1. Get everyone out of affected rooms
Wet ceiling gib can collapse without warning, taking the insulation and (sometimes) ceiling fixings with it. Move people, pets, and anything fragile out of any room where the ceiling is sagging, dripping, or stained. Catch dripping water in buckets and shift furniture clear.
2. Photograph everything before you touch it
Before you make the area safe, take a few wide and close-up photos. Then take the same photos again every hour until the tradie arrives. Insurance assessors will want a timeline. Photograph:
- The damaged roof from ground level (zoom is fine — don't climb up in a storm)
- Ceiling stains, sagging, collapsed gib
- Water pooling on floors and the path it took
- Any debris (broken tile, lifted spouting, fallen tree limb)
3. Make safe — temporary measures only
Catch the water, but don't climb on the roof while the storm is active. If the leak is small and you can safely reach the ceiling cavity (from inside), pierce the sagging gib with a screwdriver and place a bucket under the hole — this drains the trapped water in a controlled way rather than letting the ceiling collapse.
Don't attempt to tarp the roof yourself in high winds. Wait for the roofer.
4. Call an emergency roofer + your insurer
Search emergency roofers in your region — most can attend within 4–24 hours for storm callouts, faster in major centres. While you wait, call your home insurer to log a claim. They will:
- Issue a claim number you can give the roofer
- Confirm whether the roofer can do the make-safe directly (most cover this up to ~$1,500 without prior approval)
- Send an assessor if the damage looks structural
5. Don't sign anything before reading it
Storm chasers do appear after big NZ weather events. Stick to roofers with a permanent local presence, an LBP Roofing licence where structural work is involved, and verifiable reviews. Get any quote over $5k in writing before authorising the work — your insurer will require it anyway.