Health insurance for kids in NZ: Benefits and cover options

Do children need health insurance in NZ?

New Zealand’s public health system is under significant strain. As of April 2025, more than 70,000 Kiwi patients were waiting longer than four months for their first specialist assessment (FSA), including over 4,000 paediatric patients. 34,000 people, including more than 370 paediatric surgery patients, were waiting over four months for treatment.

Delays in assessment, diagnosis, or receiving a timeframe for your child’s procedure are something no parent wants to face. Private health insurance can help you access specialists and pay for expensive treatments and surgeries for your child more quickly, potentially improving outcomes, and without the stress of mounting expenses.

What does comprehensive health insurance for kids usually cover?

Comprehensive health insurance plans for children help pay for major treatments and medical costs that can place real strain on your budget. Depending on your plan, built-in benefits may include: 

• Private hospital stays, surgical costs, and non-surgical treatments
• Cancer care
• Non-Pharmac-funded drugs 
• Oral surgery
• Major diagnostic tests and overseas treatments if the care your child requires is not available in New Zealand.

You may also be able to add the following optional benefits: 

• Specialist consultations 
• GP visits 
• Prescription costs
• Optical and dental cover
• Natural healthcare.

Note that built-in and optional benefits, maximum benefit amounts, and terms vary among providers. The best way to determine which one suits your child’s needs is to compare plans.

You can download our health insurance comparison chart to see how leading insurers stack up, or talk to a Policywise adviser today for tailored recommendations and free quotes.

Ways to get health insurance for your kids

The best time to get health cover for your child is while they are young and healthy. At this stage, they often have no or very few pre-existing medical conditions, which can be subject to cover restrictions or permanent exclusions. Buying health insurance early makes it easier to secure cover and gives you peace of mind if unexpected health issues arise later.

There are two ways to arrange insurance cover for your child.

Getting child-only medical insurance

Some insurers let you buy health cover just for your kids. This means you don’t need to take out a policy for yourself if you don’t want to. Just buying for your child frees up your finances and gives you confidence that you can afford private healthcare for your little one when it’s needed.

Add the child to your health insurance plan

Another option is to add your child to your personal health plan, family medical cover, or company health insurance. 

Several health insurance plans will cover some pre-existing conditions if you add your baby within the first few months after birth. You can also customise cover for each child or family member in the policy, setting a different level of cover, add-ons, and excess. 

Depending on your provider and plan, you may be able to get discounts and free offers, such as:

• Free cover for dependants in their first few months after birth when added to a member’s policy 
• Lower premiums for children until they reach a specific age 
• Free cover for third and subsequent children if you already have two children on your policy.

How to save on kids’ health insurance

There are practical ways to make children’s health cover more affordable without losing important protection. Here are four to consider.

Take advantage of discounts and free offers

Insurers often give lower rates for kids and offer discounts or free cover if you have several children on a policy. 

Getting cover for the whole family under one policy can also help reduce overall costs, as can bundling health cover with other types of insurance.

Choose a higher excess

Picking a higher health insurance excess lowers your premiums. This means you pay a bit more if you make a claim, but your regular premium payments are cheaper and more manageable. 

Only select add-ons that matter most

Add-ons, like dental, optical, or natural health, can push premiums up. Focus on the extras your child truly needs. By removing unnecessary cover, you’ll keep costs down.

Compare child health insurance quotes and plans with Policywise 

A Policywise adviser can help you compare multiple insurers’ plans, quotes, and offers, spot gaps in cover, and maximise value. They can also access exclusive or tailored plans, making sure your child gets strong protection at the best price.

Policywise: Putting children’s health first with the right insurance cover

Policywise is a 100% free service which tells you which health, life, and disability insurance provider best fits your needs. We offer fast, comprehensive, and easy-to-understand comparisons of all leading providers and a simple summary clearly recommending which insurer is best for your situation.

Not all insurance policies are the same. Policywise can help you sort out the duds, avoid the lemons, understand the fine print and exclusions, and get the right insurance for you and your family.

We make the important decision of where to buy your insurance super easy. We’ll answer your questions, provide experienced advice and quotes, and manage all the back and forth throughout the application process. Taking out your cover through us means you'll have our lifetime support and claims advocacy, and we'll help you negotiate a positive outcome at claim time. We can also take care of lodging any claims on your behalf and back you up if the going gets tough.

Check out the reviews on our homepage for how other New Zealanders have found our service, because now is the time to get your kids’ health insurance sorted. Give your child the most outstanding support possible. Book a 5-minute callback with Policywise today; our service is fast and free.