Western Bay of Plenty's freak hail storm in May will cost less than half the original estimates to fix damage to buildings, vehicles and chattels, say insurance experts. The final cost will be about $2 million, according to new information released today from the Insurance Council of New Zealand.
The council originally estimated a total cost to the Western Bay of between $4 million and $5 million.

Insurance Council of New Zealand CEO Chris Ryan says original estimates were based on the information received from experienced insurance assessors.
'It's unlikely people would not make a claim for damage,” says Chris.
'Usually we are accurate on our figures but this one surprised us a bit,” says Chris.
He is unsure why the final figure is so much lower than original estimates, suggesting the storm caused less damage than originally thought.