Welcome to New Zealand! So, you’ve made the call to move the family to New Zealand, leaving the savanna, braais and biltong in the dust. Or so you thought. Luckily for you, New Zealand’s South African community is strong and finding good biltong and a koeksister or two isn’t as hard as you might think. In fact, there are corners of Auckland where I have heard more Afrikaans spoken than English! This isn’t so shocking given the Census counted more than 95,000 South African-born people living in New Zealand in 2023 (that's about one in every 66 people here). I am proud to say I’m one of those South Africans, with my family and I moving over in 2012!
It’s easy to understand why South Africans love New Zealand. Safety aside there is a lot that feels very familiar here. The outdoor lifestyle, the language, and the love of sport to name a few.
There are two things that do work quite differently here however and they are: how healthcare is paid for, and how insurance fits around it.
In this guide I'll walk through both, in the order most families need them.
Healthcare: South Africa vs New Zealand
In South Africa, medical aid is usually the standard rather than relying on the public system. In New Zealand this flips somewhat. The public system, run by Health New Zealand, is tax-funded and handles everything from emergencies to cancer care. Private health insurance is something people add for faster access and more choices (such as newer cancer treatment that is not yet Pharmac funded), not a replacement.
Two differences that tend to surprise South Africans most:
Waiting lists. Public hospital care is free, but non-urgent surgery isn't always fast. The government's target is for 95% of people to wait less than four months for planned treatment; as at March 2026 the figure was 64.9%. Some people have had to wait years. That's the gap private health insurance fills.
Unfunded medicines. Pharmac decides which medicines the public system pays for. Some newer treatments, particularly cancer drugs, aren't funded and can cost upwards of $100,000 a year. Again, this is the gap that private health insurance can fill.
Medical aid vs New Zealand Health Insurance
The biggest difference between the medical aid you know and New Zealand Health insurance is that New Zealand health insurance is underwritten on you personally, so your health history matters when you apply.
South African medical schemes run on rules set by the Medical Schemes Act. Open schemes must accept anyone who applies, everyone on the same plan pays the same contribution regardless of age or health, and every scheme must cover the Prescribed Minimum Benefits. Schemes manage the risk of people joining late with waiting periods and late-joiner penalties instead.
New Zealand health insurance works more like your life cover at home. Your health history is assessed. Conditions you already have are usually excluded, or cover may come with conditions. Premiums are based on you. Age, smoking status and the options you choose drive the price, and premiums generally rise as you get older.
Your South African medical aid doesn’t carry over to your New Zealand health insurance in any way. There’s no credit for the years you’ve held cover with Discovery or Bonitas, you’ll be applying as a new customer.
Being assessed as a new customer means that any health event your medical aid paid for, such as a cancer diagnosis, may be excluded from your New Zealand cover. For some cancers, the exclusion may apply only to the specific area affected rather than to cancer as a whole.
If you’re healthy now and haven’t had any recent health scares, applying sooner rather than later is usually the simplest path, before anything new appears in your medical records.
To apply for Health Insurance in New Zealand you also need to be eligible for public health care.
Am I Eligible for Public Health Care or ACC in New Zealand?
You're eligible for publicly funded health care if you hold a resident visa, or a work visa that lets you stay in the country for two or more years. Time spent lawfully in New Zealand immediately before your current work visa counts towards the two years.
ACC covers everyone in New Zealand, including new arrivals and visitors, for injuries from accidents, no matter whose fault it was. It’s something you have access to the moment you land, no application needed. The trade-off is that you can't sue for personal injury here.
ACC covers accidents only, not illness. For example you would be covered for tearing a ligament while teaching the kiddies how to throw a cricket ball (properly).
What About Other Government Benefits? (Work and Income)
I worked in this space for a couple of years and one thing I saw catch the most people out was assumed eligibility. Let me explain. To get most Work and Income payments, you need to be a New Zealand citizen, a permanent resident, or hold a resident visa. Work visa holders don't meet that test. For some payments, including the main benefits, you also usually need to have lived here for at least two years.
There is an Emergency Benefit for people who don't meet the criteria, but it's assessed case by case and is never guaranteed. For a family arriving on a work visa, the realistic safety net for an illness is your own savings and your own cover.
For more information regarding visa types and eligibility visit the Health New Zealand page here.
What Cover to Prioritise When You Move?
For most South African families settling in New Zealand, the order I'd look at is income protection, health insurance, trauma cover and then life cover. Your situation may change that order, but this is where the gaps tend to be biggest.
Picture it: you've just bought your first New Zealand home, and six months in, one of you is diagnosed with something serious. ACC doesn't apply because it isn't an accident. Work and Income isn't an option yet. The mortgage, childcare and school fees don't pause. What would happen to the household if one income stopped for a year? If you’re renting (more likely while you find the right area for you and the family) the same applies.
Income Protection
Income protection pays a monthly benefit, generally up to 75% of your pre-disability income, if illness or injury stops you working. For new arrivals it fills the exact gap ACC and Work and Income leave.
Health insurance
Health insurance gives you faster access to specialists and surgery, and can cover medicines that Pharmac doesn’t fund. Because cover is underwritten on your health history, it’s usually simplest to apply while you’re well, before new conditions show up in your medical records.
This is where using a broker can make a real difference. As we work with a range of health insurers, we can recommend the provider most likely to offer you good terms. If the terms you’re offered don’t seem fair, we can also go back to the insurer and negotiate on your behalf.
Trauma Insurance
Trauma insurance pays a tax-free lump sum if you're diagnosed with one of the serious medical conditions listed in your policy (most commonly for cancer, heart attack, or stroke). This lump sum can be used in any way that benefits your family the most at claim time. Whether that looks like taking time off or paying down debt to alleviate financial stress while you recover.
Life Insurance
Life insurance pays a tax-free lump sum to your loved ones in the event you pass away. New Zealand house prices mean many families arrive and take on a much bigger mortgage than they had at home. Life cover sized to that debt helps to protect the home you've worked so hard to secure.
After a tailored insurance solution?
Your South African policies: keep, cancel or replace?
There's no single right answer, but there is a right order: understand what your South African policies will and won't do from New Zealand, put New Zealand cover in place, then decide.
Questions worth asking your South African insurer or adviser:
Will my cover continue if I live in New Zealand? Many South African life insurers allow it for moves to countries like New Zealand, but it depends on the insurer and the policy.
Do disability or income benefits change if I live overseas? These are the benefits most likely to carry exclusions or conditions once you've moved.
Where and in what currency will claims be paid? Cover is usually in rands, paid into a South African account, and premiums keep coming from that account too. A rand payout set against a New Zealand dollar mortgage can leave a gap.
Medical aid is different. It's built around treatment in South Africa, so most families do cancel it once they're settled. Just be aware that if you ever decide to move back, membership of an overseas health insurer doesn't count as previous medical scheme cover, so late-joiner penalties may apply when you rejoin.
Your first 90 days checklist:
☐ Check every family member's visa dates against the two-year public health rule
☐ Enrol with a GP (ask about fees, as they vary between practices)
☐ Get your medical records from South Africa before you need them
☐ Ask your South African insurers what happens to each policy once you live here
☐ Compare New Zealand income protection, health, life and trauma options
☐ Cancel South African cover only once New Zealand cover is confirmed
Tailored insurance solutions from a certified South African
I am a qualified & independent Insurance Broker that works with my clients to get the covers they need whilst being mindful of their budgets & goals.
I specialise in Life, Health and Mortgage Insurance for Kiwi’s, along with giving independent KiwiSaver advice.
I can help people who:
Want to get insurance in place but don’t know where to start.
Want their current insurance reviewed.
Megan Long
Independent Insurance Broker
Lvl 5 Financial Cert. Insurance & Investments
