Insurance brokers and advisers in Wellington

Wellington has three private hospitals in the city and another in Lower Hutt, so the practical question here is usually which one your specialist operates at rather than whether private treatment is available.

Where we are, and where we are not

We do not have an office in Wellington. Our only office is in Christchurch, and advice is given nationwide by phone and video. Everything here is available to you from Wellington; a meeting room in Wellington is not.

Private hospitals serving Wellington

Two of Wellington’s private hospitals are run by Evolution Healthcare and one by Southern Cross Healthcare, with Boulcott in Lower Hutt owned by a group of surgeons in partnership with Rangatira. A referral usually follows the specialist rather than the hospital, which is worth knowing before you assume your policy decides where you go.

Private hospitals serving Wellington
Hospital	Operator	Address	City
Boulcott Hospital	Owned by a group of surgeons in partnership with Rangatira	666 High Street, Lower Hutt 5010	Lower Hutt
Bowen Hospital	Evolution Healthcare	98 Churchill Drive, Crofton Downs, Wellington 6035	Wellington
Southern Cross Wellington Hospital	Southern Cross Healthcare	90 Hanson St, Newtown, Wellington 6021	Wellington
Wakefield Hospital	Evolution Healthcare private hospital operator	99 Rintoul Street, Newtown, Wellington 6021	Wellington

Questions about insurance advice in Wellington

Is an insurance broker the same as a financial adviser in Wellington?

Not quite, and the difference is worth two sentences. "Broker" is the everyday word and is most often used for general insurance, house, car and business. Anyone giving regulated advice on life, health, trauma or income cover in New Zealand does so under a licensed Financial Advice Provider, and that is what we are: financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). If you searched for a broker and found an adviser, you are in the right place for life and health cover.

Do you have an office in Wellington?

Which private hospitals are in Wellington?

4 that we hold records for: Boulcott Hospital, Bowen Hospital, Southern Cross Wellington Hospital, Wakefield Hospital. Each has its own page here with what it treats, who operates it and how referral works. Which of them your policy pays for in full depends on the insurer, not on the hospital.

Does where I live change what cover I should have?

It changes one thing materially, which is what a restrictive health policy costs you in practice. An insurer network that excludes the only private hospital in your city is a different proposition from one that excludes one of six in Auckland. It does not change life, trauma or income protection, which pay a sum of money rather than a treatment.

What does it cost to talk to you?

Nothing. Advisers in this market are paid commission by the insurer when cover is placed, which is disclosed to you in writing before you apply, along with what we are paid and by whom. You are not charged a fee for the conversation and you are under no obligation to take the advice.