Your Rights
Ōu Tika
Your Rights
Ōu Tika
Good faith
Insurance is a contract between an insurer and a customer. It is based on the principle of good faith — a system of managing relationships where everyone agrees to treat each other with respect and good intentions.
Insurers must
- provide the service agreed with the customer in their contract
- act in good faith at all times
- settle claims fairly and efficiently
- adhere to the principles set out in the Fair Insurance Code
- adhere to all laws governing their conduct in New Zealand.
Customers must
- pay their agreed premiums on time
- act honestly and with integrity in all their dealings with their insurer
- accurately and fully disclose all information relevant to their policies and claims.
Making a complaint
If you have a problem or dispute with your insurer, you have the right to complain.
Vulnerable customers
The NZ Human Rights Commission and ICNZ have worked together to develop best practice guidelines around the prioritisation of vulnerable customers.
Legal and financial advice
While ICNZ is able to help with questions about insurance, we cannot give legal or financial advice to people who contact us. If you have any questions about insurance law and your rights, or would like advice about what sort of insurance you need, please seek help from a lawyer or financial advisor.
Independent insurance advice for property owners with residential policies
While people must still make their insurer their first point of contact when making a claim, the New Zealand Claims Resolution Service (NZCRS) is for property owners with house insurance.
The NZCRS is an invaluable service that provides free and independent insurance-related advice to people at what is often a very stressful time for them. It offers truly independent, free advice and can talk people through the claims process. This is particularly important where there is a complex claim. Having this understanding can often head off misunderstandings and delays in settling claims.
Where necessary, and particularly where there may be disagreements around the value of a loss, such a service can help avoid protracted disputes and support recovery.
