Can you get life insurance with stage 4 cancer?

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.

We found no New Zealand insurer that publishes terms for new life cover when cancer is at stage 4, so we cannot say a new policy will be available. Guaranteed-acceptance funeral cover asks no health questions, but for its first 24 months it pays only for accidental death. A death from cancer in that time pays no benefit and returns the premiums. For many people the better first step is to check the cover they already hold.

This page is written for someone who may be facing this now, or for a family member. It is general information. A diagnosis of stage 4 cancer does not by itself tell you how long a person will live, and nothing here is a prediction. The Cancer Society says advanced cancer is cancer that has spread from where it started, that "stage 4 (IV) cancer" is another name for it, and that advanced cancer "is unlikely to be curable but can be managed with treatment", which is why "many people with some types of advanced cancer live well and for a long time". It separates this from terminal cancer, which it describes as no longer responding to any treatment (Cancer Society: Advanced cancer). For insurance, the words matter: "stage 4" is not the same as "terminal illness", and each policy defines terminal illness for itself.

Start with the cover you already hold

If you were insured before the diagnosis, that is the case insurance is built for, and it is the most likely source of money. Make a list:

Life cover through an insurer, a bank, an employer or a KiwiSaver provider, including a partner's policy that covers you.
Trauma cover, which pays a lump sum on diagnosis of a listed condition. Read the list in the policy; the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO) says trauma cover only covers certain specified conditions (IFSO).
Mortgage or loan cover and any funeral cover.

Then read the wording for "terminal illness". Definitions vary. Momentum's Quick Life defines it as an illness that, even with treatment, is expected to lead to death within 12 months, confirmed by a medical practitioner Momentum approves (Momentum Life: Quick Life policy wording, November 2025). Fidelity Life describes its early payout as generally meaning less than 12 months left to live (Fidelity Life: Life cover). Our page on funeral insurance and terminal illness compares the insurers that publish a benefit, and the terminal illness benefit guide explains how it works.

Check with the insurer or an adviser before cancelling anything. Keep paying premiums while you check, and tell the insurer promptly if a benefit might apply. A licensed adviser, or the insurer, can say what the policy needs for a claim.

Can you buy new life cover with stage 4 cancer?

Cover with health questions is individually assessed. Asteron Life says terms depend on the diagnosis date, type, stage, size and location of the cancer, spread and treatment, and that postponement periods of "anywhere between a year to ten years" can apply (Asteron Life: If I had cancer, can I still get life insurance?). That article is about people who have had cancer and are in remission. We could not find terms for active stage 4 disease, so we do not state an outcome. A new application can be declined, and you must answer every question you are asked: IFSO publishes cases where insurers reduced or avoided claims for non-disclosure (IFSO). If you are declined, see life insurance after a decline.

What guaranteed-acceptance cover would and would not do

Two Momentum Life products ask no health questions. Neither is a way to get money quickly.

	Funeral Insurance (ages 40 to 75)	Quick Life (ages 18 to 65)
Health questions	None	None
If death from cancer happens in the first 24 months	No benefit; all premiums for that person refunded	No benefit for a cancer already present; premiums refunded if no claim is payable
Accidental death in that time	Paid, at three times the benefit	Paid
Terminal illness benefit	None	Yes, but not for a related pre-existing condition in the first 2 years
Other limits	Premiums level to the 89th birthday	Momentum's website says it is not available to applicants diagnosed with a terminal illness or in palliative or hospice care

Sources: the Funeral Insurance wording (17 August 2023) and Quick Life wording (November 2025), and Momentum's Quick Life page. In plain terms, Funeral Insurance would pay nothing for a cancer death in the first 24 months and Quick Life would exclude a related claim for its first 2 years. If a doctor thinks the time may be short, this is not a way to pay for the funeral, and the premiums would come back. If the outlook is longer or uncertain, that is a personal judgement. Total premiums on funeral cover can end up larger than the benefit, and the benefit may not meet the whole funeral. This page does not offer a Momentum application, because the honest answer for most people in this position is to ask an adviser first. For the funeral-cover detail, see funeral insurance with cancer and life insurance with cancer.

Paying for a funeral without insurance

Work and Income Funeral Grant. Up to $2,697.43 as at 1 April 2026, tested on income where the person who died was a partner or child, and on assets. Other help with costs, including prepaid funeral cover, can affect eligibility (Work and Income: Funeral Grant). See the funeral grant guide.
Costs to plan around. FDANZ's 2026 report gives averages of $4,700 for an unattended cremation, $11,700 for a full funeral with cremation and $14,300 with burial (FDANZ, 2026 New Zealand Funeral Industry Trends Report).
Setting money aside, or help when money is tight. Can't afford a funeral lists the options.
Support while ill. Our cancer financial support guide lists benefits, travel assistance and charity help that do not depend on a policy.

Talking to an adviser

A licensed adviser can help with three things: finding and reading existing policies, asking insurers whether anything new is possible without committing, and checking whether a claim should be made now. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver is available through our contact page. The adviser's job is to tell you plainly what is and is not available, including when the answer is that new cover will not help.

Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). General information, not advice. 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. Start from the guaranteed acceptance hub.

Adviser's view

We found no New Zealand insurer that publishes terms for new life cover when cancer is stage 4, so we cannot tell you a new policy is available. Guaranteed-acceptance funeral cover asks no health questions but pays nothing for a cancer death in its first 24 months. The most useful step is usually to check every policy you already hold, then talk to a licensed adviser.

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

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Life Insurance With Stage 4 Cancer NZ: Key Limits. www.quotehub.co.nz/guaranteed-acceptance/life-insurance-with-stage-4-cancer-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.

References

Explore related pages: Life Insurance, Income Protection, Health Insurance, Trauma Insurance, Calculators.