The short answer

Four comparisons account for most of the confusion in the New Zealand market. Each one is a real trade-off with no universally right answer — which is why we have written them as comparisons rather than recommendations.

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.

Income protection vs mortgage protection

One replaces your income, the other replaces one bill. The gap between them is your grocery budget.

Trauma vs income protection

A lump sum on diagnosis, or a monthly payment while you cannot work. If you can only have one, this page is the decision.

ACC vs income protection

What you already have, versus what you do not. Start here if you have never looked at the gap.

Using an adviser vs buying direct

Same premium, usually. Very different process, and a very different claim.

Health insurance vs the public system

You will be treated either way. What you are buying is timing, choice and non-funded drugs.

Life cover vs trauma cover

One pays when you die, one pays when you are diagnosed. Most households eventually want both, in different sizes.

A gravel road winding through lush green New Zealand hill country

The hard question is never which insurer. It is which problem you are solving.

A shortcut, if you want one

Ask what would break first, and in what order:

Income stopsIncome protection is the answer
Diagnosis landsTrauma cover is the answer
You dieLife cover is the answer
You waitHealth insurance is the answer

Then size each one to the actual gap rather than to a round number. The cover calculator and the income runway calculator both exist to make that concrete.

All six covers explainedOverviewWhat each one costsThe numbersThe calculatorsWork out your own numbers

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.