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

Life Insurance With Pre-Existing Conditions in NZ

Yes, you can apply for life insurance with a pre-existing condition in New Zealand, but the route changes what you get. A fully underwritten policy assesses your history and may offer standard terms, a higher premium or an exclusion. A guaranteed-acceptance policy such as Momentum's Quick Life accepts eligible applicants without health questions, but for the first two years it does not pay for death from a pre-existing condition.

In short

A pre-existing condition is a health problem that exists before you take out cover. Life insurers ask about it so they can decide whether to accept you and on what terms. How the words are defined matters, because the same word means different things in different documents. In a fully underwritten application it usually means anything in your medical history the insurer asks about. In Momentum's Quick Life wording it has a specific meaning: any illness, condition or symptoms you had during the 2 years before the policy started, including anything you had treatment or advice for, or noticed symptoms of even if undiagnosed. This guide compares the routes. It is general information, not advice about your own case.

A woman slides a thick bundled medical file across a counter to a seated clerk holding a pen

Can you get life insurance with pre-existing conditions in NZ?

You can apply. Whether you are accepted and on what terms depends on the route and the insurer, and no insurer can promise an outcome before it has assessed you. There are two broad routes:

  1. Fully underwritten cover, arranged through a licensed adviser or directly, where the insurer asks about your history and decides.
  2. Guaranteed-acceptance cover, where eligible applicants are accepted without health questions, in return for a restriction on early claims.

Neither route makes an existing illness insured from day one. Underwriting can exclude it. Guaranteed acceptance accepts you but, for two years, does not pay for death from it.

How underwritten cover treats a pre-existing condition

Asteron describes three levers an insurer can use: add a stand-down, raise the premium, or exclude the condition permanently or for a set time (Asteron). In plain terms, the possible outcomes of an application are:

Outcome What it means
Standard terms Accepted at the normal rate for your age, sex and smoking status
Loading Accepted with a percentage added to the premium
Exclusion Accepted, but a claim linked to the condition is not paid, for a set time or permanently
Postponement The insurer will not decide yet and asks you to reapply later
Decline No cover from that insurer; another may decide differently

Insurers also scale the evidence they ask for. Fidelity Life and Chubb Life both need only an application form or personal statement up to $500,000 at every age band, and add a GP medical, blood tests and more from $500,001 at ages 61 and over (Fidelity Life guide; Chubb Life guide). Those are minimums: a disclosed condition triggers more. Fidelity says a pre-assessment "is not an offer of cover, nor a binding final assessment". See the underwriting process guide for the steps.

What is actually published for common conditions

Almost no NZ insurer publishes loadings or waiting periods by condition, and this page does not invent them. The few sourced examples:

Condition What is published
Type 1 diabetes Chubb says life cover is most commonly offered "with a loading of at least 100%"; other benefits are the exception
Type 2 diabetes Depends on control, age at diagnosis and duration; Chubb says an older diagnosis, well controlled with no complications, "may have a loading of 50-75%" and recent diagnoses are often deferred 12 months (Chubb). One insurer's guidance, not an industry rule
Cancer history Asteron says cover may be possible in remission, terms depend on type, stage and treatment, and stand-down periods are common (Asteron)
Heart conditions, stroke No terms published. Higher evidence levels add an exercise ECG or calcium score; Partners Life lists heart attacks and strokes as cardiovascular risk factors (RiskinfoNZ)
Depression and anxiety No terms published. Fidelity reviews a mental health exclusion only on a full application

For single-condition guides see diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, skin cancer and melanoma and depression and anxiety.

What guaranteed acceptance changes and what it does not

Guaranteed acceptance changes one thing: whether you are asked health questions. Momentum's Quick Life is guaranteed-acceptance life cover for ages 18 to 65. Cover is $50,000 to $300,000 per life, rising 3% each policy anniversary until age 75 or a $500,000 cap per life (you can opt out of an increase). Premiums are stepped, rising each year with age until 75 and then fixed. There are no health questions and no medical exam. Momentum's website adds that it is not available to applicants diagnosed with a terminal illness or in palliative or hospice care (Momentum: Quick Life).

What it does not change is cover for the condition you already have:

For readers aged 40 to 75, Momentum's Funeral Insurance is also guaranteed acceptance, with a different shape: no pre-existing-condition clause, but in the first 24 months it pays only for accidental death (within 90 days of the accident); any other death in that window pays no benefit and all premiums for that person are refunded (Funeral Insurance policy wording). Its benefit is $3,000 to $30,000, total premiums can end up larger than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral. For the two-year rule in depth, see the two-year exclusion.

Side-by-side: the three routes

Fully underwritten Quick Life (guaranteed acceptance) Funeral Insurance (guaranteed acceptance)
Ages Set by each insurer 18 to 65 40 to 75
Health questions Yes, scaled to cover amount and age None None
Your existing condition May be accepted, loaded, excluded or postponed Accepted, but death from it is not paid in the first 2 years No pre-existing clause
First 2 years Terms as offered Accidental death and new conditions covered; premiums refunded for pre-existing death Accidental death only; premiums refunded for any other death
After 2 years As offered Death from any cause, except any condition permanently excluded in the schedule Death from any cause
Amount As needed, subject to underwriting $50,000 to $300,000 (3% yearly rise to $500,000) $3,000 to $30,000
Premium shape Stepped or level, set by insurer Stepped to 75, then fixed Level to the 89th birthday, then none

Honest summary: guaranteed acceptance suits people who would be declined or heavily loaded elsewhere, or who want cover started without questions. A healthy person can usually get more cover for less through fully underwritten cover with a licensed adviser. Momentum Life Limited's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair), which Momentum's own table places in its "Vulnerable" range, and its solvency ratio was 107% at 30 June 2026 (Momentum: Financial strength). 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. The plan pages are Quick Life and our guide to how guaranteed acceptance works. If you were declined elsewhere, read life insurance after a decline.

Your disclosure duty

IFSO says the law puts an obligation on insureds to disclose all material information, and materiality is tested with independent underwriters (IFSO, 10 July 2025). Answer every question completely, including symptoms that were never diagnosed, medication, specialist visits and tests, because a pre-existing condition "can include a symptom, a sign, or a circumstance" (IFSO).

A person lifts a rug corner to reveal swept-up papers covered in squiggly scribble lines beneath

What happens if you do not disclose

IFSO's published cases show the range. In one, the insurer applied 50% loadings retrospectively and paid a reduced stroke claim. In a colon-cancer case the insurer sought to avoid cover over a childhood colonoscopy and a 2013 anaemia diagnosis; the anaemia was material and the matter settled at half the life benefit, $95,664 (IFSO case study). The terms of Momentum's Quick Life wording are similar in spirit: it can decline a claim, reduce the benefit or cancel the policy, and deliberate falsity lets it treat the policy as never having existed. Underwritten policies are not exempt: avoiding claim-stage disputes depends on accurate answers, not on the route.

The coming change

From 15 November 2027 (not yet in force), the Contracts of Insurance Act 2024 replaces broad disclosure with a duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation (s 13), with remedies that depend on what the insurer would have done had it known (Schedule 2). What you tell a specified intermediary (someone who arranges the contract and is paid commission by or for the insurer, which can include a comparison service) is treated as told to the insurer once the Act is in force (Contracts of Insurance Act 2024; FMA). Until then, disclose everything.

When a licensed adviser helps

A licensed adviser can approach more than one insurer, explain the evidence asked for, and tell you what each route would and would not do for your condition. They cannot make an insurer accept you. The FMA says most insurance advisers receive commission from the insurer, built into the premium, and must disclose how much (FMA: Insurance advice). If cover is declined, a decline from one insurer does not bind another, but a new insurer will ask for your full history, which is one reason to ask an adviser to test the market first.

Tips for applying with a pre-existing condition

  1. Get your records in order. Ask your GP for your notes and check them for errors.
  2. Show how the condition is managed. Regular check-ups, medication and test results are evidence an underwriter can use.
  3. Disclose everything. Include symptoms and tests, not only diagnoses.
  4. Do not cancel old cover before the new cover is in force. The FMA says to keep the old policy running until the new one starts, and to watch for new qualifying periods and pre-existing exclusions (FMA: Insurance).
  5. Apply once, with advice, because the new insurer sees your full history.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get life insurance with diabetes in New Zealand?

You can apply. Chubb says Type 1 is most commonly offered life cover with a loading of at least 100%, and Type 2 depends on control, age at diagnosis and duration. See our diabetes guide and the cost of life insurance with diabetes.

Will a history of depression stop me getting cover?

No NZ insurer publishes terms for depression. Fidelity reviews a mental health exclusion only on a full application. Quick Life excludes suicide and self-harm for 2 years regardless of mental state.

What if I have been declined by one insurer?

Another insurer may decide differently, and guaranteed-acceptance cover is open to eligible applicants without health questions. See life insurance after a decline.

Do I have to tell the insurer about a condition from many years ago?

Answer what the application asks, completely. If the form asks for your history, include old conditions that fall within the question.

Can I get trauma or income protection cover with a pre-existing condition?

Trauma cover pays only for listed conditions, so an insurer can limit or decline cover for a condition you already have. IFSO notes that declined claims due to exclusions are a common complaint (IFSO).

I'm over 75. What are my options?

Momentum takes no new applicants over 75. See life insurance over 75 for what other insurers publish, and ask a licensed adviser what is open for your health.

Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name. This article is general information and not personalised financial advice. Terms for any application depend on individual underwriting.

References

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