Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver — licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Last updated 2026-08-18

Who Holds My Old Insurance Policy Now? NZ Transfers Mapped

If your insurance policy carries a brand that no longer exists , Sovereign, Cigna, OnePath, Westpac Life, AMP, Kiwi Insurance, Accuro, Tower , your cover almost certainly still exists. When a New Zealand insurer sells or exits a book of policies, the policies do not vanish: in every case on this page but one, the book transferred to another licensed insurer, which took on the obligation to service it and pay claims under the existing terms (the exception, Foundation Life, is covered in detail below). In every completed transfer on this page where the receiving insurer published a statement, that statement says existing terms carried over , Chubb's March 2023 customer letter, for example, is explicit that the Cigna name change "did not affect the terms and conditions, coverage or premiums" of existing policies (Chubb customer letter, March 2023).

So the practical question is not "is my policy still valid?" but "who do I call now?" This page maps every major legacy brand to the company that stands behind it today, with the date each transfer was verified against a primary source. Where a date or destination could not be verified from public sources, that is stated as a gap rather than guessed. Everything here was checked against the sources listed at the end of this page, most recently on 18 August 2026.

The transfer table: who stands behind each legacy brand

Each row below names the company responsible for a legacy book today, sourced from the receiving insurer's own published material or the Reserve Bank's register of licensed insurers. Find the brand printed on your policy schedule in the first column.

A note on Tower life policies. nib's history covers Tower Medical (health insurance, acquired 2012). Tower's life book followed a different path that the public sources we captured do not fully document , Foundation Life is widely described as holding ex-Tower life heritage, but Foundation's own remaining pages do not state it, so we record it as unverified. If your documents say Tower and the policy is life insurance, start with the Foundation Life route above; failing that, ask your adviser or the FMA.

The three transfers that need more than one line

Most rows in the table are simple: one insurer took on the book, kept the terms, and answers the phone today. Three stories need a little more, because they are either still moving or did not follow the usual pattern.

AMP policies: Resolution Life today, Acenda Life from 2027

Old AMP life policies , Lifetrack and the whole-of-life and endowment ranges , are serviced through Resolution Life's New Zealand operation today, and that book is on the move again. Resolution Life describes a two-stage restructure (statutory fund restructure page, retrieved 18 August 2026): first, all New Zealand policies are expected to move into a new NZ-only statutory fund by 1 October 2026; second, in 2027 it proposes to transfer all New Zealand policies to Asteron Life , and from 2027 both businesses plan to operate under one name, Acenda Life. The page tells policyholders to keep a record of the change with their policy documents, and it describes a transfer of the policies, not a cancellation of them. If you hold an ex-AMP policy, expect the name on your letters to change again.

Foundation Life: the one book that did not simply transfer

Foundation Life is the exception on this page , the one case where policies did not carry on unchanged under a new owner. Foundation Life (NZ) Limited wound up its business through a High Court-approved Scheme of Arrangement, and its insurance licence was cancelled on 4 May 2026 per the RBNZ register of licensed insurers. Under the Scheme, policyholders either chose (or were defaulted to) a replacement life insurance policy with Chubb Life, or received a cash payment (Foundation Life scheme page, retrieved 18 August 2026). All Scheme cash payments are now complete , and where completed documentation was not received by 30 June 2026, the payment was transferred to Inland Revenue as unclaimed money under the Unclaimed Money Act 1971. So an ex-Foundation policyholder today is in one of three places: a Chubb Life policy (contact [email protected]), a payment already received, or money waiting at IRD's unclaimed money service. Foundation's office has closed, but it still answers email at [email protected].

Sovereign policies: serviced by AIA, amalgamation date unpublished

Sovereign was for years New Zealand's biggest life insurance brand, and many in-force policies still carry its name. Those closed ranges , TotalCare and TotalCare Max policies issued since February 2001, Sovereign Private Health, Absolute Health and MajorCare , remain in place for existing customers and are serviced by AIA NZ, which publishes dated enhancement summaries for them (AIA's enhancements and policy information page, retrieved 18 August 2026). One honest gap: the date Sovereign's business was amalgamated into AIA New Zealand Limited is not stated on the pages we captured, so this page does not state it. What matters practically is not in doubt: if your schedule says Sovereign, the company standing behind it is AIA New Zealand Limited, and AIA passes through wording enhancements for those closed products at claim time.

How to find a lost policy

A policy you have lost track of is usually findable, because someone is still legally responsible for it , the harder problem is working out who to ask first. Work through these steps in order:

1. Find any old paperwork and read the brand name. Then use the table above: the brand on the schedule tells you which current insurer to contact. Quote the old brand name and, if you have it, the policy number.
2. Check old bank statements for premium payments. A direct debit to an insurer (under an old or current name) is the fastest proof a policy existed and may still be in force.
3. Ask the adviser who sold it. If the adviser or their business is still operating, they may hold the policy record. You can check whether a financial adviser or advice business is registered on the Financial Service Providers Register, and confirm which insurers are currently licensed on the RBNZ register.
4. Search IRD's unclaimed money service. Money left untouched with an organisation , including sums like the Foundation Life scheme payments , is eventually transferred to Inland Revenue, Public Trust or Treasury, generally after five years, and you can search and claim it at ird.govt.nz/unclaimedmoney (retrieved 18 August 2026).
5. For a deceased relative's policy, the executor or administrator of the estate can make the same enquiries with a copy of the death certificate; insurers' claims teams will explain their process.

What a transfer means for your cover

In a standard book transfer, the receiving insurer takes on the existing policies on their existing terms, and the transfers on this page were accompanied by exactly that kind of statement where one was published. Chubb's customer letter states the Cigna name change did not affect terms, coverage or premiums (March 2023 letter); Asteron states that policies, cover, benefits, premiums, claims rights and customer support remain unchanged through the Acenda Life rebrand (Asteron announcement, retrieved 15 August 2026); and AIA publishes enhancement summaries showing closed Sovereign policies continuing, with wording improvements passed through at claim time (AIA enhancements page, retrieved 18 August 2026).

Three practical cautions sit alongside that reassurance. First, your policy wording , not this page and not a press release , governs any claim, so if the answer matters, ask the current insurer for your policy document and schedule. Second, read letters from unfamiliar brand names before filing them: that unfamiliar name may now be your insurer. Third, a transfer is a good prompt to check the basics , the people covered, the amounts, the beneficiaries and your contact details , because books that changed hands two or three times are exactly where out-of-date details accumulate.

When to get advice

An old policy is often worth keeping, and that is precisely why it deserves a proper review rather than a reflexive replacement. Older policies can carry terms that are no longer sold, and any new policy will be underwritten afresh, on your current age and health. The safe sequence never changes: do not cancel an old policy until any replacement is actually in force. A licensed financial adviser can obtain your current policy documents from the insurer now responsible for the book, explain what you actually hold, and compare it honestly against what is available today , sometimes the right answer is to keep exactly what you have.

If you would like help reviewing an old policy, QuoteHub can connect you with a licensed adviser. Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931).

References

Sources below were retrieved and current on the dates shown (most re-verified 15–18 August 2026).

• Chubb , Completion of the Cigna acquisition, 1 July 2022 and customer rebrand letter, March 2023 (terms, coverage and premiums unaffected)
• Fidelity Life , Westpac transition page (sale completed 28 February 2022; Fidelity Insurance Limited renaming; underwriting from 30 June 2023; retrieved 15 August 2026)
• AIA New Zealand , Enhancements and policy information for current and closed AIA or Sovereign policies (closed Sovereign ranges serviced by AIA; retrieved 18 August 2026)
• nib , About nib (Tower Medical 2012, OnePath medical 2015, Kiwi Insurance 2022; retrieved 18 August 2026)
• UniMed , Accuro is now UniMed (published 7 July 2025; 2024 portfolio transfer, brand retirement)
• Resolution Life , Homepage and statutory fund restructure and proposed transfer to Asteron Life (NZ-only statutory fund by 1 October 2026; proposed 2027 transfer to Asteron Life; Acenda Life naming; retrieved 18 August 2026)
• Suncorp , Completion of Asteron Life sale, 3 February 2025
• Asteron Life , Asteron Life is becoming Acenda Life (policies, cover, benefits, premiums and claims rights stated unchanged; retrieved 15 August 2026)
• Foundation Life , Scheme of Arrangement and About/closure notice (replacement Chubb Life policies; cash payments completed; unclaimed payments to IRD under the Unclaimed Money Act 1971 after 30 June 2026; retrieved 18 August 2026)
• Reserve Bank of New Zealand , Register of licensed insurers (current licences; Foundation Life (NZ) Limited licence cancelled 4 May 2026)
• Inland Revenue , Unclaimed money (transfer to IRD, Public Trust or Treasury, generally after five years; search and claim process; retrieved 18 August 2026)
• Companies Office , Financial Service Providers Register (checked resolving 18 August 2026)

Known gaps, stated rather than guessed: the date Sovereign's business was amalgamated into AIA New Zealand Limited; the year Cigna acquired the OnePath Life NZ book; the legal date and mechanics of the AMP-to-Resolution transfer; the exact legal date of the Accuro portfolio transfer within 2024; and the documented chain for Tower's life (as opposed to medical) book. None of these gaps changes who to contact today.

Last reviewed: 18 August 2026. Transfer details and contacts are re-verified on the programme's standard review cycle; the Resolution-to-Asteron transfer is a proposal in progress and should be re-checked against Resolution Life's page before relying on it.

Disclaimer: This article is general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). Whether any particular policy remains in force, and what it covers, is governed by the policy documents and the records of the insurer responsible for it , always confirm with that insurer. Details on this page were current at the retrieval dates shown and change as books transfer; check the linked primary sources for the current position.

Further reading

• Chubb Life insurance review , the full Cigna-to-Chubb story
• Fidelity Life review , including the Westpac Life acquisition
• UniMed review , what the Accuro merger means for members
• AIA review , including the Sovereign legacy book
• Asteron Life review , the Resolution ownership change and Acenda rebrand
• Cancel or change life insurance , the safe sequence

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