Reviewed by licensed advisers at Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver (FSP712931) · Updated 11 November 2026

Courier Insurance NZ: Goods in Transit, Trucks and Taxis

Courier insurance in NZ is vehicle cover for hire and reward work plus goods in transit (carrier's liability) and public liability. A standard car policy often treats carrying goods or passengers for pay as a separate class of use, so the policy wording decides what a claim looks like.

In short

A courier van is stolen from a loading bay with forty parcels inside. The customer wants to know who pays for the parcels. The insurer wants to know what the van was used for. Those are different covers, and your contract decides which is in play.

What depots and freight companies ask carriers for

  • Public liability and goods in transit limits in the carrier agreement
  • A certificate whose limits match the contract
  • The vehicle's use: hire and reward
  • Your radius and the goods you carry
  • Driver names on the policy

Van stolen with parcels inside

The vehicle and the freight are two different covers.

Lost parcels and the contract

For some contract types a carrier's liability is limited to $2,000 per unit. What you signed decides.

Damage at a delivery

A customer's gate or loading dock is hit while delivering.

Vehicle off the road

With one or two vehicles, a repair means lost income.

Work out what to raise

Tick what applies to you

  • I drive a courier van or ute

    Delivering goods is often a separate class of use.

    Covers to raise: Business vehicles, Public liability

  • I run a truck or trailer

    Covers to raise: Business vehicles, Public liability

  • I drive a taxi or shuttle

    Covers to raise: Business vehicles, Public liability

  • A depot, platform or freight company has asked for a certificate

    Covers to raise: Public liability, Business vehicles

  • I carry electronics or high value goods

    Goods in transit is a different cover from the vehicle.

    Covers to raise: Business vehicles

  • I carry chilled or frozen goods

    Covers to raise: Business vehicles

  • I have employees or subcontract drivers

    Covers to raise: Statutory liability, Business vehicles

  • A repair would leave me with no income

    Covers to raise: Premises, stock and interruption

What these covers do not pay

  • Goods carried under a use you did not declare.
  • Wear and tear, and mechanical breakdown.
  • Fines for traffic or logbook offences. Health and safety fines can never be insured.
  • Parcel losses above the limit your carrier contract sets.
  • Your own injury. That is a question for ACC and income protection.

General information only. Whether a cover responds depends on the policy wording.

Which clause is in your contract?

  • Subcontractor cover

    The contract asks that anyone you sub the work to carries their own insurance, or that your policy responds to their work. Insurers often ask how much work you sub out and whether you check your subbies.

    Covers to raise: Public liability, Contract works, Statutory liability

    What it does not decide: It does not decide whether your policy covers a subcontractor, or whether theirs is enough. Both depend on the wordings and on what you declared.

  • Limitation of liability

    A cap on what you could owe the client if something goes wrong, often tied to your fees or a set figure. It can also exclude certain losses such as lost profit.

    Covers to raise: Professional indemnity, Public liability

    What it does not decide: It does not decide what your insurance pays. A cap in the contract may sit below or above your policy limit, and some claims, such as personal injury, may fall outside it.

  • Hold harmless

    You agree to cover the other party's losses or claims connected to your work, sometimes including claims caused by their own actions. It is also called an indemnity clause.

    Covers to raise: Public liability, Professional indemnity

    What it does not decide: It does not decide whether your insurer will pay liability you took on only by contract. Many policies limit or exclude contractually assumed liability, so the wording matters.

General information, not legal advice. The full clause and the policy wording decide how it applies.

Check your certificate of currency against the contract

Clients and main contractors in this trade ask for:

  • Public liability and goods in transit limits in the carrier agreement
  • A certificate whose limits match the contract
  • The vehicle's use, such as hire and reward
  • Driver names on the policy

Check the insured name, limit and dates match the contract. The policy wording, not the certificate, decides what is covered. How a certificate of currency works

What each cover may pay, and what it usually does not

  • Business vehicles

    May respond to
    The van, truck or taxi, with hire and reward use declared, and goods in transit if added.
    Common trigger
    A crash, theft or fire involving the vehicle or its load.
    Usually not covered
    Undeclared use, wear and tear, and breakdown.

  • Public liability

    May respond to
    Damage to a customer's premises or injury to others while delivering.
    Common trigger
    A gate hit, a dropped parcel or a slip at a delivery.
    Usually not covered
    Your own vehicle and the goods you carry.

  • Premises, stock and interruption

    May respond to
    Costs and lost income while a vehicle is being repaired after insured damage.
    Common trigger
    A crash that takes the only van off the road.
    Usually not covered
    A quiet period or a lost contract.

  • Statutory liability

    May respond to
    Defence costs if a regulator investigates or prosecutes, depending on the wording.
    Common trigger
    A serious incident involving a driver.
    Usually not covered
    Health and safety fines, which can never be insured (Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, s 29).

  • Cyber

    May respond to
    Costs after a breach of dispatch, tracking or customer data, depending on the wording.
    Common trigger
    A hacked dispatch system.
    Usually not covered
    Hardware failure through age.

If something goes wrong

  • Van stolen with parcels inside

    A van is taken from the street overnight with a full load.

    May respond: Business vehicles

    Have ready

    • Police report number
    • Run sheet or manifest
    • Vehicle details
    • Carrier contract

  • Loading dock gate is hit

    A driver reverses into a customer's gate and a parked car.

    May respond: Public liability, Business vehicles

    Have ready

    • Photos
    • Driver and vehicle details
    • Customer contact
    • Your certificate

  • Vehicle off the road for a month

    A crash leaves a one-van operator with repairs and no income.

    May respond: Business vehicles, Premises, stock and interruption

    Have ready

    • Repair quote
    • Recent income records
    • Contract with the depot

  • Pallet damaged on delivery

    A customer claims goods arrived damaged and cites the freight contract. Goods in transit cover, if added to the vehicle policy, is the part that may respond.

    May respond: Business vehicles

    Have ready

    • Consignment note
    • Photos on delivery
    • Carrier contract liability terms

Typical examples, not real claims. ACC deals with most injuries, so an injury claim is mostly about property and legal costs. Whether a claim is paid depends on the policy wording and the facts.

Licence versus insurance

A licence is not insurance.

What the licence or register says

  • Licenses transport service operators, such as goods services and small passenger services under the Land Transport Act 1998.
  • Does not list proof of insurance in its small passenger service application list (checked 11 November 2026).
  • A goods service licence applies to vehicles of 6,000 kg gross vehicle mass or more.

Source: NZ Transport Agency

The covers that matter

Cover The question it answers Who usually looks at it
Business vehicle What if the van, truck or taxi is written off or stolen? Every operator
Goods in transit Who pays for freight lost, stolen or damaged while I carry it? Couriers, carriers, owner-drivers
Public liability What if I damage a customer's building or injure someone? Anyone who delivers to or collects from premises
Business interruption How do I cover costs while the vehicle is off the road? Operators with one or two vehicles
Statutory liability Who covers defence costs if a regulator prosecutes? Operators with drivers or staff
Cyber What if dispatch, tracking or customer data is hit? Operators running software or a depot

Price depends on vehicle, use, radius, goods carried and driver history, so an adviser needs a short call first.

Goods in transit and the law on carriers

Goods in transit responds when freight is lost, stolen or damaged in your care. Some policies insure the goods for the owner. Others insure your legal liability as the carrier. Your contracts decide which you need.

Under the Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017, s 259, for contracts at limited carrier's risk or declared value risk, a carrier's liability is limited to $2,000 for each unit of goods, or the declared value where the contract states one. It does not apply to contracts at owner's risk or on declared terms, and parties can contract out of some matters, so what you signed is what counts. A customer must give written notice of a claim for damage or partial loss within 30 days of the carrier's responsibility ending (s 274). The s 259 limit does not apply to loss intentionally caused by the carrier.

Ask any adviser or insurer:

Courier and delivery vans

Under the Land Transport Act 1998, a goods service is carrying goods on a road in a motor vehicle with a gross vehicle mass of 6,000 kg or more. Most courier vans are well under that, but check your vehicle's mass before assuming.

Licensing is a different question from insurance. For insurance the point is the use: delivering other people's goods is often a separate class of use, and a personal policy may not respond. The business vehicle page sets out what to check.

Typical claims are theft from the van while the driver is at a door, parcels damaged by a crash or poor loading, damage to a customer's gate or dock, and a subcontractor not named on the policy. Contractor couriers should also read insurance for contractors and ACC for contractors, and check the insurance clause in any depot or platform contract.

Trucks and owner-drivers

Taxis, shuttles and passenger transport

A small passenger service is one in a vehicle designed or adapted for 12 or fewer people including the driver, and operators may not run one without a licence under s 30J. NZTA's application list (read 11 November 2026) asks for forms, fees and police vetting, and does not list proof of insurance. For insurance, raise:

What is usually excluded

The personal side

Couriers and owner-drivers are often self-employed. ACC covers injury, not illness. The income protection for self-employed page covers the gap, and heavy vehicle drivers can read life insurance for truck drivers. For owner and key person cover, see business protection. The wider picture starts at the business insurance hub.

How we help

A Smiths adviser will phone you to talk through which covers to look at. Some business covers we refer to another licensed Financial Advice Provider, and we will tell you who, and how they are paid, before your details go to that firm. There is no instant online quote. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission or referral payment if you buy. Cover and price depend on insurer underwriting and the policy wording. Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my vehicle policy cover goods I carry for customers?

Often not in full. Vehicle policies tend to cover the vehicle and limit or exclude the goods inside. Goods in transit is usually a separate cover.

Is goods in transit insurance compulsory in NZ?

Not by general law. Customers and freight companies often set it as a contract term, so check the carrier agreement.

Is a courier liable for the full value of lost parcels?

It depends on the contract. For limited carrier's risk or declared value risk contracts, s 259 of the Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017 limits liability to $2,000 per unit or the declared value.

Do I need a licence to run a courier van?

A goods service licence applies to vehicles of 6,000 kg gross vehicle mass or more under the Land Transport Act 1998. Check your vehicle's mass and your contract terms.

Is a taxi covered by a normal car policy?

Many personal policies treat carrying passengers for pay as a separate class of use. Ask your insurer in writing before you start.

References

Related industries

Protect the people behind the business

Liability cover protects the business from claims. If you or a business partner could not work, or died, key person and shareholder cover can help keep the business, and your family, going.

  • Key person cover, if the business relies on you
  • Shareholder cover, so partners can buy each other out
  • Income protection for owners and the self-employed

Check your carrier contract first

Paste the insurance or liability clause from your carrier agreement and tell us what you drive and what you carry. A licensed Smiths adviser phones you. If we refer you to another licensed firm, we tell you who first. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission or referral payment if you buy.

A licensed Smiths adviser phones you. If we refer you to another licensed firm we tell you who first and how they are paid.

Read the full insurance guides

Explore related pages: Life Insurance, Income Protection, Health Insurance, Trauma Insurance, What You Get.

Tell us how the business trades and a Smiths adviser will phone you to talk through which covers to look at. Check what cover you need. No cost to talk it through.