Looking for $100,000 of funeral cover?

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-10-20 · Reviewed quarterly, when the underlying data is restated.

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.

No standalone funeral insurance plan in New Zealand pays $100,000. Momentum Life caps funeral benefits at $30,000 per life, and the other plans we checked stop at the same level or lower. A $100,000 sum is life insurance. Momentum Life's Quick Life covers $50,000 to $300,000 for ages 18 to 65 with no health questions, and underwritten policies come through an adviser.

Get a quote and apply online today

See your price in about a minute, then apply online with Momentum Life. Guaranteed acceptance, no health questions, no medical exams.

Life cover See your price Ages 18–65 · $50k–$300k Funeral cover See your price Ages 40–75 · $3k–$30k

Want more than $300k or have questions? Talk to an adviser

Life cover: Conditions you already have aren't covered for the first 2 years (premiums refunded instead). Suicide isn't covered for the first 2 years, and a few conditions can be excluded permanently.

Funeral cover: Only accidental death is covered for the first 2 years. Total premiums can add up to more than the cover, and it may not meet the whole cost of a funeral.

Insurer: Momentum Life Limited. Financial strength rating B (Fair) from AM Best, affirmed 11 February 2026; B ratings sit in AM Best's 'vulnerable' range. The rating scale is available for inspection at every Momentum Life office in New Zealand. What this means

Already have cover? Keep it. New cover won't pay for a condition you already have in its first 2 years.

Opens Momentum Life's online application; its guidance only covers eligibility. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy. General information, not advice.

Can you buy $100,000 of funeral insurance in New Zealand?

Not on the products we checked, as at 20 October 2026, from each insurer's own pages:

Funeral plan	Highest benefit published
Momentum Life Funeral Insurance	$30,000 per life across all Momentum funeral policies
NZ Seniors and OneChoice (Pinnacle Life)	$30,000
AA Life (Asteron Life)	$30,000
Chubb Life	Up to $30,000
Greenwich Life, The Funeral Plan	$20,000 (web page)
Unity	$15,000

Compared: those six plans on their highest published benefit, as at 20 October 2026, from each insurer's published pages. Not every New Zealand insurer is included, and this is one adviser's reading, not a score. See the maximum funeral cover available. Searches such as "funeral cover that pays 1 million" and "highest paying funeral cover" are really searches for life insurance, which is sold through health-questioned or guaranteed-acceptance products at much larger amounts.

Why funeral plans stop short of $100,000

A funeral plan is built for one job, a lump sum towards final costs. The funeral directors' association FDANZ reports averages of $11,700 for a cremation funeral and $14,300 for a burial funeral in its 2026 survey of typical prices (FDANZ, 2026 New Zealand Funeral Industry Trends Report), so $30,000 is well above either average. Amounts like $100,000 are for debts, a mortgage or income for dependants, which is the work of life insurance. The two are compared in funeral insurance versus life insurance. A funeral policy also carries the warning that total premiums could exceed the benefit, and the benefit may not cover a whole funeral.

Momentum Quick Life: $50,000 to $300,000 without health questions

Quick Life, issued by Momentum Life Limited, takes ages 18 to 65, with no health questions or medical exams. Cover is $50,000 to $300,000 per life insured, with a 3% increase each policy anniversary until age 75 or a $500,000 cap per life, whichever comes first; you can opt out of an increase (Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording). It pays on accidental death, on death from any cause after the first 2 years, and on terminal illness (expected death within 12 months). Rules to know:

First 2 years. Pre-existing conditions, and suicide or intentional self-harm, are excluded. If death from a pre-existing condition happens in the first 24 months and no claim is payable, premiums are refunded. A few conditions can be excluded permanently in the policy schedule.
What counts as pre-existing. Illness, condition or symptoms in the 2 years before the start, including treatment or advice, and markers such as a BMI over 40, cholesterol over 7.0, very high blood pressure and diabetes complications.
Always excluded. Deaths from alcohol or drug effects, war, terrorism, criminal activity, and listed dangerous jobs or pastimes. These are not asked at application and matter at claim time.
Eligibility. Momentum's Quick Life page says it is not available to applicants diagnosed with a terminal illness or in palliative or hospice care (Momentum Life: Quick Life).

Underwritten life insurance: when an adviser policy can cost less

Fully underwritten cover asks about your health, then prices it. A healthy person can usually get more cover for less this way. QuoteHub's Premium Index, a snapshot of insurers' published rate cards as at 8 September 2026, does not price $100,000; its nearest row is $250,000, non-smoker, stepped premiums, class 1 occupation and standard rates:

Age	$250,000, man (monthly)	$250,000, woman (monthly)
40	$25 to $65	$20 to $55
60	$175 to $305	$130 to $230
65	$350 to $540	$235 to $400

These ranges include Momentum Life's Quick Life and five underwritten insurers, so they are wide because the products differ. They are indicative, not quotes, and your own premium depends on underwriting (QuoteHub Premium Index). For a named insurer's own rate page, see Fidelity Life.

How stepped premiums behave on larger amounts

Quick Life premiums are recalculated each anniversary for age, gender and smoking status, "generally increase each year", and become fixed from age 75. The 3% increase raises the sum insured and the premium with it. At 75, $20,000 of the benefit becomes free, and the policyholder can elect a free $20,000 funeral benefit or continue Quick Life with the free component. Total premiums over a long life might be more than the benefit paid out, as the wording says. Stepped and level options differ across insurers; Fidelity describes level term as starting "a bit higher" and staying the same for the term (Fidelity Life: Life cover).

Where each product stops being an option

Your age	What exists for a large sum
18 to 65	Quick Life ($50,000 to $300,000) and underwritten life cover
66 to 75	Underwritten cover where an insurer accepts you; Momentum's Funeral Insurance up to $30,000
Over 75	Neither Momentum product accepts new applicants

Other guaranteed-acceptance life products exist. Greenwich Life's QuickCover Life is for ages 21 to 60, $50,000 to $200,000, and also excludes existing conditions for the first two years (Greenwich Life: QuickCover). Guaranteed acceptance tends to suit someone who expects a decline or a heavy loading elsewhere, or who wants cover in place with no health questions. For the comparison with full medical underwriting, see guaranteed acceptance versus full medical and how much life insurance do I need.

Where to get advice

Momentum Life Limited's A.M. Best financial strength rating is B (Fair), in the "Vulnerable" range of Momentum's own table; see its financial strength page. The buttons on this page open Momentum Life's online application. Momentum's Funeral Insurance accepts ages 40 to 75; for the first 24 months it pays only for accidental death and refunds all premiums for any other death. A licensed adviser can compare insurers on your own details. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy a Momentum policy; see how we are paid. General information, not advice. Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). More at Quick Life, guaranteed acceptance, funeral insurance cost and the funeral insurance hub.