Photo: RNZ / Lauren Crimp
Insurance premiums jumping by as much as 50 percent in a year has forced some councils to reprioritise what assets to protect.
The increase has meant some memorial halls - the heart of rural communities - will be abandoned should disaster strike.
With natural disasters occurring with more frequency and ferocity the feeling is that insurance is needed now, more than ever.
However, councils say without additional support and no means to increase revenue streams they are left with little choice but to tighten their belts.
Hurunui Mayor Marie Black, Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst, and Insurance Council NZ chief executive Tim Grafton speak to Kathryn.
