Statistics

Burglary and home risk statistics

How often Kiwi homes are burgled, what the fire data shows, and where the cover gaps sit.

Burglary touched about 184,000 New Zealand households in the year to October 2025, and 40 percent of the house fires attended by Fire and Emergency NZ had no smoke alarms. These are the risks contents insurance exists for, and the data shows both where the risk sits and who is carrying it uninsured.

Figures below come from the Ministry of Justice's NZ Crime and Victims Survey, Fire and Emergency NZ and Consumer NZ. Part of our New Zealand insurance statistics hub.

How many New Zealand households get burgled?

Burglary affected 9 percent of New Zealand households, about 184,000 homes, in the year to October 2025, down from 12 percent in 2018. [1] [2]

184,000

households burgled in the year to October 2025 [1]

3 in 4

crime incidents are never reported to Police, so recorded stats undercount [2]

Households experiencing burglary, NZ Crime and Victims Survey [1] [2]

2018

12% of households

210,000 households

2020

10% of households

about 10 in every 100 households

2025

9% of households

184,000 households

Percentage of households experiencing at least one burglary in the survey year. Survey years shown are the cycles with published household burglary rates.

What do New Zealand's house fire statistics show?

Fire and Emergency NZ reports that 40 percent of the residential fires it attended in the past year had no smoke alarms installed, and fire risk climbs sharply in winter. [3] [4]

40%

of residential fires attended by Fire and Emergency NZ had no smoke alarms installed [3]

55%

of the people who died in house fires over the past five years were over 60 [3]

+17%

rise in house fires between May and July each year, with heater and fireplace related fires up 29% [4]

184,000 households a year is not a rounding error.

Kapi Insurance arranges contents cover that fits what you actually own, from a flat in Wellington to a family home in Christchurch. The insurer pays us a commission when we arrange your cover, and your premium is the same as going direct.

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Who is carrying these risks without insurance?

Renters are the biggest gap, and cost is the reason people give for dropping contents cover. [5]

18%

of people without contents insurance cancelled or did not renew because of cost [5]

+28% → -4%

contents insurance price growth, from the 2024 peak to mid 2026 [6]

No contents policy usually also means no personal liability cover. Our renters insurance guide covers what a tenant actually needs.

Does the government cover contents after a disaster?

The Natural Hazards Commission does not cover household contents. EQC stopped covering contents for natural disaster damage from 1 July 2019, so your private contents policy is your only cover for earthquake, flood or storm damage to belongings.

1 July 2019

the date EQC contents cover ended. Since then, no private policy means no natural hazard cover for what you own

Our contents calculator works out what your belongings would cost to replace.

Sources

Cite any figure on this page with a link back to it, alongside the primary source below. For the full national picture, see our New Zealand insurance statistics hub.