New Zealand travel insurance

Travel insurance is still worth considering for New Zealand, even though Australians have access to reciprocal healthcare there. The agreement covers public hospital treatment for immediate medical needs, but it doesn't extend to: 

• Medical evacuation, repatriation or private treatment, if that's what's required. 
• Cancelled flights, delays or other disruptions caused by changing weather.
• Lost or stolen luggage and money. 

RACV Travel Insurance is designed to fill these gaps, with cover for medical evacuation, adventure activities and travel disruptions alongside unlimited overseas medical expenses.^{^}

A few factors are worth considering when choosing travel insurance for New Zealand: 

• Trip length and value: the more you've pre-paid, the more cancellation cover matters. 
• Activities: if you’re planning on doing any adventure sports while in New Zealand, check whether these activities are covered by your policy. 
• Medical needs: if you have any medical conditions, check  what's automatically covered and what may need to be declared. RACV Travel Insurance automatically covers 38 conditions, subject to specific criteria.^~ 
• How often you travel: frequent visitors to New Zealand may find an Annual Multi-Trip plan more convenient than single-trip policies. 

RACV Travel Insurance offers 3 levels of cover for single international trips – Comprehensive,  Essentials and Basics – along with Annual Multi-Trip for frequent overseas travellers. All RACV International Travel Insurance plans include $unlimited overseas medical and hospital cover^, 24-hour emergency assistance and cover for lost luggage. RACV Members save 15% on their premium.* 

There's no single price for New Zealand travel insurance because your premium is calculated based on your specific trip and circumstances. 

Factors that affect the cost of travel insurance include: 

• Trip length: Generally, the longer your trip, the higher the premium. 
• Traveller age: Age is a factor in how premiums are calculated. 
• Level of cover: A comprehensive plan will cost more than a basic plan but will offer higher limits and broader cover, such as cancellation cover. 
• Excess: Choosing a lower excess typically increases your premium. 
• Health: If you have a medical condition that isn’t automatically covered, your premium can be affected.
• Cruises: Ocean cruises aren’t typically included with standard insurance policies, so you’ll need to add optional cruise cover.^**  

The best way to find out what you'll pay is to get a quote – it only takes a few minutes. RACV Members save 15% on their premium.^* 

New Zealand sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and experiences occasional earthquakes and volcanic activity in parts of the North Island. Severe weather, including storms and flooding, can also disrupt travel plans. 

With RACV Travel Insurance, cover for the effects of natural disasters depends on the circumstances and timing of your policy purchase: 

• Trip cancellation: if a natural disaster forces you to cancel or cut short your trip, cancellation cover may apply on Essentials, Comprehensive and Annual Multi-Trip plans, provided the event wasn't foreseeable at the time you purchased your policy 
• Emergency expenses: if your trip is disrupted by a natural disaster while you're travelling, cover for additional accommodation, meals and transport may be available 
• DFAT travel advisories: if the Australian government issues a 'Do Not Travel' advisory for your destination before you depart, this can affect your ability to claim, depending on when your policy was purchased 

RACV Travel Insurance includes 24-hour overseas emergency assistance, so if a natural disaster affects your plans while you're in New Zealand, help is available to assist with next steps. 

Skiing and snowboarding aren't included in standard travel insurance policies, so if you're heading to Queenstown, Wanaka or anywhere else on New Zealand's ski fields, you'll need to add specific winter sports cover to your policy. 

With the RACV Travel Insurance Ski and Winter Sports add-on, cover is available for: 

• Overseas medical and hospital expenses following an accident on the slopes 
• Cancellation if illness or injury prevents you from using pre-paid lift passes, ski hire or tuition 
• Piste closure if your resort closes due to insufficient snow or bad weather 
• Bad weather and avalanche delays if your trip is delayed getting to or from the snow 
• Lift pass replacement if your lift pass is lost or stolen 
• Snow ski equipment hire if your equipment is lost, stolen or damaged 

The Ski and Winter Sports option can be added to International Comprehensive and Essentials, as well as Annual Multi-Trip plans. Not all snow sports are automatically covered, so make sure you check the combined PDS/FSG before you book. RACV members save 15% on every policy.* 

Whether travel insurance covers a delayed or cancelled flight depends on the cause and which type of cover you have. 

• If your flight is cancelled or delayed by the airline, any additional expenses this causes are generally the airline's responsibility. Most carriers are required to provide meals and accommodation for significant delays. 
• If you need to cancel your trip entirely due to circumstances outside your control – such as a serious illness or family emergency – cancellation cover can reimburse prepaid, non-refundable costs you've already booked. 
• If your trip is disrupted mid-way by a covered event, travel delay cover can help with additional accommodation, meal and transport costs you couldn't have anticipated. 

With RACV Travel Insurance, cancellation cover is available on most International plans, along with cover for travel delays of 6 hours or more, giving you a safety net for prepaid costs and unexpected expenses along the way. Note that cover isn’t available if an event has already happened or where there is a DFTA Do Not Travel advisory in effect.

The Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) gives Australian citizens and permanent residents access to publicly funded emergency medical treatment in New Zealand’s public hospital system, as an inpatient or outpatient, typically where a doctor has decided that treatment cannot wait until you return to Australia. 

The RHCA doesn't include: 

• Private hospital or medical treatment 
• GP visits and prescription medicines outside of hospital care 
• Ambulance transport 
• Medical evacuation or repatriation to Australia 
• Non-medical costs, like cancelled flights or lost luggage 

Because the agreement only covers a portion of potential medical costs, RACV Travel Insurance can help fill the gaps, with cover for evacuation, repatriation and a wider range of medical expenses, alongside cover for cancellations, luggage and other disruptions. 

Travel insurance doesn't replace the insurance that comes with your car rental agreement, but it can reimburse you for the excess you need to pay to the hire car company if something goes wrong. 

Generally, rental car excess cover applies if: 

• Your rental vehicle is involved in an accident or stolen. 
• You're liable for an insurance excess under the rental agreement. 
• The vehicle has comprehensive insurance included as part of that agreement. 

RACV Travel Insurance includes rental car excess cover on Comprehensive, Essentials and Annual Multi-Trip plans, covering campervans and motorhomes as well as cars. 

When it comes to adventure sports, some activities are covered under certain conditions, while others are excluded from cover altogether, regardless of the policy you hold. 

• Bungee jumping is generally covered, provided it's run by a commercial operator, open to the public, doesn't require special skills or fitness training, and isn't classified as an Extreme Risk activity. 
• Skydiving, parachuting and BASE jumping are not typically  covered under any travel insurance policy, along with other high-risk activities like hang gliding and paragliding. 

Other adventure activities commonly available in New Zealand – like jet boating, canyoning, ziplining and whitewater rafting (grade 3 and 4 rapids) – may also be covered when done through a commercial operator, under similar conditions to bungee jumping. 

Before booking an adventure activity, check the RACV Travel Insurance sports and activities list, since cover can vary depending on how the activity is run and what it involves.