Breathtaking scenery, heart-thumping adventure, world class dining and rich Māori culture - New Zealand has all the ingredients for an unforgettable overseas experience. So it’s no surprise that the “land of the long white cloud” has been the most popular destination for Aussie travellers for decades.

Over one million Australians visit New Zealand every year, and some of them risk travelling without proper insurance. Although the country is renowned for its generous locals, stable government and quality healthcare, all international visitors are urged to protect themselves with comprehensive travel insurance.

After all, broken bones, lost phones and flight cancellations can turn your Kiwi adventure into an expensive and frustrating holiday to forget.

What will I be insured for in New Zealand?

Our International Comprehensive policy provides affordable and comprehensive travel insurance for your trip. When you protect yourself with our policy, you also gain access to our worldwide emergency assistance team, who are ready to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Our International Comprehensive insurance offers cover for:

• Unlimited medical and evacuation expenses that arise due to unexpected events while on your journey
• Cancellation fees and lost deposits – increase your cover depending on the cost of your journey
• Damaged or lost baggage
• Personal items if they are stolen or damaged
• Rental vehicle excess should you have an accident
• Emergency dental treatment
• Funeral costs

Do Australians need travel insurance for New Zealand?

Australia and New Zealand share a reciprocal health agreement, which means that Australians visiting New Zealand are eligible for some health care services, like necessary medical treatment and pharmaceuticals.

This agreement doesn’t mean that Australians don’t need travel insurance when visiting New Zealand. The reciprocal health agreement does not cover costs like ambulance rides, accommodation extensions and flight cancellations. For uninsured travellers, emergency hospital treatment can become extremely expensive, particularly when it causes changes to your travel plans.

For example, if you were to break your leg while skiing, you may be required to pay for an upgrade to a roomier business class seat, or to extend your stay until you are fit to fly.

We know how expensive it can be to pay for an extended stay in your hotel, which is why we urge all Australians to protect themselves with comprehensive travel insurance when visiting New Zealand.

Am I covered for adventure activities?

Whether you’re visiting the picturesque beaches and national parks of the North Island, or the raw mountainous beauty of the South Island, your holiday to New Zealand will be brimming with adventure. The country is famous for its variety of adrenalin-pumping activities, like bungee jumping, white-water rafting, skiing, snowboarding, surfing and parachuting.

We understand that extreme activities like these are all part of the New Zealand experience, which is why our International Comprehensive policy insures you for unlimited medical and evacuation expenses that arise due to unexpected events while in New Zealand if required. If you’re unsure whether your activity is covered under our policy, please get in touch with us directly, including a link to the activity you plan on doing.

Am I insured for rental vehicle excess?

One of the most popular ways to explore the rolling hills of New Zealand is in a rental car or camper van. The country is a favourite for those who love to hit the road, especially because of its friendly attitude towards camping. New Zealand has a number of ‘freedom camping’ areas where travellers are welcome to park and sleep for free (just remember to leave the area cleaner than you found it!).

The winding coastal roads pass through incredibly scenery, but they can also be treacherous, especially in poor weather. Under our International Comprehensive policy, you are covered for excess of up to $10,000 if you have an accident in your rental car or motor home. To ensure you’re insured when driving through New Zealand, remember to:

• Always obey local driving laws
• Hire your vehicle from a licensed rental car agency
• Comply with the terms of the rental vehicle agreement
• Only drive on formed or paved roads and car parks
• Don’t drink and drive under any circumstances.

Does my cover include cancellations and delays?

Unfortunately, New Zealand is no stranger to natural disasters. Earthquakes and cyclones have grounded flights in recent years, as well as volcanic ash clouds from Indonesian and even Chilean eruptions.

For uninsured travellers, flight cancellations can be costly and frustrating. But it’s not only grounded flights that can throw your travel plans into disarray - severe weather can also cause cancellations of your pre-booked activities and tours.

We know how upsetting delays and cancellations can be on holiday, which is why our International Comprehensive policy includes comprehensive travel interruption cover. If your travel is interrupted, we’ll reimburse you for additional costs of transport, accommodation, meals and the cost of communications to enable you to continue with your original planned journey, or your unused prepaid costs. If you’re side tracked on your way to a special event like a wedding or concert due to an unexpected event, we’ll also cover alternative transportation costs of up to $2,500 per paying person!

Will my policy cover me for stolen or damaged phones, cameras and laptops?

Stolen, damaged and lost valuables can be another costly travel mishap, especially when they involve travel documents and expensive electronics. If you have high value electronic items, it’s important to specify these when buying a policy.

• Phones are automatically covered for up to $1,500 each
• Computers, laptops, and tablets and cameras are covered for up to $3,000 each
• Jewellery and watches are covered up to $2,500 in total

Our International Comprehensive policy covers you for personal items that are lost, stolen or damaged as a result of an unexpected event. What’s an unexpected event? We consider an unexpected event to be something that was sudden, unforeseeable or unintended and beyond your control.

What you need to know

This page includes some information about our products but, as with all insurance policies, terms and conditions apply. For our terms and conditions (including information about exclusions, excesses and sub limits) we recommend you read the relevant Financial Services Guide (FSG), Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) to ensure our travel insurance products are right for you.  

You can find the relevant documents here: International Comprehensive, Annual Multi-trip, International Medical Only, Working Overseas, Domestic.