What Counts as Accidental Death on Funeral Insurance in NZ?

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.

Under Momentum Life's funeral policy, an Accidental Death is a death that results directly from an Accident and happens within 90 days of it. An Accident is an injury that happens while the policy is in force and is caused directly and solely by unintentional, violent, external and visible means, with no other contributing causes. In the first 24 months, only this kind of death pays.

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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.

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.

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.

The definition, word for word

The Momentum Life Funeral Insurance wording (issue date 17 August 2023) defines two terms that work together (Momentum Life: Funeral Insurance Policy Wording).

Accident: "An event resulting in bodily injury that occurs while this Policy is in force, where the bodily injury is directly and solely caused by an unintentional accidental, violent, external and visible means without any other contributing causes and where the injury is not self-inflicted."
Accidental Death: "A death that occurs as a direct result of an Accident, and within 90 days of that Accident."

These are Momentum's words, not an industry standard. Each New Zealand insurer writes its own definition, so a page that describes "the" legal definition of accidental death in funeral insurance is describing one policy at most. This page covers Momentum's wording, and a table below shows how other insurers describe their accident cover.

Why the definition matters so much

Momentum's funeral cover accepts New Zealanders aged 40 to 75 with no health questions. In exchange there is a 24-month wait. In the first 24 months the benefit is paid only if the person dies of an Accident within 90 days of it. A death from anything else, illness included, pays no benefit, and Momentum refunds all premiums paid for that person. After 24 months it pays for death from any cause. A death that qualifies as accidental pays 3 times the chosen benefit: $9,000 on a $3,000 benefit, up to $90,000 on a $30,000 one.

Two clocks, not one

Readers often mix up two time limits that sit side by side.

The 24-month window runs from the Cover Start Date. It decides whether any death, not only an accident, is covered.
The 90-day rule runs from the accident. It decides whether a death counts as an Accidental Death, and so whether the 3 times payout applies.

An accident must also happen while the policy is in force, so an injury before the Acceptance Date is not an Accident under the wording. The timelines below apply those two clocks.

What happens	Result under the wording
Accident in month 5, death 30 days later	Accidental Death. Pays 3 times the benefit
Accident in month 5, death in month 12 from the injury's long-term effects	Death is more than 90 days after the accident, so it is not Accidental Death. It is inside 24 months, so no benefit is paid and premiums are refunded
Accident in month 22, death in month 26 from the injury	More than 90 days after the accident, so not Accidental Death, but after 24 months any cause is covered. Pays the benefit once, not 3 times
Accident in month 23, death in month 25, within 90 days	Accidental Death, and also after 24 months. Pays 3 times the benefit
Death from a heart attack, stroke or illness in month 10	Not an Accident. No benefit; premiums refunded
Death from illness in month 30	Pays the benefit, as any cause is covered after 24 months

The month 22 row follows from applying the wording's two rules, and the wording gives no worked example of it. If a situation like this matters to you, ask Momentum in writing before relying on it.

What the wording says and does not say

Illness is not an Accident. A death caused by illness, a medical event or natural causes is not caused by "violent, external and visible means", so it does not meet the definition.

Self-inflicted injury. The definition requires that the injury is not self-inflicted. In the first 24 months, a death from self-inflicted injury therefore does not qualify as Accidental Death, and only the premium refund applies. The wording has no separate suicide clause, so once 24 months have passed, death from any cause is covered, with no carve-out.

"Without any other contributing causes." This is the phrase that decides borderline cases, such as a fall that followed a medical event, or a death after an operation to treat an accident injury. The wording gives no examples. Momentum decides on the evidence, and we cannot say how it would treat a particular case. If you disagree with a decision, you can complain to Momentum and then take it to the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO), which is free and whose assessment "is binding on Momentum Life" (0800 888 202, ifso.nz).

Alcohol and drugs. We found no alcohol or drug exclusion in the Funeral Insurance wording. That differs from Momentum's Quick Life, which excludes deaths from the effects of alcohol or drugs. Whether alcohol would count as a contributing cause on a particular claim is not addressed, so ask if it is relevant.

What a claim needs

The wording says the claimant must give proof "to our satisfaction" at their own expense. This may include a form completed by a Medical Practitioner, other medical information Momentum reasonably requires, and a death certificate or confirmed diagnosis of death. Valid claims are paid in New Zealand dollars, "usually within 24 - 48 hours of approval", to the policy owner, the nominated beneficiaries or the owner's executor. Approval starts that clock, not the death. A government death certificate costs $35 and usually takes one to two weeks (govt.nz: Get a death certificate). Our guide on how to claim funeral insurance walks through the steps.

How other insurers treat accidents

Insurers' own pages, retrieved 17 to 20 October 2026. We have not compared their full definitions of an accident.

Provider	Accident cover in the early window
Momentum Life Funeral Insurance	24 months; death within 90 days of the accident; 3 times the benefit
NZ Seniors and OneChoice (Pinnacle Life)	First 12 months cover accidental death and accidental serious injury only; triple payout
AA Life (Asteron Life)	Accidental death covered from acceptance; death within 90 days pays double; 24 months for other causes
Chubb Life	Accidental death covered immediately; sum insured paid; all causes after 24 months
Greenwich Life (Autosure)	First two years, full benefit only for accidental death

The multiple and the window differ more than the headline benefit does, so compare both. See triple payout funeral insurance and what the 24-month refund means.

If the wait does not suit you

An accident-only first two years suits someone who accepts that risk to avoid health questions. It is a poor fit if you are already ill, because illness pays nothing in that window. Alternatives include fully underwritten life cover through a licensed adviser, where the insurer asks health questions and decides, and Momentum's Quick Life, which covers accidental death and new conditions from day one but excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide for the first 2 years. Quick Life is for ages 18 to 65 and is a different product with its own limits. Total premiums on a funeral policy can end up larger than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral.

Where to get advice

The buttons on this page open Momentum Life's online application. Before you apply, read the Accident definition above and the full wording. If you want to compare it with other cover, a licensed adviser can do that on your details. Momentum Life's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair), which Momentum's own table places in its "Vulnerable" range; see its financial strength page. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy; see how we are paid. Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). Back to the funeral insurance hub, or read about Momentum Life Funeral Cover.