The short answer

Most insurance calculators online are lead-capture forms wearing a calculator costume — you enter your details and the answer arrives via a salesperson. These do not do that. The maths runs in your browser, the result appears immediately, and what you do next is entirely your call.

Last reviewed 2026-07-30

How this page is written

  1. Ranges, never quotes. Nobody can price a policy without underwriting, so every price on this site is published as a range compiled from published New Zealand comparison sources and insurers' own published material — never as a figure presented as yours.
  2. Every figure is dated. Each table, stat row and cover statement carries a source line with the month it was reviewed. Policy wordings change; an undated claim about what a policy covers is a claim about a product that may no longer exist.
  3. Cover terms name the insurer. Where this site describes what a specific insurer covers, excludes or waits for, the insurer is named and the statement is summarised from their own published material on the stated date — not from memory and not from an aggregator.
  4. Nothing here is advice. Deciding whether a specific policy suits you is regulated financial advice in New Zealand and requires a licence this site does not hold. The build refuses to ship a page containing advice phrasing. How we write this.

How much life cover do I need?

Builds a number from your mortgage, dependants and existing cover instead of guessing at a round figure.

How long could you last?

Turns your leave, savings and outgoings into a runway in weeks — which is also how you choose a wait period.

The ACC gap checker

Shows the same illness and the same accident side by side, with your numbers. Most people find this one uncomfortable.

Why these three

Because they answer the three questions that decide what cover makes sense, in order:

How much?The sum insured, built from your debts and dependants
How long?Your runway — which sets your wait period
What is missing?The ACC gap, in your own dollars
A vehicle on an empty New Zealand highway running toward the ranges

A number you built yourself is much harder to talk you out of.

A note on what a calculator can and cannot do

These produce a starting figure, not a recommendation. They cannot see your health history, your relationship property position, your trust structure, your employer's scheme, or which insurer would underwrite you most favourably. What they are good for is arriving at a conversation with a number you understand and can defend, instead of accepting the first one you are offered.

The six covers explainedStart hereWhat cover costsThe numbersTalk to ArronWhen you want a real answer

This page is general information about how insurance works in New Zealand. It is not regulated financial advice and it does not take your situation into account. For advice about your own cover, talk to a licensed financial adviser.