Hundreds of flood and land damage claims have been lodged with New Zealand insurers after severe storms battered the North Island.

IAG New Zealand, the nation’s largest insurer, says it had received almost 800 claims across home, contents, motor, boat and commercial as of this morning.

Staff from its AMI, State and NZI brands have been deployed to help customers in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and the Bay of Plenty.

“We have a dedicated major event team leading our response,” AMI, State and NZI EGM for claims Stephannie Ferris said. “Our claims processes are running smoothly and our people are ready and waiting to help.”

A state of local emergency remains in place for the Whangarei, Thames Coromandel and Hauraki districts, and for the Bay of Plenty and Tairawhiti regions.

The National Emergency Management Agency says the heavy rain of the past few days will continue to cause impacts.

“Alongside flooding, landslides are a continued risk,” the agency’s director of civil defence emergency management John Price said this morning.

“They can happen quickly, without any warning, even after the bad weather has passed. More rain, wind or minor earthquakes can all shift already wet and unstable land.”

The Insurance Council of New Zealand says insurers have activated their major event responses and are making additional resources available to support customers.

However, the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme says delays are still expected amid a potentially high volume of claims.

“Insurers will prioritise the most urgent cases first, such as those with unliveable homes or those in vulnerable situations,” ombudsman Karen Stevens said.

Suncorp-owned Vero New Zealand says about 150 claims have been submitted and it expects the figure to rise as access to affected areas improves.

“Claims are primarily related to flooding and water damage, although there are a small number of land damage claims,” a spokesperson said. “We are committed to helping our customers recover, and our team is ready to assist and are assessing damage where it is safe to do so.”

AA Insurance – a joint venture between Vero New Zealand and New Zealand Automobile Association – had received 285 claims across home, contents and motor as of midday New Zealand time.

“The majority of these claims relate to leaking roofs and flood damage to properties and vehicles,” head of home claims Aaron Redmond said.

“As communities begin dealing with the aftermath, and as people return to their homes, we expect the number of claims to increase and the overall impact [to] continue to grow.”

At Tower Insurance, about 200 claims have been lodged.

“Our assessors are on the ground assisting customers and make-safe repairs are under way,” head of natural disaster response Lisa Maxwell said.

“We’ve also been calling customers in areas that are most affected.”