Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver — licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Last updated 2026-10-20

Life insurance for scaffolders working at heights in NZ

We found no New Zealand life insurer that publishes a maximum working height, a scaffolder loading or an exclusion for height work, so this page states none. The one hard fact is Momentum's Quick Life wording: it asks no occupation question, but it will not pay for a death caused by "being involved in a dangerous job or risky pastime" at any time. Scaffolding and heights are not named in its examples, and the list is not closed. Ask Momentum in writing before you rely on it.

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Life cover See your price Ages 18–65 · $50k–$300k Funeral cover See your price Ages 40–75 · $3k–$30k

Want more than $300k or have questions? Talk to an adviser

Life cover: Conditions you already have aren't covered for the first 2 years (premiums refunded instead). Suicide isn't covered for the first 2 years, and a few conditions can be excluded permanently.

Funeral cover: Only accidental death is covered for the first 2 years. Total premiums can add up to more than the cover, and it may not meet the whole cost of a funeral.

Insurer: Momentum Life Limited. Financial strength rating B (Fair) from AM Best, affirmed 11 February 2026; B ratings sit in AM Best's 'vulnerable' range. The rating scale is available for inspection at every Momentum Life office in New Zealand. What this means

Already have cover? Keep it. New cover won't pay for a condition you already have in its first 2 years.

Opens Momentum Life's online application; its guidance only covers eligibility. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy. General information, not advice.

In short

Quick Life accepts ages 18 to 65 with no health questions and no occupation question. The dangerous job test happens at claim time.
Its examples of dangerous activity include handling explosives or weapons, working 40 m underwater, speeds over 130 km/h, professional sport and active armed-forces duty. Work at height is not named.
Online claims that insurers apply set height bands, such as standard terms below 10 to 15 metres and loadings above, are not in any insurer document we could read, so we do not repeat them.
If you change trade after you buy, Quick Life's wording applies "at any time". For underwritten policies, check your own wording and ask your adviser what must be notified.

What the risk looks like to an insurer

Scaffolding is work at height. WorkSafe says, in its safety nets guidance: "A fall from a height is likely to result in a serious injury." (WorkSafe: Working at height). That is the reason insurers look at heights, and the reason a guaranteed-acceptance product that asks no occupation question will rely on wording at claim time.

Insurers also classify occupations. Chubb Life's and Fidelity Life's published guides use classes for disability and income covers. Fidelity describes class 4 as "Skilled or semi-skilled manual workers and heavy machinery operators (including Truck drivers) who are not exposed to high-risk accidents or health hazards". Chubb's class 4 uses similar words, and its class key adds an "IC" marker for "Individual consideration" (Fidelity Life underwriting guide, October 2025; Chubb Life Essential Underwriting Guide, May 2025). Those classes are for income, disability and trauma-with-TPD covers, not a rating table for life cover. Which class or treatment an insurer gives a scaffolder is not published.

What Quick Life says

Quick Life is Momentum's guaranteed-acceptance life cover, issued by Momentum Life Limited. Cover is $50,000 to $300,000 per life, rising 3% a year to age 75 or a $500,000 cap per life. Acceptance is guaranteed: there are no health questions. Two parts of the wording matter to a scaffolder.

The dangerous job clause. Momentum will not pay if the death or terminal illness is caused by "being involved in a dangerous job or risky pastime" ("as defined in your policy"). The glossary defines it as "any high-risk job or activity, such as" five examples, and says "These activities can impact your ability to claim." Because the list opens with "such as", the examples are illustrations. The wording does not say how high is high, or whether erecting scaffold counts.

The first two years. Pre-existing conditions and suicide are excluded for the first 2 years. A death from a pre-existing condition in the first 24 months, with no claim payable, gets premiums refunded.

Always excluded. War, terrorism, criminal activity and the effects of alcohol or drugs (unless a prescribed drug was taken as instructed by a registered New Zealand doctor).

Nothing in the wording asks you to tell Momentum your job. That is why the written answer matters. Ask:

Does "dangerous job" apply to scaffolding or work at height, and if so at what height or in what role?
Does it matter whether you erect scaffold, supervise or work on the ground?
If your role changes from labourer to supervisor, or the other way round, does the answer change?

If you change trade after buying

If you move into scaffolding after a policy starts, the sources we read give a partial answer:

Quick Life: the dangerous job exclusion applies "at any time" during the policy, and your job was never asked. A move into scaffolding is covered by the same wording as starting in it.
Underwritten cover: whether a change of occupation must be notified, and what happens if it is not, depends on your policy wording. We found no general rule in the sources we read. Read your wording and ask your adviser.
Generally: answer every question honestly at application. IFSO publishes cases where insurers avoided or reduced claims for non-disclosure (IFSO).

What an adviser will want from you

A licensed adviser can ask insurers for terms on your actual work. The adviser can only ask a good question if you can describe the job. Have ready:

your role (erector, leading hand, supervisor, estimator, company owner)
the typical and maximum heights you work at, and how often
the kind of scaffold system and what fall protection is used
your scaffolder certificate of competence (CoC), if you hold one. WorkSafe says CoCs stay valid for four years and come in four types: Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced, and Proprietary System Suspended (WorkSafe: Apply for a scaffolder CoC). From 1 December 2026 WorkSafe takes over managing CoC applications from SARNZ.
any second job or hobby involving height or risk
your smoking status, build and health history, which affect price for all jobs

Fidelity Life offers a pre-assessment for "medical, occupational, financial or hazardous pursuits risks", which it says "are not an offer of cover, nor a binding final assessment" (Fidelity guide above). That is an indication, not a quote.

What our price data does and does not cover

The Premium Index behind our premium pages (insurers' published rate cards as at 8 September 2026, standard rates, no loadings or exclusions) covers occupation class 1 only, at ages 25 to 65. Scaffolding is not priced in it, so we publish no scaffolder premium. See how we calculate premiums and the life insurance premium ranges. Your premium depends on underwriting.

Other cover that fits the risk

Life cover pays on death. If you are hurt and cannot work, other products respond: income protection, trauma and TPD. For tradies, read income protection for tradies, and for the wider picture life insurance for tradespeople. ACC may cover an accidental injury, and its relationship to private cover is set out in ACC versus private insurance. For a related height-and-heavy-work trade, see life insurance for electricians and forestry life insurance.

A scaffolder aged 40 or over who wants only a funeral-sized benefit can read Momentum's Funeral Insurance wording, which has no occupation clause that we could find. The benefit is $3,000 to $30,000 towards costs; in the first 24 months it pays only for accidental death (within 90 days of the accident), and total premiums can end up larger than the benefit. It does nothing for a mortgage or lost income. The funeral cover amount calculator shows how to size one.

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. Related reading is the guaranteed acceptance hub and Quick Life.

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

Is scaffolding excluded from Quick Life?

It is not named. The wording gives examples of dangerous work "such as" five activities and does not define the term for heights. Ask Momentum in writing.

Will an underwritten policy cover a scaffolder?

Possibly, on terms the insurer sets. We found no published scaffolder terms, so we cannot say whether a loading, exclusion or standard rate would apply.

Does a scaffolder CoC change my insurance?

We found no insurer wording that links a CoC to life cover terms. It is useful evidence of your training when an adviser describes your work.

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
WorkSafe: Working at height, retrieved 20 October 2026
WorkSafe: Apply for a scaffolder certificate of competence, 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
IFSO: Non-disclosure case, retrieved 20 October 2026