Insurance claims typically spike two to six times the yearly average between Boxing Day and late January, fresh data from AMI reveals.

From Boxing Day to late January, contents claims increase approximately two to three times more than the yearly average. In 2021-22, daily contents claim rates for the week following New Year’s Day were six times higher than at any other time of the year.

“There’s clearly a seasonal spike over summer,” says AMI Executive General Manager Claims, Wayne Tippet. “It’s likely because that’s when people finally relax after all the bustle of Christmas and are out and about on the roads. And I expect that last year was so high because of the loosening of extended Covid restrictions and lockdowns, particularly in Auckland.”

So, what can insurance claims tell us about the great Kiwi summer? While beaches and boats feature strongly throughout the festive season, there are other claim trends too. 

AMI’s seven claims of Christmas:

Christmas trees: around 36 claims each year

AMI typically receives around 36 claims relating to Christmas trees each year. Claims relate to damage caused while the tree is in transit, either on the road or being passed down from the attic, damage caused by pets, hitting the TV, or stained carpets from liquid glitter.

Christmas tree claims usually start in late November but continue through to February and March.

Beach claims: up 165%

Last year, beach-related claims made up 5.3% of all claims in January 2022. That number was 4% in January 2021, compared to an annual average of 2%.*

If you’re heading to the beach, hold on to your phones, glasses and jewellery, as those are the top items claimed for:

• Phones, iPads, laptops and other electronics (33%)
• Jewellery (23%)
• Spectacles and glasses (22%)
• BBQs (10%)
• Hearing aids (6%)
• Dentures (2%)

(Summer 2021 – 2022)

Boat claims: up 97%

Last summer, daily insurance claims involving boats jumped by 97% between Christmas Eve and 31 January.

During the year, AMI receives around 4.1 claims for boats per day. Over the 2021-2022 festive season, we received an average of 8.1 claims. During the same period in 2020-2021, we received around 7.6 claims each day.

Christmas dinner: hams are safest

“We don’t receive a lot of claims relating to Christmas cooking,” says Mr Tippet. “We’ve only had one single claim for a Christmas ham, related to flooding while pre-soaking the ham. However, turkeys do feature, with four claims last Christmas, with half of those relating to helpful children.”

For those opting for a chicken dinner, rest assured that your risk remains about the same as any other time of year (approximately one claim every three days), with no seasonal spike:

• 32% of chicken claims are for frozen food spoilage
• 20% of chicken claims are for dentures
• 14% are for stains
• 12% are for damage to hobs/cooktops/ovens (usually from dropping the frozen chook)

Butter Chicken related claims also feature regularly - both for stains and spills.

Kiwi Pavlova: popular in January too

AMI has not received a single claim relating to Pavlova in the lead up to Christmas, but it appears the classic Kiwi dish is also popular in the new year, with several claims recorded in January, due to items being dropped into the mixture, such as a mobile phone.

However, brandy snaps and chocolate logs cause chefs no issues (no claims), and the traditional Christmas Pudding has only been the cause of one claim.

Mobile phones:  down 15% pre-Christmas, but up 47% from New Year’s Eve

Mobile phones show an interesting trend during the festive season. When compared to the month leading up to Christmas Eve, daily claim numbers drop by 15% between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

But from New Year’s Eve and for the week following, mobile phone claims soar, with average daily claim rates up 47% more than the week prior.

Bikes: theft and transit woes

If you’re heading away and leaving your bike behind, make sure it’s securely stowed – ideally inside. 54% of all bicycle claims are for theft, even for bikes secured with a lock at home.

If you’re taking your bike on a road trip, common accidents include them falling off racks, damage from tail pipe heat, damage from reversing into structures while the bike is on the back of the car and driving under low lying structures while the bike is on the roof. Just under 20% of all bike claims are for these transport-type claims.

“At this time of the year, no one wants to be accidentally out of pocket, so it’s a good idea to put an insurance review on your Christmas list,” says Mr Tippet.

“And if you do need to make a claim, we’ll have people working throughout the festive season to get you back on your feet as quickly as possible.”