Life insurance for pilots in New Zealand
We found no New Zealand life insurer that publishes aviation loadings, hours-flown limits or exclusions, so we state none. What is public is narrower. Momentum's Quick Life asks no health or occupation questions, but its wording lists dangerous jobs and pastimes that "can impact your ability to claim", and it carves "commercial flights" out of its 130 km/h speed example. Whether any particular flying counts is not defined, so ask Momentum in writing.
In short
- Aviation is not named in Quick Life's list of dangerous activities. The list is introduced with "such as", so it is not a closed list, and the wording does not define the term for flying.
- The wording does mention speed: "Driving or riding faster than 130km/h (outside of commercial flights)". It does not say whether piloting an aircraft is "driving or riding". That gap is the reason to ask.
- Online claims that airline pilots get standard rates while agricultural or helicopter pilots get heavy loadings are not in any New Zealand insurer document we could read. We do not repeat them.
- A fully underwritten route through a licensed adviser can start with a non-binding pre-assessment of your occupation and "hazardous pursuits", at least at Fidelity Life.
Why flying is awkward for guaranteed acceptance
Quick Life, issued by Momentum Life Limited, takes ages 18 to 65 and cover of $50,000 to $300,000 per life with no health questions and no occupation question. That convenience has a cost that shows up at claim time. Its wording says Momentum will not pay for a death or terminal illness caused by taking part in criminal activity, or by "being involved in a dangerous job or risky pastime", at any time during the policy. The glossary then gives examples:
- handling explosives or weapons
- working 40 m underwater
- driving or riding faster than 130 km/h (outside of commercial flights)
- taking part as a professional sportsperson
- being on active duty in the armed services
It adds: "These activities can impact your ability to claim."
Read closely, three things follow for a pilot.
- Nothing says flying is excluded, and nothing says it is not. The examples are "such as" examples. A commercial aircraft is mentioned only in a bracket that exempts commercial flights from the speed example.
- The carve-out is for commercial flights. If the drafters thought it necessary to exempt commercial flights from a speed example, a reader can fairly ask how they would treat a helicopter flight, a topdressing sortie or a private light-aircraft trip. The wording does not answer that.
- The answer comes after a death. Because occupation and pastime are not asked at application, the test happens when someone claims. That is the worst time to learn the answer.
Quick Life has two other limits that apply regardless of your job. In the first 2 years, pre-existing conditions and suicide are excluded. At any time, war or war-like activity, terrorism, criminal activity, and the effects of alcohol or drugs (unless a prescribed drug was taken as instructed by a registered New Zealand doctor) are excluded.
What to ask Momentum, in writing
Put these to Momentum's customer support or claims team before you apply, and keep the reply. The reply is not a contract, but it is evidence of what you were told.
- Does the "dangerous job or risky pastime" wording apply to flying as an occupation, and if so to which kinds?
- Does "driving or riding faster than 130km/h (outside of commercial flights)" apply to piloting an aircraft?
- Does it make a difference if the flying is paid or unpaid, commercial or private?
- If you have a second occupation or a flying hobby, does it change the answer?
- If you start flying after the policy begins, does the wording still apply? (It says "at any time".)
What other insurers publish
For fully underwritten cover, published detail is about process:
- Fidelity Life says it will give a pre-assessment for "any medical, occupational, financial or hazardous pursuits risks" before you apply, and that pre-assessments "are not an offer of cover, nor a binding final assessment" (Fidelity Life underwriting guide, October 2025).
- Chubb Life says that if an applicant has more than one occupation, the occupation rating "will usually be based on the more hazardous occupation", or an exclusion will be applied for the secondary occupation (Chubb Life Essential Underwriting Guide, May 2025). Its occupation classes are set out for income cover, complete disablement cover, trauma cover with TPD and mortgage repayment cover, with a separate "Individual consideration" marker; they are not a life-cover price list.
- Asteron says that for people with an existing condition it can usually still offer cover by adding a stand-down period, raising the premium, or excluding the condition (Asteron Life). That describes health, not flying, but it shows the three tools an underwriter has: price, delay and exclusion.
We do not know which of those tools any insurer uses for any flying role. A licensed adviser can ask insurers for terms on your actual flying.
Types of flying: what to describe
The table is not a price guide. It is a list of facts an adviser will want from you in order to ask an insurer a clear question.
| Flying role | What to describe |
|---|---|
| Airline or scheduled commercial | Aircraft type, hours a year, any second job |
| Charter, air ambulance, tourism | Operation type, aircraft, typical conditions |
| Helicopter and agricultural | Operation type, low-level work, season length |
| Flight instructor | Student hours, aircraft type |
| Private or recreational | Hours a year, aircraft ownership, any competitions or aerobatics |
| Former military pilot | Whether you still fly, and in what role |
Include your licence level and current medical certificate. The Civil Aviation Authority runs aviation medical certification and points to its Medical Manual for the standards (Civil Aviation Authority: Medical certification). A CAA medical decision is the regulator's fitness-to-fly decision; it is not a life insurance underwriting result.
What our price data does and does not cover
QuoteHub's Premium Index prices occupation class 1 only, for ages 25 to 65, across six insurers as at 8 September 2026. It has no flying role priced, so we publish no premium for any pilot. See how we calculate premiums and the general life insurance premium ranges. Your own premium depends on underwriting.
Alternatives to think about
- Funeral Insurance (Momentum, ages 40 to 75) has no occupation question and we found no occupation exclusion in its wording. It pays a fixed $3,000 to $30,000 towards costs, and in the first 24 months only for accidental death (within 90 days of the accident). Total premiums can end up larger than the benefit. It is not a replacement for life cover.
- ACC may cover accidental injury, but it is not life cover. See ACC versus private insurance.
- Accidental death cover is a separate product with its own definitions; see accidental death insurance.
About the insurer and how we are paid
Momentum Life Limited has an A.M. Best Financial Strength Rating of B (Fair), which Momentum's own table places in its "Vulnerable" range, and a solvency ratio of 107% at 30 June 2026 (Momentum: Financial strength). The buttons on this page lead to Momentum's online quote. Read the dangerous-job wording above before using them: flying is not named, and the wording is not clear about it either way. Related pages are Quick Life, the guaranteed acceptance hub, the guaranteed acceptance eligibility checker and life insurance for police.
QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy through our link; see how we are paid. Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). This page is general information, not personal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Are airline pilots treated differently from private pilots?
We could not find a New Zealand insurer document that says so. Commercial flights are mentioned in Quick Life's wording only in the speed example, so ask Momentum how it treats each kind of flying.
Does Quick Life cover a pilot killed in a crash?
Quick Life pays on accidental death, but the dangerous job or pastime wording applies at any time. Whether a crash is paid depends on how Momentum reads that wording for your flying.
Should I disclose my flying on an underwritten application?
Answer every question fully. IFSO publishes cases where insurers avoided or reduced claims for non-disclosure (IFSO).
References
- Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording (November 2025), retrieved 17 October 2026
- Momentum Life: Funeral Insurance Policy Wording (17 August 2023), retrieved 17 October 2026
- Momentum Life: Financial strength, retrieved 20 October 2026
- Fidelity Life: Underwriting guide (October 2025), retrieved 20 October 2026
- Chubb Life: Essential Underwriting Guide (May 2025), retrieved 20 October 2026
- Asteron Life: Insurance options for pre-existing conditions, retrieved 20 October 2026
- Civil Aviation Authority: Medical certification, retrieved 20 October 2026
- IFSO: Non-disclosure case, retrieved 20 October 2026
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