to an emergency or risk (such as a local road wipeout or landslide risk). If an official order says you cannot go there, you are more likely to be covered.

  • General Inconvenience or Difficulty: If the road is merely rough, difficult to navigate, or you personally feel unsafe without an official closure or restriction in place, insurance typically does not cover temporary accommodation. Standard policies require the house to be legally uninhabitable or physically inaccessible by official direction/order.

  • Physical Damage to the Property: If bad weather causes physical damage to your actual home (or damages the immediate private driveway/infrastructure on your insured land in a way that makes the house unsafe or uninhabitable), that triggers standard disaster/damage claims and temporary accommodation provisions. [AA Insurance]

If you want to check your specific coverage, tell me:

  • Who is your insurance provider?
  • Does your policy explicitly mention access prevention by local authorities or civil defence?

I can help you look at what specific questions to ask your insurer.

Ask anything

Captured 11 October 2026