Does State offer life insurance in New Zealand?
State Insurance is a general insurer. Its website, read on 20 October 2026, lists car, home and contents, landlord, business and travel insurance, and shows no life insurance or funeral insurance product. State describes itself as "a business division of IAG New Zealand Limited". For life or funeral cover you need a different company, either a life insurer directly or a licensed adviser.
In short
- IAG New Zealand says it trades under the AMI, State, NZI, Lumley and Lantern brands, and describes itself as "the largest general insurer in the country" (its own claim, not ours) (IAG New Zealand).
- A car, house or contents policy covers damage and loss to property. It is not life cover, and it pays nothing on a death.
- The need behind the search matters more than the brand: income for a family, debts, or a funeral bill are three different jobs.
- This page cannot say State will never sell life cover. It says we found none listed on 20 October 2026.
What State sells
State's home page navigation lists these groups: car and vehicle (comprehensive, third party fire and theft, third party, electric vehicle, under 25 drivers, motorcycle), home and contents (home, contents, renters, home construction), landlord, business, and travel. Its footer says "State Insurance (State) is a business division of IAG New Zealand Limited" (State Insurance). Nothing in that list is a life, trauma or funeral product.
So if you saw the name "State" next to a life insurance search, one of three things is likely. You may be after your home and contents insurer and typed the wrong product. You may remember an old policy under a different brand. Or you may have been sent an offer from a company that is not State. If you hold an old life policy and are unsure who holds it, who holds my old insurance policy maps the main legacy brands.
What each need costs and what pays
The right product depends on what you are trying to cover. The figures below come from named sources, and the dates matter.
| The need | What pays | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| A partner or children who depend on your income | Life cover from a life insurer, arranged directly or through a licensed adviser | The amount is set by what your family would need; see how much life insurance costs |
| Debts in your name | Your estate, or life cover if the estate is short | Debts in your name alone are paid from the estate (Administration Act 1969, s 26) |
| A funeral | Savings, the estate, funeral cover, or the Funeral Grant | FDANZ's 2026 report gives an average of $11,700 for a full funeral for 50 guests with cremation and $14,300 with burial (FDANZ); the Funeral Grant maximum is $2,697.43, and prepaid funeral cover can stop you getting it (Work and Income) |
Underwritten cover or guaranteed acceptance
There are two broad routes to life cover. They suit different people.
Underwritten cover asks about your health, and the insurer decides whether to accept you and on what terms. An adviser can compare insurers for you. A healthy person can usually get more cover for less this way than from a guaranteed acceptance product. The Financial Markets Authority says most insurance advisers are paid commission by the insurer, built into the premium (FMA: Insurance advice), so ask how yours is paid.
Guaranteed acceptance asks no health questions, with a trade-off in the early years.
- Momentum Life's Quick Life takes ages 18 to 65, with $50,000 to $300,000 of cover. Pre-existing conditions and suicide are excluded for the first 2 years, and if someone dies of a pre-existing condition in the first 24 months with no claim payable, the premiums are refunded.
- Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance takes ages 40 to 75, with a benefit of $3,000 to $30,000. In the first 24 months it pays only for accidental death, and the premiums are refunded for any other death. Total premiums can end up larger than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole cost of a funeral.
Momentum Life Limited's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair), and its own disclosure shows solvency of 107% at 30 June 2026 (Momentum: financial strength). Read that alongside the product facts when you compare. Neither guaranteed acceptance product is a fit for everyone. See Quick Life and the funeral insurance hub.
A short decision path
- Does anyone depend on your income? If yes, look at underwritten life cover and ask an adviser. If no, go on.
- Are there debts in your name only? If the estate could cover them, you may not need cover for them.
- Could your family pay for a funeral from savings or the estate? If yes, funeral cover is optional. If no, compare funeral cover with simply setting money aside. See paying for a funeral.
- Do you expect to be declined or loaded for health reasons? Then guaranteed acceptance is worth a look, knowing the early-years limits above.
- Are you over 75? Momentum Life takes no new applicants over 75. See the seniors funeral insurance guide.
Check who you are dealing with
General insurers and life insurers are separate businesses with separate products, so a general insurer's name on a page tells you nothing about life cover. Before you buy from anyone, check the insurer's name on the Reserve Bank's register of licensed insurers, and ask a seller which company would actually carry the risk and pay a claim. The Financial Markets Authority's insurance pages explain what to ask an adviser (FMA: Insurance advice).
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 on Momentum products; see how we are paid.
Frequently asked questions
Does State Insurance sell life insurance?
Not that we could find. State's website, read on 20 October 2026, lists general insurance only.
Who owns State Insurance?
State is a business division of IAG New Zealand Limited, according to State's website.
Does State offer funeral cover?
We found no funeral product listed. Funeral cover in New Zealand comes from life insurers and other funeral cover providers; see the funeral insurance hub.
Where can I get life insurance instead?
From a life insurer directly, or through a licensed adviser who can compare several. Start with how much life insurance costs.
References
- State Insurance: Home page, retrieved 20 October 2026
- IAG New Zealand: About us, retrieved 20 October 2026
- Financial Markets Authority: Insurance advice, retrieved 20 October 2026
- Work and Income: Funeral Grant, retrieved 20 October 2026
- FDANZ: 2026 New Zealand Funeral Industry Trends Report (PDF), retrieved 20 October 2026
- Administration Act 1969, retrieved 20 October 2026
- Momentum Life: Financial strength, retrieved 20 October 2026
- Momentum Life: Funeral Insurance Policy Wording (17 August 2023), retrieved 17 October 2026
- Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording (November 2025), retrieved 17 October 2026
Read the full insurance guides
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