Insurance brokers in Wellington - Life, health, and group cover

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Why take out personal insurance?

Living in the nation’s capital offers many unique experiences and lifestyle benefits but also presents particular challenges. If you are a Wellington resident, having personal insurance can protect yourself and your loved ones against the impact of an unexpected challenge or localised issue as below:

Higher cost of living

Averaging $166,155, Wellington has one of the highest mean household incomes in New Zealand. However, it also ranks among the most expensive cities to live in. High living costs mean that serious health issues, job loss, or an injury that reduces your income or increases your expenses can quickly lead to a financial meltdown.

If the unforeseen happens, personal insurance can provide you with support to manage essential expenses like rent, mortgage repayments, and utility bills without compromising your financial stability.

And if you are a Wellington business owner, having group insurance helps optimise your employees’ job satisfaction and personal security, maximising their wellbeing and increasing productivity.

Challenges in the public healthcare system

New Zealand’s public healthcare system is generally free for eligible residents but often comes with long wait times for specialist appointments and non-urgent treatments, including surgeries. Capital and Coast District (which includes Wellington) saw the number of patients waiting longer than four months for their first specialist assessment (FSA) more than double from 1,823 in October 2023 to 3,847 in September 2024.

Patients waiting 4+ months for their first specialist assessment (Capital and Coast)

^{Source: Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora. Elective Services Patient Flow Indicators Web Tool.}

Meanwhile, if you decide to go for private healthcare without insurance, you’ll be facing huge expenses. Below are estimated costs of some common procedures performed via private healthcare facilities and providers:

Surgeries	Estimated Cost
Coronary artery bypass and valve replacement	$83,000 - $110,000
Coronary artery bypass	$50,000 - $75,000
Total knee joint replacement (unilateral)	$25,000 - $28,000
Total hip joint replacement (unilateral)	$22,000 - $28,000
Resection of endometriosis (grade 1, 2, 3, or 4)	$10,900 - $19,500
Cataract surgery (unilateral)	$3,600 - $5,000
Colonoscopy	$2,000 - $3,300
Cancer Treatments	Estimated Cost
Chemotherapy	$15,000 - $170,000 (per treatment cycle)
Radiotherapy	$20,000 - $55,000 (per treatment cycle)
Removal of cancerous skin lesions	$1,000 - $9,500
Common Diagnostic Tests	Estimated Cost
PET scan	$2,000 - $3,200
MRI scan	$1,500 - $3,000
CT scan	$1,300 - $1,700
Ultrasound	$500 - $1,500

^{Source: nib Premier Health Business brochure, 2024}

Additionally, due to resource constraints, many life-saving or life-extending treatments are not covered by Pharmac and can not be administered in public health facilities.

Types of personal insurance

To buy the right personal insurance plan, first identify what risks you want protection against. Depending on your needs and circumstances, our insurance advisers may recommend one or a combination of the following:

Comprehensive medical insurance
Life insurance
Income protection insurance
Trauma/critical illness insurance
Total permanent disability (TPD) insurance
Mortgage protection insurance

Type of Insurance	Benefits	How can this insurance help?
Comprehensive medical insurance	Cover for private healthcare costs, faster treatments, and more medical options	Access to specialist assessments and non-urgent treatments with reduced waiting times, avoiding high out-of-pocket expenses, and helping you recover and get back to work faster
Income protection insurance	A percentage of your income is paid as a monthly benefit if an illness or injury prevents you from working	Ensures a steady income to cover living expenses, debt payments, and medical costs, maintaining financial stability during recovery
Trauma/critical illness insurance	Lump sum payout if you suffer a covered serious illness or injury	Offers financial support which you can use for anything you need, from high medical and recovery costs to home care modifications, living expenses, and debt payments
Life insurance	Lump sum payout if you pass away. Some policies offer early payout if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness and are unlikely to survive for more than a year	Provides financial security for dependants, helping them cover rent or home loan payments, education, and living costs in your absence
Total permanent disability insurance	Pays a one-off lump sum if you become permanently disabled and can never go back to your usual or any occupation	Assists with long-term financial needs, covering medical costs, home care, home modifications, debt payments, and daily expenses
Mortgage protection insurance	A monthly benefit is paid to help cover mortgage/rent payments if you’re unable to work due to illness or injury	Protects your home or abode by covering mortgage payments and reducing the risk of default rent payments

Comparing multiple insurance policies allows Wellington residents to choose options that best suit their needs and budget. Each policy differs in terms of cover, benefits, and exclusions, so a detailed comparison ensures you’re not overpaying for unnecessary cover or missing out on essential features. A trusted broker, like Policywise, can provide expert guidance and access to a plan that’s an ideal match for your circumstances.

Why get group insurance for your Wellington business?

Wellington business owners can strengthen their employment benefits package by offering group insurance, positioning themselves as an employer of choice while fostering a supportive work environment.

Benefits of group insurance for business owners

Attract and retain outstanding talent: Top professionals seek employers who offer attractive staff benefits. Group insurance can make your business stand out, showing potential hires that you value employee wellbeing.
Potential cost savings: Group policies are generally more cost-effective than individual, as they distribute the risk across multiple workers, reducing the overall expense.
Flexibility for business owners: Group insurance plans offer a range of cover options and benefit levels. You can also set different cover amounts based on your employees’ salary or role.
Enhanced productivity: With access to group health or income protection insurance, your team is more likely to manage their health better, seek timely medical treatment, and return to work sooner after illness or injury.

Benefits of group insurance for employees

Financial security: Group insurance protects employees from the financial worry of medical expenses, loss of income, or unexpected events.
Enhanced health and wellbeing: Health issues addressed promptly means employees experience less stress and anxiety, contributing to a healthier, more engaged workplace.

Types of group insurance

Wellington businesses can pick and choose from various group insurance options and tailor them to the needs of their workforce:

Company health insurance

Provides employees with the option to go private (where waiting times are shorter) and covers their medical costs, including specialist consultations, surgeries, and private hospital stays. Having quick access to quality healthcare also means a faster recovery and return to work after illness or injury.

Group life insurance

Provides beneficiaries with a lump sum payment in the event of an employee’s death or terminal illness diagnosis, offering financial security to loved ones and a meaningful support system in times of loss.

Group income protection insurance

Replaces a portion of an employee’s monthly salary if they are unable to work due to illness or injury, ensuring living expenses can be met during recovery.

Group trauma/critical illness insurance

Offers a lump sum payout if an employee suffers a covered serious illness or injury, such as cancer, heart attack, or stroke, helping meet their medical costs, household bills, or other expenses.

Group total permanent disability (TPD) insurance

Provides a lump sum benefit if an employee becomes permanently disabled, helping them cover long-term care, home modifications, and other financial requirements.

Wellington insurance broker FAQs

What is the role of an insurance broker? Do you need one?

An insurance broker works as an intermediary between clients and insurance providers, finding the best policies tailored to your (the client’s) needs. In Wellington, working with an expert insurance broker - like Policywise - saves you the time and effort of comparing multiple insurers. You can then make informed choices based on a range of options, rather than going straight to one insurer and being limited to their products.

Do insurance brokers charge a fee? How do they get paid?

We don’t charge any fees for our services. Policywise earns through commissions paid by insurers, allowing you to access our expertise and resources at zero cost.

Does an insurance broker deal with claims?

Yes, Policywise can assist with the claims process, making it easier for you to navigate paperwork and communicate with insurers. This support is a key benefit of working with Policywise, as we advocate on your behalf to help achieve fair outcomes.

How do I contact Policywise to learn more about personal or group insurance?

You can schedule a callback, fill out an online enquiry form, or explore our contact options for direct support.

Why choose Policywise as your Wellington insurance broker

100% free service, lowest market prices

Our purpose is to find you the best cover for the lowest going rate—so you don’t have to shop around. Our prices are exactly the same as going directly through the insurer or your bank for the same policy. There are absolutely no added cost or fees at all. The insurer pays our fees as we save them a lot of admin, and expertly match people to the right policy.

New Zealand owned & operated

With insurance advisers nationwide, we're here for you wherever you are in New Zealand. Our commitment is to protect New Zealanders with the best life, health, and disability insurance at competitive rates.

Advocacy on your behalf if you ever have trouble making a claim

You don't want to be up against your insurer's legal team by yourself. That's why any policy you buy through us is protected by our specialist claims team. They can help with negotiations around even the most difficult claims, as part of our ongoing FREE service. If you took out cover through Policywise, you have nothing to worry about—we can manage your claim on your behalf and go to bat for you with the insurer.

You're 100% in control

There is zero obligation with Policywise. We give you the information you need to make an informed decision with no pressure or sales tactics. If you like our recommendations and choose to take out a policy, we’re happy to set it up for you with the insurer as part of our FREE service. We also ensure that every policy has at least a 14-day free look period, so you can cancel for a full refund with no risk.

Incredibly simple & clear explanation of which policy is best for you

We give you a SHORT printable report summarising your top option, with clear explanations of the benefits that make it your best choice.

Based on independent research

Unlike other comparison sites, our reporting is based on recommendations from in-depth independent research about each insurer. This means you can make an informed and confident decision.

Advanced proprietary comparison software

Does having good cover for a particular condition like cancer concern you? We use a proprietary analytics and reporting tool, paired with our extensive experience, to generate in-depth comparisons on the conditions that concern you the most. This means we can ensure you get the exact policy that best covers the areas most important to you.

Access to every major provider on the market, and all their policies

Because we only do health, life & disability, we know every insurer worth knowing, and can advise you on every available policy.

Focused exclusively on health, life & disability cover

We don't do any kind of assets or liability insurance, which means that all of our expertise is concentrated on health, life and disability. Because we are not generalists, we know much more about our specific kind of insurance. It's like the difference between a brain surgeon and a GP.

How Policywise works in 3 easy steps

1

Tell us about yourself

Click the button below to get started by entering some basic details. (Takes less than 30 seconds.)

2

Get your FREE, no-obligation quote comparison

We’ll provide a straight forward run-down of your best options. It will show you the top insurance policies that match your needs, with research and rankings on each insurance provider. You can see a quote summary of the lowest market prices available for these policies. We provide all this completely free, with NO ADDED COST on the premiums, because the insurer pays our fees.

3

We take care of everything for you

If you like our recommendations, our experienced insurance heroes will set up everything. Eliminate the pain of organising your insurance. We handle all the time-consuming back-and-forth with the insurer, on your behalf. This is completely FREE.

How Policywise generally compares to other online quote providers

	POLICYWISE™	Other comparison sites	Traditional brokers	Banks	Insurers (going direct)
Completely free service	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Quotes from 8 of NZ’s leading insurers	Yes	Some*	Some*	No*	No
Tailored recommendations fitted to your needs	Yes	No	Yes	No*	No
Detailed quote comparisons	Yes	No	Some*	No	No
Comparisons based on third-party research	Yes	Some	Yes	No	No
Fast & efficient process	Yes	Yes	Some*	Yes	Some
Independent claims support & advocacy	Yes	Some	Yes	No	No*
Laser focused on health, life & disability	Yes	Yes	Some*	No	Yes*
Experts at negotiating pre-existing conditions	Yes	Some	Some	No	No
Avoid ungenerous policies that make claiming hard	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Some
Ongoing support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Nicest guys in New Zealand	Yes	No	No	No	No

^{Disclaimer: All information on this page or website is general information only, not intended as advice, and does not take into consideration your personal circumstances. We recommend consulting a Policywise adviser before making any insurance decision.}

^{Please note: Policywise advisers are licensed by the Financial Markets Authority to provide financial advice in relation to health insurance, life insurance, and disability insurance. You can learn more about this on our Public Disclosure page. All insurance covers are subject to the insurer’s approval of your application.}

^{Insurance policies and their built-in and optional benefits may be subject to stand-down periods, exclusions, terms and conditions, and premium loadings not listed on this website. Optional benefits also have additional premiums. Please refer to the insurance product’s policy document for full details. Insurers may alter these details at any time.}

^{Therefore, nothing in our product pages is intended to be definitive or binding. Where there are discrepancies between any policy wording on this website and the policy wording provided by the insurance company at the time your cover is approved, then the insurance company’s wording will be deemed the correct version.}

References

Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora. (2024, November 18). Elective services patient flow indicators web tool. Retrieved 25/11/2024 https://tewhatuora.shinyapps.io/ESPI_app/

Infometrics NZ. (2024). Regional economic profile: Wellington household income. Retrieved 25/11/2024 https://rep.infometrics.co.nz/wellington-city/income-and-housing/household-income?compare=new-zealand

nib. (2024). Premier health business. Retrieved 29/10/2024 https://www.nibadviser.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/Premier-Health-Business-Brochure-2-Final-20.9.24.pdf

The New Zealand Herald. (2020, January 20). Gibson, A. New survey ranks NZ's most and least affordable cities. Retrieved 04/11/2024 https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/personal-finance/investment/new-survey-ranks-nzs-most-and-least-affordable-cities/ILXKPNRTEAMXBD4GGF6MXYRMT4/

Wellington Region Emergency Management Office. (2024). Hazards. Retrieved 29/10/2024 https://www.wremo.nz/hazards/

Wise Move. (2024). Arnott, F. The cost of living in New Zealand [2024]. Retrieved 31/10/2024 https://www.wisemove.co.nz/post/the-cost-of-living-in-new-zealand

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