Compare life insurers
There is no universal best insurer. There is only the insurer whose underwriting takes your history on the best terms, with wording that pays for what you are actually worried about. These guides show you what to compare.
56 guides in this section
Compare across the market
- How to compare life insurersHow to compare every life insurer in New Zealand — the ten dimensions that actually differ between them, and why there is no single best insurer for everyone.
- How to compare trauma insurance across insurersHow to compare trauma cover across NZ insurers — condition definitions, severity-based payments, buy-backs and reinstatement, not condition counts.
- How to compare income protection across insurersHow to compare income protection across New Zealand insurers — agreed value, waiting and benefit periods, ACC offsets, boosters and occupation classes.
- How to compare TPD cover across insurersHow to compare TPD cover across NZ insurers — own-occupation availability, occupation class eligibility and the age the definition converts.
- How to compare mortgage protection coverHow to compare mortgage protection cover in NZ — monthly benefit or lump sum, redundancy cover, and whether the cover is tied to your loan.
- How to compare funeral insurance across providersHow to compare funeral cover in New Zealand — stand-down periods, cumulative premiums against the sum insured, entry ages and whether you need it at all.
- How to compare health insurance across insurersHow to compare health insurance in New Zealand — base surgical versus comprehensive, non-Pharmac drug cover, excess structure and pre-existing conditions.
- Financial strength ratings explainedWhat A.M. Best, S&P and Fitch ratings mean for NZ life insurers, how RBNZ prudential supervision works, and where to check a current rating.
- Claims paid statistics, and what they leave outWhat claims-paid data actually exists in NZ, why per-insurer figures are not published here, and what a claims ratio does and does not tell you.
- Where policy wordings actually differThe clauses that differ between New Zealand life insurance policy wordings, how to read them, and which ones decide whether a claim gets paid.
How to buy
- Buying direct or through an adviserBuying life insurance direct or through an adviser in New Zealand — the premium is usually the same, so the real question is who does the work.
- Applying online versus through a brokerApplying for life insurance online or through a broker in NZ — what changes about underwriting, disclosure and pre-assessment when answers get complicated.
- Comparison sites versus a brokerWhat price aggregators and comparison sites can and cannot tell you about New Zealand life insurance, and where a broker does something different.
- Bank life insurance versus buying from an insurerHow bank-branded life cover in New Zealand compares with buying from an insurer through an adviser — scope, underwriting, ownership and timing.
Insurer by insurer
- Partners Life: what to compareWhat to compare when looking at Partners Life cover in NZ — premium structures, definitions, underwriting and the questions to ask before you sign.
- AIA: what to compareWhat to compare when looking at AIA cover in NZ — product tiers, premium structures, definitions and the underwriting questions that decide the outcome.
- Fidelity Life: what to compareWhat to compare if you are looking at Fidelity Life cover in New Zealand — product range, premium structures, definitions and the underwriting questions to ask.
- Chubb Life: what to compareWhat to compare if you are looking at Chubb Life cover in New Zealand, including what the Cigna transition means for existing policyholders.
- nib: what to compareWhat to compare when looking at nib cover in NZ — a health-led insurer that also offers life and living cover, and what bundling really buys you.
- Asteron Life: what to compareWhat to compare if you are looking at Asteron Life cover in New Zealand — product range, income protection mechanics, definitions and underwriting questions.
- Southern Cross Life & Living: what to compareSouthern Cross Life & Living is underwritten by Chubb Life. What that means for your comparison, and the questions to ask before you buy.
- AA Life: what to compareWhat to compare if you are looking at AA Life cover in New Zealand — how affinity-brand cover works, who underwrites it, and the questions to ask first.
- Pinnacle Life: what to compareWhat to compare if you are looking at Pinnacle Life cover in New Zealand — how buying online works, what it covers, and where the trade-offs are.
- Westpac Life: what to compareWhat to compare if you are looking at Westpac Life cover in New Zealand — how bank-branded cover works, who underwrites it, and what to ask before you sign.
- Cigna policyholders: where your cover sits nowCigna’s New Zealand life business became Chubb Life. What that means if you hold an older Cigna policy, and what to check.
- OneChoice: what to compareWhat to compare if you are looking at OneChoice cover in New Zealand — direct-brand life and funeral cover, who underwrites it, and the questions to ask.
Head to head
- Partners Life vs AIAPartners Life or AIA in New Zealand — the six things that actually differ, what to ask about each, and why there is no universal winner between them.
- Partners Life vs Fidelity LifePartners Life or Fidelity Life — how to compare two adviser-distributed NZ insurers on price position, wording and underwriting rather than on brand.
- Partners Life vs Chubb LifePartners Life or Chubb Life — what differs between them, why Chubb Life may already be on your shortlist under another name, and what to ask.
- AIA vs Fidelity LifeAIA or Fidelity Life in New Zealand — product tiers, premium structures, definitions and policy fees, and why there is no universal winner.
- AIA vs Chubb LifeAIA or Chubb Life in New Zealand — range breadth, definitions, ADL conversion and multi-policy discounts, and why the answer depends on your history.
- Fidelity Life vs Chubb LifeFidelity Life or Chubb Life — two insurers quoted competitively on published NZ tables, and the wording questions those tables cannot answer.
- AIA vs Asteron LifeAIA or Asteron Life in New Zealand — how to compare income protection, occupation classes and definitions rather than headline life premiums.
- Partners Life vs Asteron LifePartners Life or Asteron Life — comparing occupation classes, business cover and benefit periods rather than headline premiums.
- Fidelity Life vs Asteron LifeFidelity Life or Asteron Life — evidence limits, underwriting route, definitions and what to ask before you apply to either.
- Chubb Life vs Asteron LifeChubb Life or Asteron Life — legacy policies, pass-back, definitions and offsets, and what to check before replacing cover you already hold.
- AIA vs nibAIA or nib in New Zealand — comparing a full-suite life insurer against a health-led one, and what bundling health and life actually buys you.
- Partners Life vs nibPartners Life or nib — comparing an adviser-distributed risk insurer against a health-led one, and which cover your household actually needs first.
- AIA vs Southern Cross LifeAIA or Southern Cross Life & Living — who underwrites each policy, what a familiar health brand does and does not tell you, and what to compare.
- Partners Life vs Pinnacle LifePartners Life or Pinnacle Life — an adviser-distributed insurer against a direct online one, and what you actually trade for the convenience.
- AIA vs Pinnacle LifeAIA or Pinnacle Life — comparing an entry-tier product against a direct online insurer, with the published monthly premium data and its limits.
- Chubb Life vs Pinnacle LifeChubb Life or Pinnacle Life — a full-range adviser-distributed insurer against a direct online one, and how to weigh breadth against speed.
- Fidelity Life vs Westpac LifeFidelity Life or Westpac Life — comparing an adviser-distributed insurer against bank-branded cover, and the questions to ask before you sign at the bank.
- AIA vs Westpac LifeAIA or Westpac Life — a full-range insurer against bank-branded cover, and how the sales context changes what you should ask.
- Partners Life vs AA LifePartners Life or AA Life — an adviser-distributed insurer against an affinity brand, who underwrites each, and what simplified acceptance costs you.
- AIA vs AA LifeAIA or AA Life — two routes that both promise an easy purchase, and the underwriting differences that decide what you actually own.
- Pinnacle Life vs AA LifePinnacle Life or AA Life — two direct routes into New Zealand life cover, and the differences that matter when no adviser is involved.
- nib vs Southern Cross Lifenib or Southern Cross Life & Living — two health-led New Zealand brands, who underwrites each, and how to compare health and risk cover separately.
- Westpac Life vs Asteron LifeWestpac Life or Asteron Life — bank-branded cover against an adviser-distributed insurer, and whether your cover survives a change of lender.
- Pinnacle Life vs OneChoicePinnacle Life or OneChoice — two direct routes with different underwriting models, stand-downs, premium behaviour and what you get per dollar.
Best cover for a particular need
- What to look for in life insuranceThere is no best life insurer in New Zealand. Here is what actually separates a good policy from a poor one, and how to judge it for yourself.
- What to look for in family life insuranceWhat to look for in life insurance for a New Zealand family — structuring cover across two parents, insuring unpaid work, and the benefits that matter.
- What to look for in mortgage coverWhat to look for in life and income cover for a New Zealand mortgage — level or reducing, monthly or lump sum, and whether the policy is yours.
- What to look for if you are self-employedWhat to look for in life and income cover if you are self-employed in New Zealand — agreed value, occupation class, ACC and proving your income.
- What to look for with a pre-existing conditionWhat to look for in life cover if you have a pre-existing condition in New Zealand — how outcomes differ between insurers and how to protect your record.
- What to look for in cover after 50What to look for in life cover after 50 in New Zealand — premium structure, what the cover is actually for now, and whether you still need it.
Not sure what cover you actually need?
That is the question an adviser is there to answer. Tell us your situation and a licensed New Zealand adviser will compare the market and come back with a written recommendation — including where you can cut cover you do not need.
No cost to you and no obligation. General information only — not personalised financial advice.
Whole-of-market comparison
Advisers quote across the major New Zealand insurers rather than one product range.
Registered advisers
Your enquiry goes to Registered Financial Service Providers, not to a call centre.
No cost to you
The insurer pays the adviser. You pay the same premium either way.
Cover sized to your life
A good adviser will tell you when you are over-insured, not just sell you more.