Can you get life insurance with cancer 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.

Life insurance pays on death, and can pay for cancer if the policy was in force before the cancer was diagnosed. A new application made during cancer treatment faces a different test. Momentum's Quick Life accepts applicants aged 18 to 65 without health questions, but pays nothing for a pre-existing condition in the first two years and refunds the premiums.

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.

This page answers the question in three situations, because the answer changes with the timeline. "Life insurance with cancer" can mean you were insured before a diagnosis, you are looking for cover after one, or you want to know what help exists outside a policy. Each has a different answer, and the most expensive mistake is to assume that guaranteed acceptance means cover for a condition you already have.

Situation 1: you were insured before the diagnosis

A life policy that was in force before you had symptoms or a diagnosis is the case insurance is built for. The cancer is a new condition, not a pre-existing one. Under Momentum's Quick Life wording, accidental death and new medical conditions that arise after the policy starts are covered from the start of cover, including a terminal illness diagnosis (an illness expected to lead to death within 12 months, confirmed by a medical practitioner Momentum approves) (Momentum Life: Quick Life policy wording, November 2025). The wording lists no cancer or trauma benefit, so a cancer diagnosis on its own does not pay a lump sum. That is the job of trauma cover, which the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman says pays only for specified conditions (IFSO). See life versus trauma insurance.

If you hold a policy, do not cancel it because you are ill. FMA guidance is to keep an old policy running until a new one is in force, and a new insurer sees your full history (FMA).

Situation 2: you are applying with cancer now

Cover with health questions is individually underwritten. Asteron Life says terms depend on the date of diagnosis, the type of cancer and its severity, and that postponement periods of "anywhere between a year to ten years" can apply depending on severity (Asteron Life). No New Zealand insurer publishes terms for a person in active treatment, so QuoteHub cannot tell you what any insurer would decide. Practically, a licensed adviser can ask insurers for a pre-assessment, which Fidelity Life describes as not an offer of cover and not a binding assessment (Fidelity Life underwriting guide). If you have since finished treatment, read life insurance after cancer treatment and remission.

Guaranteed acceptance asks no health questions, so it will accept an eligible applicant. Quick Life takes ages 18 to 65, with cover from $50,000 to $300,000, and Funeral Insurance takes ages 40 to 75, with a benefit of $3,000 to $30,000. Momentum's site says Quick Life is not available to someone diagnosed with a terminal illness or in palliative or hospice care (Momentum Life). The rest of this page is about what happens to the claim.

What the two-year rule does to a cancer claim

Momentum Life publishes its rules, so here are the facts, without softening.

	Quick Life	Funeral Insurance
Who the first period affects	Everyone	Everyone
First 24 months	No benefit for death or terminal illness related to a pre-existing condition or suicide. Accidental death and new conditions are covered	Pays only for accidental death within 90 days of the accident
If the person dies of cancer already present	No benefit; premiums refunded if no claim is payable	No benefit; all premiums for that person refunded
After 24 months	Pre-existing conditions covered, except any permanently excluded in the policy schedule	Pays for death from any cause
Terminal illness benefit	Yes, subject to the same rules	None

Sources: Quick Life wording (November 2025) and Funeral Insurance wording (17 August 2023), both listed below. The Quick Life definition of a pre-existing condition is any illness, condition or symptoms in the 2 years before the policy started, including anything you had treatment or advice for. A cancer that was diagnosed or treated in that window is inside it. Whether an older history is also inside is not settled by the wording's different descriptions, so ask Momentum before you apply if that is your situation.

A worked example, with round and invented numbers: someone aged 55 takes out Quick Life while undergoing treatment and pays premiums for 14 months before dying of that cancer. Because the death falls within 24 months and relates to a pre-existing condition, no benefit is payable and the premiums paid are refunded. The same person surviving beyond the 24-month mark would have the cancer covered, unless it appears in the policy schedule as a permanent exclusion. Neither outcome is certain. Cover for a pre-existing condition applies only after the 2-year period, and only if the policy is still in force and premiums have been paid.

Because Quick Life premiums rise each year with age until 75, and total premiums can end up larger than the benefit, a longer wait costs more. Funeral Insurance premiums are level until the 89th birthday, but it is a funeral benefit, not a family income replacement, and the benefit may not meet the whole funeral. See the pre-existing conditions guide and the two-year exclusion explained.

Situation 3: help that does not depend on a policy

For someone with a cancer diagnosis, insurance is not the only support. See cancer financial support for options that do not depend on a policy, and terminal illness benefits for how those benefits are defined. If you want the maximum amount of cover and your health allows it, an adviser will test fully underwritten options first, since a healthy applicant can usually get more cover for less that way.

Checklist before you apply

Write down the dates: diagnosis, treatment start and finish, last check.
Decide whether the cover must pay in the next two years. If so, guaranteed acceptance will not do that job for the cancer.
Ask about the amount you need, not the maximum you can buy.
Keep any existing policy until the new one is in force.
Answer every question you are asked, completely. A policy bought on incomplete answers may not pay.

Momentum Life's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair), in what Momentum's financial strength page calls the "Vulnerable" range. 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 if you buy through the buttons on this page; see how we are paid. This page is general information, not advice. Start from the guaranteed acceptance hub, and see Quick Life for the full product.

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

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.

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

Adviser's view

Life insurance does pay for death from cancer in the right circumstances, but a policy bought after a diagnosis is a different matter. Guaranteed acceptance will take your application, and it will not pay for a cancer-related death in the first two years: you get your premiums back instead. If you are already ill, think of it as cover that starts to work later, not cover that starts now.

Henry Smith, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699). General information, not personalised financial advice.

Compare life cover with a licensed NZ adviser · free, no obligation.

Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Life Insurance With Cancer NZ: Options and Limits. www.quotehub.co.nz/guaranteed-acceptance/life-insurance-with-cancer-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.