What does jet ski insurance cover in New Zealand?
General information, not advice on your situation. Buying through Tower's online quote is direct, without advice. QuoteHub is a Tower partner and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission from Tower.
Jet ski insurance is boat insurance written for a personal watercraft (PWC). It pays for loss or damage to the machine and for your legal liability to other people, and the Insurance Council of New Zealand files jet-skis under personal pleasurecraft insurance (ICNZ). Nothing on Maritime NZ's list of skipper responsibilities requires you to hold it (Maritime NZ), so the real questions are in the fine print. Tower's wording, used here as a worked example, adds a $5,000 excess for water ingress and excludes impeller damage (Tower wording, pp. 9, 21); other insurers' wordings differ.
What jet ski insurance covers
Tower says it can cover a jet ski, PWC or pole ski (Tower boat insurance). For accidental loss, fire and theft it pays the lesser of market value or the sum insured, so insuring for more than the jet ski would sell for adds nothing to a payout. Market value is the retail cost of the same make, model, age, engine hours and condition just before the loss, as assessed by a marine valuer Tower approves (Tower wording, pp. 4, 37).
Loss is covered on land, on water, in storage and on the jet ski's own trailer, up to 200 nautical miles out, and anyone in control with your permission is covered (Tower wording, pp. 9, 10, 37). The cover is for social, domestic or recreational use within New Zealand's geographical limits (Tower wording, p. 8).
Liability cover pays your legal liability for accidental property damage and injury arising from the jet ski, up to $5,000,000 with a $100,000 sub-limit for bodily injury to a person (Tower wording, p. 15). Injury that ACC covers is excluded (Tower wording, p. 19), as ACC's no-fault scheme covers everyone in New Zealand injured in an accident (MBIE); see ACC and private insurance.
Built-in extras include up to $25,000 for rescue, removal and emergency repairs after an accepted loss, and a new replacement, subject to availability, if you bought the jet ski new, insured it with Tower from new and it is written off within three years of purchase (Tower wording, p. 11).
The extra excesses and exclusions that catch jet ski owners
Tower's wording adds two jet ski excesses on top of your standard excess, and another can apply if someone under 25 was in control at the time of a loss (Tower wording, pp. 9, 30).
| Situation | Additional excess per event | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Water ingress | $5,000 | Water enters the hull and damages the motor or electrics with no impact breaking the hull. A seat coming off is not a break. |
| Theft from the trailer | $1,000 | Only if all three apply: total loss after theft from the trailer, no visible forced entry where it was stored, and no recognised anti-theft device on the trailer. |
Here is how the wording reads in situations owners actually meet.
| Situation | How Tower's wording reads |
|---|---|
| Water gets into the hull and ruins the motor, with no hull damage | The $5,000 water-ingress excess applies on top of the standard excess. |
| You hit a log and crack the hull | The water-ingress excess is defined around loss with no hull break, so it is not the trigger; the claim is assessed on the rest of the wording (Tower wording, p. 9). |
| Stones sucked into the jet unit at a shallow ramp | Impeller damage from taking in stones or other matter is excluded (Tower wording, p. 21). |
| Stolen from an open carport, secured only with a chain and padlock | The extra $1,000 theft excess applies, because chains, cables and padlocks do not count as a recognised anti-theft device (Tower wording, p. 9). |
| A mate under 25 borrows it | An additional excess can apply, and cover is lost if the rider was intoxicated or lacked the experience to control it (Tower wording, pp. 20, 30). |
| Carried on the deck of your launch | A PWC is not a boat tender under Tower's definition unless Tower has agreed and told you in writing (Tower wording, p. 36). |
Other exclusions bite harder on jet skis. Motor seizure or overheating is not covered unless an external blockage caused it, nor is wear, corrosion or gradual leakage (Tower wording, pp. 22, 24). Modifications, engine changes included, are not covered unless Tower has agreed and noted them on the certificate (Tower wording, pp. 7, 22, 37).
Racing, speed tests and anything above 70 knots are excluded, and so are reliability or time trials unless a club or association runs them at up to 30 knots. Hire or other business use is excluded too unless Tower has agreed to it and noted it on your certificate (Tower wording, p. 23). Storm or flood damage in the first 72 hours of a new policy is also excluded unless cover began when you bought the jet ski or straight after another policy covering the same risks (Tower wording, p. 23).
Theft, trailers and storage
Tower's theft guidance says a cable lock tying the jet ski to its trailer helps stop thieves lifting it into a ute, and that an approved device fitted at the time avoids the additional theft excess (Tower theft guidance). The wording's test is a recognised anti-theft device that is not any combination of padlocks, chains and cables (Tower wording, p. 9), so ask which products qualify before you buy one.
The trailer itself needs the optional trailer benefit and must be registered and warranted (Tower wording, pp. 7, 13). Liability while the jet ski is attached to a moving vehicle is excluded, except when launching or hauling out, because your car policy provides that cover (Tower wording, p. 19); see third party car insurance.
Optional lay-up cover lowers the premium for months the jet ski is stored at the home address on the certificate, but riding it in that period means no cover (Tower: lay-up cover).
Rules that sit alongside your cover
Tower's wording makes complying with maritime law and local authority rules a responsibility of the policyholder and anyone riding with permission, and lets Tower decline a claim or cancel the policy if those responsibilities are not met (Tower wording, p. 26). A breach of the rules below could therefore put a claim at risk.
Jet skis are treated differently from boats, which need no registration. Registration is mandatory in the Auckland, Northland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty areas (Auckland Transport). It is a one-off step for the life of the jet ski, it helps identify a stolen one, and riding an unregistered jet ski in Auckland can draw a $200 fine (Auckland Transport: registering a jetski). Wellington requires it too (Greater Wellington), as does Gisborne, visitors included (Gisborne District Council). Check your own region.
From 9 October 2026, everyone on board a recreational craft of 6 metres or less, jet skis included, must wear a lifejacket while it is underway, and anyone being towed must wear one too (Maritime NZ lifejacket rule).
The speed limit is 5 knots within 200 metres of shore or a dive-flag boat and within 50 metres of any other boat or swimmer (Maritime NZ jetski page). You must be over 15 to operate any vessel that can exceed 10 knots unless an older person within reach of the controls is closely supervising (Maritime NZ rules on the water). Towing a skier needs a second person aboard watching: Gisborne requires it, and so does Tower's water-skiing liability benefit (Gisborne District Council; Tower wording, p. 17).
What affects the price
Tower does not publish jet ski premiums, so this page quotes none. Its boat premium explainer names the type of boat, where it is stored, its construction and age, and what you paid for it as the factors, and adds that minimum premiums may apply (Tower: understanding your boat premium).
Whichever insurer you use, put the same questions to its wording: market value or agreed value, extra excesses for water ingress or theft, impeller damage, modifications, the trailer and who is allowed to ride. QuoteHub's boat insurance overview and yacht insurance guide cover boats more broadly.
Getting a quote from Tower online
Have the jet ski's make, model, year, engine size, purchase price, hull identification number, storage address and the riders' ages to hand. QuoteHub's link opens Tower's online quote, Tower's own page, where Tower sets the price and terms.
Questions people ask
Do you need insurance for a jet ski in New Zealand?
No rule makes you buy it: Maritime NZ's list of skipper responsibilities covers the rules, lifejackets, bylaws, alcohol, speed and accident reporting, not insurance (Maritime NZ). Registration, where your region requires it, is the compulsory step.
What does jet ski insurance cover?
In Tower's wording: accidental loss, fire and theft of the jet ski, liability to others up to $5,000,000, and extras such as up to $25,000 for rescue and removal (Tower wording, pp. 11, 15). The excesses and exclusions above decide how much of a claim is actually paid.
Does home and contents insurance cover a jet ski?
Not in Tower's wordings, unless the jet ski is worth very little. Its Standard and Premium contents policies cover a powered watercraft only if it is worth no more than $500 on Standard or $2,000 on Premium, and its house wording excludes liability from owning or using a watercraft. A jet ski worth more than those limits therefore sits outside those policies; see home and contents insurance.
How much does jet ski insurance cost?
Tower does not publish jet ski premiums (Tower boat insurance), so there is no figure here. See "What affects the price" above for the factors.
Can I insure a jet ski that I hire out?
Tower says it does not currently offer cover for business or commercial use (Tower boat insurance), and its wording excludes hire, charter or reward use unless Tower has agreed to it and noted it on your certificate (Tower wording, p. 23). A hire business would need cover from elsewhere.
What should I do after a capsize or a theft?
For a submerged motor, Tower's wording says to dry the engine, drain the oil and fuel, flush it, drain again, refill with oil or dewatering fluid and get it to a repairer, and to get Tower's permission before arranging repairs (Tower wording, p. 28). After a theft it asks you to tell Police and pass on the acknowledgement number (Tower wording, p. 28). Have photos and proof of purchase ready; making a Tower claim sets out the steps, and accidents must also be reported to Maritime NZ (Maritime NZ).
Adviser's view
QuoteHub's read: on a jet ski the extra excesses for water ingress and trailer theft, and the exclusion for impeller damage, matter as much as the sum insured.
Get a Tower quote online
Tower’s own quote opens in a new tab. House, contents, landlord, car and boat cover can be quoted together in one go.
QuoteHub is a Tower partner. If you buy through this link, Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission from Tower. Buying online is not financial advice.
Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Jet Ski Insurance NZ: What Is and Isn't Covered. www.quotehub.co.nz/boat-insurance/jet-ski-insurance-nz. Updated 2026-10-07.
References
- Tower, Boat insurance
- Tower, Boat comprehensive policy wording (BOAT-COMP-09-24)
- Tower, Protecting your trailer boat from theft
- Tower, Lay-up cover
- Tower, Understanding your boat premium
- Tower, Contents Standard policy wording
- Tower, Contents Premium policy wording
- Tower, House Standard policy wording
- ICNZ, Marine insurance
- MBIE, Accident compensation regulatory system
- Maritime NZ, Lifejacket wearing rule amendment
- Maritime NZ, Personal Water Craft and jetskis
- Maritime NZ, Rules on the water
- Maritime NZ, Skipper responsibilities
- Auckland Transport, Jetskis (personal watercraft)
- Auckland Transport, Registering a jetski
- Greater Wellington, Jetski registration
- Gisborne District Council, Jet ski registration
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