Funeral Insurance Cost by Age in NZ: Priced at 50, 65 and 70
A year of $10,000 funeral cover in New Zealand costs a male non-smoker about $500 at entry age 50, $860.70 at 65 and $1,107.42 at 70 on AA Life's rates, in the price survey MoneyHub published on 19 April 2026 (MoneyHub NZ, Funeral Insurance). Entry age is the single biggest lever on the price. Nothing else in the product moves it as far.
The number that matters more, and that almost nobody publishes, is what the policy takes in over the years you hold it. This guide charts both.
Already comparing providers? Our full funeral insurance comparison sets out the stand-downs, refunds and underwriters side by side.
How Much Does Funeral Insurance Cost in New Zealand?
MoneyHub gathered quotes from eight providers and published annual prices for a $10,000 benefit at ages 50, 65 and 70, split by sex and smoking status, for three of them (MoneyHub NZ, Funeral Insurance, updated 19 April 2026). Plotted per insurer, the shape of the market is immediately visible.
Cost for one year of cover on a $10,000 benefit, male non-smoker, from the price survey published by MoneyHub NZ, updated 19 April 2026 and retrieved 19 August 2026. Published illustration only, not a quote.
| Age | Sex | Smoker | Greenwich Life | Chubb Life | AA Life | Average of the three |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | Male | No | $462.36 | $512.40 | $500.00 | $491.59 |
| 50 | Male | Yes | $759.96 | $752.90 | $734.00 | $748.95 |
| 50 | Female | No | $377.76 | $436.40 | $412.00 | $408.72 |
| 50 | Female | Yes | $529.92 | $570.40 | $555.50 | $551.94 |
| 65 | Male | No | $1,111.56 | $909.10 | $860.70 | $960.45 |
| 65 | Male | Yes | $1,693.32 | $1,222.20 | $1,211.00 | $1,375.51 |
| 65 | Female | No | $836.88 | $764.50 | $737.80 | $779.73 |
| 65 | Female | Yes | $1,099.68 | $934.00 | $926.70 | $986.79 |
| 70 | Male | No | $1,585.44 | $1,175.90 | $1,107.42 | $1,289.59 |
| 70 | Male | Yes | $2,283.12 | $1,512.60 | $1,488.50 | $1,761.41 |
| 70 | Female | No | $1,167.24 | $996.40 | $957.00 | $1,040.21 |
| 70 | Female | Yes | $1,489.92 | $1,168.60 | $1,152.60 | $1,270.37 |
Cost for one year of cover on a $10,000 benefit, published by MoneyHub NZ, updated 19 April 2026 and retrieved 19 August 2026. The average column is MoneyHub's own. Published third-party illustration, not a quote, and not QuoteHub's pricing.
What the curve actually shows
Three findings sit in that table, and only the first is well known.
Age more than doubles the price between 50 and 70. On the three-insurer average a male non-smoker moves from $491.59 to $1,289.59, a rise of 162 per cent for twenty years of age (MoneyHub NZ, updated 19 April 2026). For a woman the same move is $408.72 to $1,040.21, or 154 per cent.
The spread between insurers widens as you age, and the order changes. At 50, the cheapest and dearest quote for a male non-smoker are $462.36 and $512.40, an 11 per cent gap. At 70 they are $1,107.42 and $1,585.44, a 43 per cent gap (MoneyHub NZ, updated 19 April 2026). Shopping around is worth roughly four times as much at 70 as it is at 50. And the insurer that is cheapest at 50 is the dearest at 70, which is the opposite of what a single "cheapest funeral insurance" list would tell you.
Smoking is worth about eight years of age. A 50-year-old male smoker pays $748.95 on the three-insurer average, which sits between the non-smoker figures at 50 and 65, roughly where a 58-year-old non-smoker would fall (MoneyHub NZ, updated 19 April 2026). At 70 the smoker loading is 37 per cent for a man and 22 per cent for a woman. If you have stopped smoking, say so: Greenwich Life's wording lets a policyholder who has not smoked for at least 24 months apply in writing to be repriced as a non-smoker from the next policy anniversary (Greenwich Life, The Funeral Plan policy wording, page 6, retrieved 19 August 2026).
What You Pay Over a Lifetime, Not Over a Year
A yearly price is only half a number. The other half is how many years you pay it, and every provider publishes that in its own terms. AA Life charges to the policy anniversary after the 90th birthday (AA Life Insurance, Funeral Cover, retrieved 19 August 2026). Chubb Life charges to the 90th birthday (Chubb Life NZ, Funeral Cover policy document, retrieved 19 August 2026). Greenwich Life stops charging the moment the total paid equals the benefit (Greenwich Life, The Funeral Plan policy wording, page 6, retrieved 19 August 2026).
Multiply the two together and the picture inverts.
Total paid in by the age payments stop, $10,000 of cover, male non-smoker. QuoteHub arithmetic on prices published by MoneyHub NZ (19 April 2026) and each insurer's own premium-cessation term, all retrieved 19 August 2026. Published illustration only, not a quote.
| Entry age and insurer | Cost for one year | Years of payments | Total paid in | Multiple of the $10,000 payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50, Greenwich Life | $462.36 | 21.6, then payments stop | $10,000 | 1.00x |
| 50, Chubb Life | $512.40 | 40, to age 90 | $20,496 | 2.05x |
| 50, AA Life | $500.00 | 40, to age 90 | $20,000 | 2.00x |
| 65, Greenwich Life | $1,111.56 | 9.0, then payments stop | $10,000 | 1.00x |
| 65, Chubb Life | $909.10 | 25, to age 90 | $22,728 | 2.27x |
| 65, AA Life | $860.70 | 25, to age 90 | $21,518 | 2.15x |
| 70, Greenwich Life | $1,585.44 | 6.3, then payments stop | $10,000 | 1.00x |
| 70, Chubb Life | $1,175.90 | 20, to age 90 | $23,518 | 2.35x |
| 70, AA Life | $1,107.42 | 20, to age 90 | $22,148 | 2.21x |
QuoteHub arithmetic on the prices and terms linked in the table, all retrieved 19 August 2026. Assumes the policy is held to the age payments stop and the price does not change. Published illustration only, not a quote: your price is fixed only once an insurer accepts your application.
Read the last column slowly. On these published figures a 70-year-old man who takes Chubb Life cover and lives to 90 pays $23,518 for a $10,000 benefit. The same man with Greenwich Life pays $10,000 and then stops, because Greenwich's wording says that "once your total premium paid equals the funeral benefit amount further premium payments will cease" and the policy stays in force until the benefit is payable (Greenwich Life, The Funeral Plan policy wording, page 6, retrieved 19 August 2026).
That is why an annual price is a poor way to choose. The insurer with the highest yearly figure at 70 has the lowest lifetime figure at every age in the table. We rank the providers on that basis in our best value funeral insurance analysis.
The insurers say it themselves
Chubb Life's own policy document states that "depending on how long you have this policy with us, the total premiums you pay may exceed the benefit we pay under this policy" (Chubb Life NZ, Funeral Cover policy document, retrieved 19 August 2026). AA Life's product page puts it more directly still: "over your lifetime, it's possible to pay more in premiums than your total cover amount", and names saving or investing as the alternatives you should consider (AA Life Insurance, Funeral Cover, retrieved 19 August 2026). New Zealand Seniors carries the same warning in a footnote (New Zealand Seniors, Funeral Insurance, retrieved 19 August 2026).
Two insurers and one distributor telling you the product may cost more than it pays is not a scandal. It is disclosure working. What it means is that the decision turns on the years, not the weekly figure.
What the Two Insurers Who Publish a Price Actually Say
Most of this market will not show you a number without your contact details. Two providers do.
AA Life advertises funeral cover "from $14.28/week", based on $10,000 of cover for a 66-year-old female AA Member who does not smoke, and offers a 5 per cent AA Member discount plus a 20 per cent discount where two people apply within 48 hours of each other (AA Life Insurance, Funeral Cover, retrieved 19 August 2026). That is $742.56 for a year, within a percentage point of MoneyHub's $737.80 for a 65-year-old with the same profile.
Momentum Life advertises $10,000 of cover "from $11.41 per week", based on a female non-smoker aged 50, with acceptance guaranteed between 40 and 75 and no further payments from the 89th birthday (Momentum Life, Funeral Insurance, retrieved 19 August 2026). That is $593.32 for a year.
New Zealand Seniors, OneChoice and Chubb Life publish no indicative price at all; each asks for your details first (New Zealand Seniors, OneChoice and Chubb Life, all retrieved 19 August 2026). That is the reason a search for what this product costs returns so little: most of the market does not answer the question in public.
What Changes the Price, and What Does Not
- Entry age. The largest single factor, and it locks in. Every product in this market prices you once, at application, and then holds that rate. Applying a year earlier is worth more than any discount on offer.
- Smoking status. Worth between 17 and 64 per cent depending on the insurer, age and sex on the published figures above (MoneyHub NZ, updated 19 April 2026).
- Sex. Men pay more at every age in the table, by 16 to 36 per cent for non-smokers.
- The amount of cover. Prices scale with the sum insured. Cover runs from $3,000 to $30,000 at Momentum Life and OneChoice, $5,000 to $30,000 at AA Life, up to $30,000 at Chubb Life, and $5,000 to $20,000 at Greenwich Life (Momentum Life, OneChoice, AA Life, Chubb Life and Greenwich Life, all retrieved 19 August 2026).
- Your health. It does not change the price. These are guaranteed-acceptance products with no medical questions, which is precisely why they cost several times more per dollar of cover than underwritten life insurance.
Ageing does not raise your payments, but repricing can
Every provider in this market describes its rates as level: your payments do not step up each year simply because you have had a birthday (New Zealand Seniors, OneChoice and Momentum Life, all retrieved 19 August 2026). That is a genuine feature and it is what makes the lifetime arithmetic above possible.
It is not the same as a guarantee. Chubb Life's wording reserves the right to "change the premium rates charged for policies issued under this Chubb Life Funeral Cover" with 30 days' written notice (Chubb Life NZ, Funeral Cover policy document, retrieved 19 August 2026). Level means level for your age. It does not mean fixed for the life of the contract.
Who These Prices Suit, and Who They Do Not
They suit you if you cannot be medically underwritten, if you want a small, certain sum available within days of a death, and if you can hold the payments for decades without strain. Guaranteed acceptance is the product's entire reason to exist and there is no cheaper way to buy it.
They do not suit you if you can pass health questions. Underwritten life cover with a funeral advance costs a fraction as much per dollar of cover, and our funeral insurance comparison sets out the difference. They also do not suit you if the payments would be a stretch: stop paying and the cover ends, with no refund after the cooling-off period (New Zealand Seniors, retrieved 19 August 2026).
If you are weighing the policy against putting the same money aside, we have charted that directly in funeral insurance versus savings. If you are over 65, the entry ages and the two government grants are set out in funeral cover for pensioners.
Honest Limits of These Figures
Every figure on this page comes from a published source and none of it is a quote. Four limits are worth stating plainly.
The MoneyHub survey is a snapshot from 19 April 2026 for three insurers at three ages; it is not the whole market and it is not today's rate card. The lifetime totals assume you hold the policy to the age payments stop and that the rate never changes, which the wordings do not promise. Prices for New Zealand Seniors, OneChoice and Momentum Life at these ages are not public, so they are absent from the charts rather than cheaper or dearer. And a real price depends on the cover amount, the discounts you qualify for and the provider's acceptance terms on the day you apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does funeral insurance cost in NZ?
For $10,000 of cover, published prices run from about $377.76 a year for a 50-year-old female non-smoker to $2,283.12 for a 70-year-old male smoker, across three insurers surveyed by MoneyHub on 19 April 2026 (MoneyHub NZ). A male non-smoker sits near $491.59 at 50, $960.45 at 65 and $1,289.59 at 70 on the three-insurer average.
Does funeral insurance get more expensive as you get older?
Your own payments do not rise with age once the policy is in place, every provider here uses level rates. But the price you are first offered rises steeply with entry age, roughly doubling between 50 and 70 on the published figures (MoneyHub NZ, updated 19 April 2026).
What is the cheapest age to take out funeral insurance?
The youngest age you can, in the sense that the rate is lowest. That is not the same as the best value: starting at 40 on Momentum Life's terms means paying to the 89th birthday, which is 49 years of payments (Momentum Life, retrieved 19 August 2026). The lowest weekly figure and the lowest total are usually different decisions.
How much do funeral insurance premiums total over a lifetime?
Between $10,000 and $23,518 for a $10,000 benefit, on the published prices and stop ages above. Where a provider caps payments at the benefit amount the total is the benefit; where payments run to 90 the total is two to two and a third times the payout.
Do smokers pay more for funeral cover?
Yes, and substantially. A 50-year-old male smoker pays 52 per cent more than a non-smoker on the three-insurer average, and a 70-year-old male smoker 37 per cent more (MoneyHub NZ, updated 19 April 2026).
Is a weekly price the right way to compare funeral cover?
No. Two policies at the same weekly figure can differ by more than $13,000 over a lifetime, because one stops charging at the benefit amount and the other charges until 90. Compare the total, the stop age and the stand-down together.
Talk to a Licensed Adviser Before You Buy on Price Alone
QuoteHub is a licensed Financial Advice Provider. If you can pass health questions, an adviser can usually show you underwritten cover at a fraction of the cost per dollar of these figures; if you cannot, an adviser can compare the stand-downs and stop ages that decide what the policy actually costs you. There is no charge and no obligation, get your free comparison.
QuoteHub connects New Zealanders with licensed financial advisers. QuoteHub operates under Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP 712931). The information in this article is general in nature and does not constitute personalised financial advice. Greenwich Life, New Zealand Seniors, OneChoice, Momentum Life and Pinnacle Life are not on QuoteHub's advice panel, which is listed on our disclosure page. Every price on this page is taken from a named third-party survey or a provider's own published documents, on the dates shown. No figure here is a quote and none of it is QuoteHub's own pricing. Our comparison method is set out on our methodology page.
References
- MoneyHub NZ, Funeral Insurance: annual prices for a $10,000 funeral benefit at ages 50, 65 and 70 by sex and smoking status, for Greenwich Life, Chubb Life and AA Life, plus MoneyHub's average column (updated 19 April 2026, retrieved 19 August 2026)
- AA Life Insurance, Funeral Cover: "from $14.28/week" for $10,000 of cover for a 66-year-old female AA Member non-smoker; entry ages 50 to 79; cover $5,000 to $30,000; payments due to the policy anniversary after the 90th birthday; 5% member and 20% joint discounts; "over your lifetime, it's possible to pay more in premiums than your total cover amount" (retrieved 19 August 2026)
- Momentum Life, Funeral Insurance: "$10,000 cover from $11.41 per week", female non-smoker aged 50; guaranteed acceptance 40 to 75; cover $3,000 to $30,000; no premiums from the 89th birthday; level rates (retrieved 19 August 2026)
- Chubb Life NZ, Funeral Cover: guaranteed acceptance ages 50 to 80; cover up to $30,000; 20% joint discount; no indicative price published (retrieved 19 August 2026)
- Chubb Life NZ, Funeral Cover policy document (cig0421 v1): payments continue to the earliest of a claim, the 90th birthday or the Long-Term Care Premium Waiver; "the total premiums you pay may exceed the benefit we pay under this policy"; rates may be changed on 30 days' notice (retrieved 19 August 2026)
- Greenwich Life, The Funeral Plan: entry ages 30 to 70; cover $5,000 to $20,000; level rates; 24-month accident-only period with premiums refunded (retrieved 19 August 2026)
- Greenwich Life, The Funeral Plan policy wording (112023v3): "Premium Cessation, once your total premium paid equals the funeral benefit amount further premium payments will cease"; non-smoker repricing after 24 months; underwritten by Autosure Insurance Limited (retrieved 19 August 2026)
- New Zealand Seniors, Funeral Insurance: guaranteed acceptance 18 to 79; level rates; no premiums after the 85th birthday; "the total amount of premiums payable over the life of the policy has the potential to exceed the cover amount"; no price published (retrieved 19 August 2026)
- OneChoice, Funeral Insurance: guaranteed acceptance 18 to 79; cover $3,000 to $30,000; level rates; no premiums after age 85; no price published (retrieved 19 August 2026)
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