Life insurance for extreme sports and high-risk pastimes in NZ
Whether life insurance covers a dangerous sport depends on the product. Underwritten cover asks about your pastimes and may add a loading, an exclusion or a postponement. Momentum Life's Quick Life asks nothing at application, but its wording does not pay for death linked to a dangerous job or risky pastime, and the examples it names include professional sport and riding or driving faster than 130 km/h.
In short
- The two routes decide at different times: underwritten cover decides before you pay, Quick Life decides at claim.
- Quick Life's wording gives five examples after the words "such as". Skydiving, mountaineering and recreational scuba are not named, but the list is not closed, so the wording alone cannot tell you where Momentum draws the line.
- No source we found publishes a loading for any sport, so we publish none.
- Leaving a pastime out when an underwriter asks puts a claim at risk. IFSO has published cases where insurers avoided or reduced claims for non-disclosure.
Two routes, side by side
| Underwritten cover (via an adviser) | Quick Life (Momentum) | |
|---|---|---|
| Asked about your pastimes at application? | Yes, and your job, health and travel | No |
| When the decision is made | Before you pay: terms may be standard, loaded, excluded, postponed or declined | At claim time |
| What you can see before you pay | The offer, with any loading or exclusion | The wording's glossary, which names examples only |
| Effect of a dangerous pastime | Set by the insurer for the individual | No benefit if the death or terminal illness is due to a dangerous job or risky pastime as defined |
| Effect of not saying | Risk of the claim being avoided or reduced | Not asked, so no disclosure to get wrong; the exclusion applies at any time |
The Quick Life column rests on the wording. Occupation and pastime are not asked at application; they matter at claim time (Momentum Life: Quick Life Policy Wording, November 2025).
What Quick Life names, and what it does not
The wording's definition of a dangerous occupation or pastime is "Any high-risk job or activity, such as" the items below, and it says these activities "can impact your ability to claim". The exclusion applies "at any time" during the policy. The wording states no premium refund for it.
Named in the wording:
- Handling explosives or weapons.
- Working 40 metres 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.
Not named: skydiving, mountaineering and rock climbing, recreational scuba diving, motorcycling at lower speeds, and amateur competition.
An activity that is not named is not safe by default. "Such as" signals that the list gives examples, and the wording does not say how Momentum decides a pastime outside it. If a sport is the main reason you want cover, do not assume Quick Life will pay for a death in it. Ask Momentum, in writing, before you buy. For the details of the wider product, see the Quick Life page.
The other Quick Life limits sit alongside. For the first 2 years, death or terminal illness linked to a pre-existing condition, and suicide or intentional self-harm, are not paid; if death from a pre-existing condition happens in the first 24 months and no claim is payable, premiums are refunded. At any time it also excludes the effects of alcohol or drugs (unless prescribed and taken as directed), war, terrorism and criminal activity. The buttons on this page start Momentum's online quote. Quick Life excludes dangerous jobs and pastimes at claim time, so a pastime you rely on being covered is a question to settle first.
Underwritten cover: what happens to a pastime
An underwritten application asks about your work, health, pastimes and travel. The insurer then offers terms that depend on you and on the insurer; this page cannot say what yours will be. Fidelity Life offers a pre-assessment for "medical, occupational, financial or hazardous pursuits risks" before you apply, which it calls "an indication of possible terms only" and not an offer (Fidelity Life underwriting guide). Use it if you skydive, dive, climb or race.
In the Life Cover sections we read, the only exclusion stated is self-inflicted death in the first 13 months (Fidelity's LifeProtect wording says "dies by their own hand"; Chubb's Life & Living wording says intentional self-harm), counted from the start, an increase or a reinstatement (Fidelity, Chubb). A pastime you declare is dealt with at underwriting, so read the offer to see whether a loading or exclusion applies to your activity. That is a different shape from Quick Life, where the same pastime is tested only after a death.
When you are asked, describe the activity precisely: what it is, how often, at what level, whether it is competitive or paid, where, and whether you plan to take up another. "Professional" in particular is a word Quick Life uses, so say whether you are paid.
If you leave something out
IFSO says there is an obligation on insureds to disclose all material information, and that materiality is tested with independent underwriters. In one published case the insurer applied 50% loadings retrospectively and paid a reduced claim (IFSO, 10 July 2025). From 15 November 2027 (not yet in force) the Contracts of Insurance Act 2024 is due to replace the broad duty with a duty to take reasonable care and proportionate remedies, but until then answer every question completely. Do not describe the new law as already changing what you must say. See how insurers handle non-disclosure.
What ACC does for a sports injury
ACC's no-fault scheme covers people in New Zealand injured in an accident (ACC: What we cover). So a sports injury is an ACC matter whichever cover you hold, and for a death from a covered injury ACC pays a funeral grant of up to $8,236.40 and survivor's grants (ACC: Financial support after a fatal injury). ACC does not cover illness. Life cover is what pays on a death from an illness, and the gap ACC leaves is set out in what ACC does not cover.
A short plan for a sports enthusiast
- List each activity, how often you do it and the level.
- If the pastime is central, ask an adviser for an underwritten pre-assessment first.
- Compare any offer's loading or exclusion with Quick Life for the same amount, remembering Quick Life's 2-year and dangerous-pastime limits.
- Ask Momentum in writing whether your activity is treated as a dangerous pastime.
- Keep any existing cover until the new one is in force.
For military-related risks see life insurance for NZDF, and for a no-medical route see life insurance with no medical exam and the guaranteed acceptance hub.
Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy through our link; see how we are paid. Momentum Life Limited's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair), affirmed 11 February 2026, and Momentum's own table groups B in its "Vulnerable" range, so read its financial strength page.
Frequently asked questions
Does life insurance cover death in adventure sports in NZ?
It depends on the product. Underwritten cover is decided on the terms you are offered; Quick Life does not pay for death due to a dangerous job or risky pastime as its wording defines it.
Do motorcyclists pay more for life insurance?
No source we found publishes a motorcycling loading. Quick Life's wording names riding faster than 130 km/h as an example of a dangerous activity.
Can skydivers get life insurance in NZ?
Underwritten insurers assess it individually. Skydiving is not named in Quick Life's wording, but the list is open-ended, so ask before relying on it.
References
- Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording (November 2025), retrieved 17 October 2026
- Momentum Life: Financial strength, retrieved 20 October 2026
- Fidelity Life: Underwriting guide (October 2025), retrieved 20 October 2026
- Fidelity Life: LifeProtect Life Cover policy wording, retrieved 20 October 2026
- Chubb Life: Life & Living Life Cover wording, retrieved 20 October 2026
- IFSO: Non-disclosure case, 10 July 2025, retrieved 20 October 2026
- Financial Markets Authority: Contracts of Insurance Act 2024, retrieved 20 October 2026
- ACC: What we cover, retrieved 20 October 2026
- ACC: Financial support after a fatal injury, retrieved 20 October 2026
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