Whether you’re chasing adventure, looking to immerse yourself in nature, or planning a road trip to Hobbiton, New Zealand has a lot to offer, and has long been a favourite destination for Aussie travellers.
The land of the long white cloud often seems like an extension of Australia, so some might wonder whether it’s actually worth buying travel insurance for a New Zealand holiday.
We explore why you should buy travel insurance before you embark on your trip across the Tasman, and reveal which policies are best for your holiday.
Travel insurance is essential for Australians travelling to New Zealand. Buy your insurance at the same time as you book your trip so you’ll be covered if you have to cancel before you go.
Medical costs in New Zealand
New Zealand and Australia have a reciprocal healthcare agreement, meaning that Australian travellers can access New Zealand’s public health service in an emergency, and vice versa. So remember to take your Medicare card with you – you’ll need it, along with your passport, to prove that you’re eligible. But the agreement isn’t a replacement for travel insurance.
Remember to take your Medicare card with you
You still have to pay some fees for treatment and medication. For example, reciprocal health care does not cover you for free or subsidised care by a GP or ambulance, and if you get seriously ill, medical repatriation is very expensive and only covered by travel insurance.
Accident cover in New Zealand
It’s essential that visitors to New Zealand are covered by travel insurance for repatriation, loss of income, and disruptions to travel plans in the case of an accident.
For example, if you have a skiing accident you’ll need travel insurance to cover your trip home. Repatriation isn’t covered by the reciprocal healthcare agreement and, even if the accident was someone else’s fault, you won’t be compensated for it.
Repatriation isn’t covered by the reciprocal healthcare agreement
In New Zealand, accident victims cannot sue a third party for compensation. Instead, the Accident Compensation Commission (ACC) covers the cost of medical care within New Zealand.
Because of the ACC fund, CTP car insurance is not compulsory in New Zealand as it is in Australia. However, it’s still recommended and is provided with most rental cars, but it’s important to check before you hire. Travel insurance can reduce the excess on the insurance your car hire company offers you, but only if the hire company has insurance in the first place.
Earthquake cover in New Zealand
Most travel insurance policies should cover medical costs for natural disasters like earthquakes in New Zealand. Comprehensive policies will also cover cancellation, or costs to rearrange your trip. Check your insurer’s travel insurance product disclosure statement (PDS) to make sure.
New Zealand sometimes experiences severe seismic activity. The 2011 Christchurch earthquake claimed 185 lives and levelled much of the city centre.
New Zealand sometimes experiences severe seismic activity
Safety campaigns in New Zealand advise you to ‘drop, cover and hold’ – drop to the ground, take cover and hold on – in the event of an earthquake. See getready.govt.nz for more specific advice.
Do a ‘find’ (Ctrl F) on the PDF file of the policy’s PDS and search for ‘natural disaster’ to check for cover or exclusions. Don’t rely on ChatGPT or other AI tools to do it for you (we’ve tried it, it’s not always right).
Will travel insurance cover skiing in New Zealand?
Many insurers will cover you for standard skiing and snowboarding, but some only offer coverage for these activities as an optional extra and some have special conditions.
Before getting insurance for a ski holiday, make sure it will cover you for your specific skiing or snowboarding destination, as well as for the activities you intend to do. We outline which of the best value policies for New Zealand cover skiing below.
Off-piste skiing or snowboarding is often not covered
For example, off-piste (backcountry) skiing or snowboarding is often not covered, and when it is covered, it’s usually only if you’re still within the resort boundaries or skiing with a guide.
The same goes for riding on a snowmobile, which tends to be an optional cover – check directly with insurers as some may only cover riding a snowmobile if you’re using it as a mode of transport rather than recreationally.
How much does travel insurance for New Zealand cost?
On average, for a 10- to 14-day trip, a single person will pay about $99; a couple about $196; and a family of four around $175.
The price varies depending on the length of your trip, how comprehensive your cover is, how old you are, how far in advance you purchase your policy and how much excess you’re willing to pay.
We analysed more than 6600 scenarios for a 10- to 14-day trip covering a variety of scenarios to provide the estimates above.
Keep a printout of your travel insurance details with you at all times while on your trip. It’s also a good idea to share your insurance details with family or friends before you leave.
What is the cheapest travel insurance for New Zealand?
We analysed over 20,000 quotes from 63 different policies, covering a variety of scenarios, to find the cheapest insurance policies for a New Zealand holiday.
Tick Travel Insurance Basic
Price score for NZ travel: 98%
Unlimited medical cover; no cover for cancellation; $2000 limit for lost baggage.
Virgin Australia Travel Safe International
Price score for NZ travel: 97%
Unlimited medical cover; choose your own cancellation limit; no cover for lost baggage.
Zoom Medical Only
Price score for NZ travel: 97%
Unlimited medical cover only.
Bupa International Essentials
Price score for NZ travel: 95%
Unlimited medical cover; choose your own cancellation limit; no cover for lost baggage.
Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) Medical Only
Best value travel insurance policies for New Zealand
Exclusively for CHOICE members, below we reveal the best value policies for travelling to New Zealand. Unlike other insurance comparison websites, we don’t get paid by any of the insurers we’re comparing. So we only recommend the best insurance policies for you.
Log in or join CHOICE to see the best value travel insurance for New Zealand and get instant access to all of our expert, independent reviews.
Jane Bardell is a Content producer in the Insurance and utilities team. She writes about home, car, pet and health insurance. Previously at CHOICE, she checked facts, figures and statistics as a Verifier with the Editorial and investigations team.
Jane has a Bachelor of Science from the University of New South Wales.
Find Jane on LinkedIn.
Jane Bardell is a Content producer in the Insurance and utilities team. She writes about home, car, pet and health insurance. Previously at CHOICE, she checked facts, figures and statistics as a Verifier with the Editorial and investigations team.
Jane has a Bachelor of Science from the University of New South Wales.
Find Jane on LinkedIn.
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