Best Travel Insurance for New Zealand: Review of Options in Australia [2025]

Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud, also known as New Zealand (NZ), is a perennially popular travel destination for Australians. Located just a 3-hour flight from Australia’s east coast, Australia is consistently New Zealand’s largest visitor market.

In 2024 alone, approximately 1.3 million Australians visited New Zealand, which was an impressive 44% of all arrivals that year. Of that number, 517,000 (40%) were documented as holidaymakers.¹ Boasting some of the world's most pristine natural environments, a hub for adventure and snow sports, and a favoured Hollywood film location, it’s little wonder this island nation is so popular.

Whether you're visiting for a long weekend, a ski trip, or an extended road trip, ensuring you arrange insurance alongside your passport, packing, and travel money is essential. In this guide, we’ll explain why travel insurance for New Zealand is so important and review top providers, policy types, and key inclusions to help you find the best coverage for your needs and budget. We'll also introduce to you Wise Travel Card that can help you save on international transactions with currency conversions at mid-market exchange rates.

Do you need travel insurance for New Zealand?

As is the case with many other Commonwealth countries, Australia has a reciprocal healthcare arrangement with New Zealand. This allows Aussies to access public medical facilities and care while there, similar to how they would at home.² Because of this, you may be wondering: do Australians need travel insurance for New Zealand?

In short, yes. While this is a great arrangement, there are some things it does not cover, including repatriation, so travel insurance is still strongly recommended.

Outside of any medical or healthcare concerns, travel insurance can also help to protect you against cancellations, theft, natural disasters, rental car excess charges, and more. Ensuring you have adequate coverage before you depart offers peace of mind and is the best way to protect yourself against unexpected costs or losses incurred during your time in New Zealand.

What is the best travel insurance for New Zealand from Australia?

As there is no one-size-fits-all solution for travel insurance, naming a single ‘best’ policy or provider isn't possible. Instead, what is best for you will depend on how well a policy caters to a variety of factors. This includes things such as your age, trip duration, planned activities, any pre-existing medical conditions, and more.

To ensure you find the ideal travel insurance for NZ, we recommend keeping the following in mind:

• Check if your age and trip duration fall within the policy’s coverage limits
• Confirm whether any family members traveling with you are covered, or if they can be added to the policy
• Investigate how pre-existing conditions are handled, such as whether they are covered, excluded, or require special approval
• Review which activities are included in the policy, and where not listed, if they can be added for an additional premium
• Look into the policy excess fee, be sure you’re across how much it is and when it needs to be paid
• Ensure that medical and repatriation coverage limits are sufficient
• Evaluate the insurer’s customer support options to ensure you’ll have the right level of assistance when needed while in New Zealand

How much does travel insurance for New Zealand cost?

The cost of travel insurance for New Zealand will vary based on an individual's trip details and personal coverage needs. Typically, a basic policy covering only medical and dental expenses will be more affordable than a comprehensive one that includes trip cancellations, lost baggage, and added activities cover. Likewise, a policy for someone over 65 with pre-existing health issues is likely to be more expensive than one for a backpacker with no health issues.

If you're planning on thrilling activities like skydiving, bungee jumping, or skiing, remember that many standard policies don’t automatically cover these adrenaline-packed pursuits. You may need to add extra coverage for adventure sports, which usually comes with an additional premium to pay. We suggest being guided more by your coverage needs and how well these are catered to than by cost when choosing a policy.

5 providers for travel insurance for New Zealand

To help you compare travel insurance for NZ and find the best plan for your trip, we've curated a selection of policies from top Australian insurers. Whether you're looking for affordable coverage or a more extensive plan with extra benefits, there are plenty of choices available.

To support you in making an informed decision, we’ve included both a budget-friendly option alongside a more comprehensive policy from each insurer, so you can easily compare coverage levels.

1. Southern Cross Travel Insurance

An offshoot of New Zealand's Southern Cross Group, Southern Cross Travel Insurance has been covering Aussies abroad since 2009. Despite being a relative newcomer to the Australian travel insurance industry, they have reportedly insured over 6 million travellers already in that time.³ They offer:

• Worldwide 24/7 emergency assistance
• Streamlined claims submission and processing, plus a dedicated claim support team
• A range of policy types for varying budgets and coverage needs

Please note: Coverage limits are subject to terms, conditions, and exclusions as outlined in the PDS.

As seen 02 April 2025

2. Travel Insurance Direct (TID)

While a comparatively less well-known and smaller insurer, TID stands out for their simplified and straightforward policy offerings. Part of the NIB group and advertised as one of the fastest-growing insurance companies in Australia, they offer⁶:

• 24/7 emergency assistance
• Automatic coverage for a wide range of activities
• Donation opportunities with each policy purchase to support give-back initiatives through the Footprints Network

Please note: Coverage limits are subject to terms, conditions, and exclusions as outlined in the PDS.

As seen 02 April 2025

3. 1Cover

Offering a limited range of policy options focused on providing essential coverage that suits the needs and budget of every traveller, 1Cover is an award-winning insurer that offers⁸:

• 24/7 emergency assistance
• Fast and uncomplicated online claims lodgement and processing
• Easy declarations for pre-existing conditions and the option to pay an additional premium to cover any that are excluded

Please note: Coverage limits are subject to terms, conditions, and exclusions as outlined in the PDS.

As seen 02 April 2025

4. Allianz

Insuring Australians across multiple industries for over 100 years, Allianz is a well-known insurer, a world Olympic partner, and a preferred insurer with Westpac Bank. Allianz travel insurance for NZ and elsewhere offers¹⁰:

• Graduated policy and coverage tiers to cater to different budgets and needs
• Cover for a wide range of activities included as standard
• Adjustable item limits for tailored coverage

Please note: Coverage limits are subject to terms, conditions, and exclusions as outlined in the PDS.

As seen 02 April 2025

5. Cover-More

Arguably one of Australia’s best-known travel insurers, Cover-More specialises in this niche and is backed by over 35 years of experience, covering an estimated 15 million travellers worldwide annually.¹² Highly experienced in this industry, they offer:

• Specialised support centres in Australia, Argentina, the UK, and Canada as part of their 24/7 emergency and medical assistance benefit
• Customisable travel insurance plans that permit you to adjust coverage limits and select optional extras
• Multiple policy levels to suit different coverage and budget requirements

Please note: Coverage limits are subject to terms, conditions, and exclusions as outlined in the PDS.

As seen 02 April 2025

Things to keep in mind

• Adventure Activities. Things like bungee jumping, skiing, and skydiving aren’t always included in standard policies. With New Zealand being a hotspot for these kinds of activities, you should always check if you need extra coverage for any high-risk adventures you intend to engage in.
• Natural Disasters. New Zealand is prone to earthquakes and extreme weather events. As such, you should ensure your policy covers trip cancellations, delays, or evacuations due to natural disasters.
• Vehicle Rental. A great destination for road trips and adventures in a campervan or motorhome, make sure your policy adequately covers rental car and campervan excess if you’re hiring either of these.
• Valuables. If you're bringing valuables like cameras, sports gear, or other tech, make sure your policy includes coverage for theft, loss, or damage.

Heading to New Zealand? Get more NZD for your AUD with the Wise card

When planning your trip, it's crucial to consider how you'll spend in New Zealand. High foreign transaction fees or unfavorable exchange rates can quickly inflate your travel costs. The Wise card is a simple way to save up to 7x when you're spending internationally. You can spend in 150+ countries at mid-market rate — basically the rate you see on Google. With no foreign transaction fees and low, transparent pricing, Wise usually gives you the best value for your money.

Simply create a Wise account for free, order a card and top-up AUD to get started. Having a physical Wise card allows you to make chip and pin payments, as well as make some free ATM withdrawals each month for when you're abroad. You can get digital cards and add to your Google or Apple Pay wallet for instant use. Spend directly with the Wise account in AUD and let auto-conversion do the trick or convert in advance to your desired currency. You can hold and exchange 40+ currencies in your Wise account and spend the currencies you hold for free.

Wherever your travel takes you, the Wise card makes spending money abroad cheaper and easier.

🚀 Get your Wise card

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