NZ Seniors

A Greenstone-promoted brand underwritten by Pinnacle Life, for applicants 45 to 79: no medical exam, cover continues to age 85.

Reviewed by Henry Smith, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699). Updated 17 September 2026.

Who owns and underwrites NZ Seniors

Who stands behind NZ Seniors
Question	Answer
Who underwrites it	Pinnacle Life Limited (source, New Zealand Seniors Financial Advice Disclosure Statement)
Who owns the underwriter	Not published
Who sells it	Greenstone Financial Services NZ Limited, owned by Greenstone Financial Services (AU group)
Financial strength of the underwriter	B+ (A.M. Best) (source, read 14 Aug 2026)
How you can buy	Direct only

QuoteHub’s read. NZ Seniors is a Greenstone-promoted brand issued by Pinnacle Life for ages 45 to 79: eight phone questions instead of a medical, $10,000 to $200,000 of life cover with stepped premiums that rise every year and end outright at 85, while the funeral product runs premium-free from 85 with a 25% bonus.

NZ Seniors at a glance

Key facts about NZ Seniors
Fact	What the register holds
Who underwrites it	Pinnacle Life Limited (source, New Zealand Seniors Financial Advice Disclosure Statement)
Who sells it	Greenstone Financial Services NZ Limited
Licensed entity behind the policy	Greenstone Financial Services NZ Limited (NZBN 9429047013582) (distributor/promoter)
Owner of the brand	Greenstone Financial Services (AU group)
What they write	Life cover, Funeral cover
How you can buy	Direct only
Owner of the underwriter
Financial strength of the underwriter	B+ (A.M. Best) (source, read 14 Aug 2026)
Rating as at	15 Apr 2026
On the QuoteHub panel	No, we do not place cover with them
Complaints	Financial Dispute Resolution Service, free for consumers

QuoteHub’s verdict on NZ Seniors

Reviewed and updated 17 September 2026 by Henry Smith, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699), for the QuoteHub adviser team. The tables above are register records; this section is our read of them.

NZ Seniors is a brand, not an insurer. Greenstone Financial Services NZ Limited promotes and distributes it, Pinnacle Life Limited issues the policies, and A.M. Best’s April 2026 affirmation names Greenstone Holdco as Pinnacle’s ultimate parent, so the seller and the issuer share an owner. The financial strength that applies is Pinnacle Life’s B+ (Good) from A.M. Best, not a grade of NZ Seniors’ own.

Life Insurance accepts New Zealand residents aged 45 to 79 for $10,000 to $200,000 on eight phone questions, with stepped premiums that increase each year and cover that ends at the 85th birthday. Funeral Insurance is guaranteed acceptance from 18 to 79, up to $30,000, pays only for accidental death in its first 12 months, and from age 85 continues premium-free with a 25% bonus added.

The two products pull in opposite directions after 85, and that is the fact to hold onto: the funeral cover is built to be kept, the life cover is built to end. It may fit a situation over 45 where medical questions are unwelcome and a modest fixed sum is the aim; in ordinary health, or where cover past 85 matters, the underwritten market is wider and the price difference is the cost of the eight-question underwriting.

General information, not a recommendation: whether a policy suits you depends on your health, your budget and what you need covered. A licensed adviser can put it next to the rest of the panel on your own details.

What NZ Seniors writes

NZ Seniors products and what each one pays
Cover	What it pays
Life cover	A lump sum to the people you name, paid on death or a terminal diagnosis.
Funeral cover	A small lump sum intended to meet funeral costs, often guaranteed acceptance.

Is NZ Seniors a fit for you?

The reasons to shortlist it, and the catches to check first. Every line below is read from a NZ Seniors document, linked with the date.

Check these before you choose

Aged 45-79 wanting life cover with no medical. NZ Seniors Life Insurance accepts New Zealand residents aged 45 to 79 based on eight phone questions, with no medical exam. (source, Life Insurance page, nzseniors.co.nz, read 16 September 2026)
Funeral cover's 12-month wait. NZ Seniors Funeral Insurance only pays out for death from a cause other than an accident once the policy has been in force for 12 months. (source, Seniors Funeral Insurance Policy Document (PDF), read 16 September 2026)
Issuer and distributor share a parent. NZ Seniors policies are issued by Pinnacle Life Limited and distributed by Greenstone Financial Services NZ Limited; A.M. Best's April 2026 affirmation, on Pinnacle's own site, names Greenstone Holdco Pty Limited as Pinnacle Life's ultimate parent, so the issuer and the brand sit under the same group. (source, A.M. Best affirms credit ratings of Pinnacle Life Limited (media release PDF, 15 April 2026, pinnaclelife.co.nz), read 16 September 2026)

NZ Seniors could fit

If one or more of these look like your situation.

Want cover to continue past 85 without paying premiums. NZ Seniors Funeral Insurance keeps going premium-free from age 85, with a 25% Bonus Cover added automatically; Life Insurance instead ends completely at 85. (source, Seniors Funeral Insurance Policy Document (PDF), read 16 September 2026)

Compare more carefully

If any of these apply, it is worth a closer look at the rest of the panel.

Under 45 or wanting life cover past 85. NZ Seniors Life Insurance is only open to applicants aged 45 to 79, and cover ends outright at the life insured's 85th birthday. (source, Seniors Life Insurance Policy Document (PDF), read 16 September 2026)
Life Insurance premiums rise every year. Seniors Life Insurance premiums are stepped and increase each year, unlike the level premiums on the Funeral Insurance product. (source, Seniors Life Insurance Policy Document (PDF), read 16 September 2026)

Waiting periods, limits and ages

The numbers worth checking before you compare, read from NZ Seniors’s own documents.

Life Insurance: $10,000 to $200,000, ages 45 to 79

No-medical life cover for New Zealanders aged 45 to 79, underwritten via phone questions, with cover ending at age 85.

New Zealand residents aged 45 to 79 can apply, as a single plan or a joint plan with a partner.
No medical exam: apply by answering eight questions about your medical history over the phone.
Cover from $10,000 up to $200,000.
Covered straight away for death by any cause, and for a terminal illness diagnosis (life expectancy of 24 months or less).
Accidental death within 90 days of the accident pays an Accidental Death Benefit of two times the Life Insurance Benefit, plus the Life Insurance Benefit itself (three times the amount in total — e.g. $600,000 total on a $200,000 benefit).
Up to 20% of the Life Insurance Benefit can be advanced while a death claim is being processed.
Stepped premiums: they increase each year on the policy anniversary, based on age, sex, chosen benefit amount and smoking status.
Cover ends on the earliest of: the life insured's 85th birthday, death, payment of a terminal illness claim, or cancellation.
No benefit is paid if death or a terminal illness diagnosis results from intentional self-inflicted injury or suicide within the first 13 months of the policy or its reinstatement; cover ends outright at the life insured's 85th birthday.

Source: Seniors Life Insurance Policy Document (PDF), issue date 14 April 2025, read 16 September 2026.

Funeral Insurance: Up to $30,000, ages 18 to 79

Guaranteed-acceptance funeral cover for New Zealanders aged 18 to 79, with a 12-month wait before non-accidental death is covered.

New Zealand residents aged 18 to 79 can apply, as a single plan or a joint plan with a partner; no medical screening, paperwork or blood tests required.
Death from any cause other than an accident, or a terminal illness diagnosis, is only covered from 12 months after the Acceptance Date (or reinstatement).
Accidental death within 90 days of the accident is covered from day 1, and pays the Funeral Insurance Benefit plus an Accidental Death Benefit of two times that amount (three times the amount in total).
An Accidental Serious Injury Benefit of three times the Funeral Insurance Benefit (up to $90,000) is payable for specified injuries within 12 months of the accident, up to the policy anniversary after the life insured's 75th birthday.
Level premiums that stay consistent year on year, unless the cover changes or Pinnacle Life changes rates for all Seniors Funeral Insurance policyowners.
From age 85: premiums stop and 25% Bonus Cover is automatically added to the benefit.
At age 100, the policy automatically pays out the Funeral Insurance Benefit plus Bonus Cover.
Early Cash Out Option after age 85: pay out 75% of the benefit amount in force and end cover.
How the funeral benefit builds: Months 0-12: benefit only payable for accidental death (within 90 days of the accident) or a specified accidental serious injury., From month 12: full benefit payable for death from any cause, or a terminal illness diagnosis., From age 85: 25% Bonus Cover added automatically and premiums stop., Age 100: policy automatically pays out the benefit plus Bonus Cover.
No funeral benefit is payable for death from any cause other than an accident in the first 12 months after the policy starts or is reinstated.

Source: Seniors Funeral Insurance Policy Document (PDF), issue date 23 May 2021, read 16 September 2026.

What it costs

QuoteHub does not quote or place cover with NZ Seniors. Compare the insurers we do quote.

How NZ Seniors compares on financial strength

Financial strength is the one comparable published fact about an insurer. Every grade below is the insurer's own disclosure for the named licensed entity, linked and dated. A rating belongs to that entity, not to a brand or a product name.

Financial strength ratings for the New Zealand insurers QuoteHub compares
Insurer	Licensed entity	Financial strength	Rating as at
AIA New Zealand	AIA New Zealand Limited	AA (Fitch, source, read 14 Aug 2026)	Date not published
Asteron Life	Asteron Life Limited	A+ (Fitch, source, read 14 Aug 2026)	Date not published
Chubb Life NZ	Chubb Life Insurance New Zealand Limited	A (Excellent) (A.M. Best, source, read 14 Aug 2026)	Date not published
Fidelity Life	Fidelity Life Assurance Company Limited	A- (A.M. Best, source, read 14 Aug 2026)	Date not published
Momentum Life	Momentum Life Limited (FSP472286)	B (Fair) (A.M. Best, source, read 14 Aug 2026)	11 Feb 2026
Partners Life	Partners Life Limited	A (Excellent) (A.M. Best, source, read 14 Aug 2026)	5 Feb 2026

The whole register, every insurer with its legal entity, owner, grade, effective date and source, is a dated dataset you can download: nz-insurer-financial-strength-2026-09-17.csv.

What NZ Seniors publishes

NZ Seniors does not publish a policy wording we can link from here. Ask for the wording before you apply: a brochure is not the contract.

Questions about NZ Seniors

Who is NZ Seniors?

A Greenstone-promoted brand underwritten by Pinnacle Life, for applicants 45 to 79: no medical exam, cover continues to age 85. The licensed entity behind the policies is Greenstone Financial Services NZ Limited (NZBN 9429047013582) (distributor/promoter).

Who owns NZ Seniors?

Greenstone Financial Services (AU group). Ownership matters because it decides who carries the risk behind a claim, not how a claim is assessed.

Is NZ Seniors financially strong?

Greenstone Financial Services NZ Limited (NZBN 9429047013582) (distributor/promoter) holds a B+ rating from A.M. Best, read from the insurer's own disclosure on 14 Aug 2026. A rating is an independent view of the ability to pay claims. It says nothing about what a policy covers or what it costs.

Can I buy NZ Seniors cover without an adviser?

Both routes exist. You can go direct, or use a licensed adviser who can put NZ Seniors next to the other insurers on the same set of details.

What does NZ Seniors cover?

Life cover, Funeral cover. What each of those pays, and what it excludes, is set by the policy wording rather than by the marketing page, which is why the documents are listed on this page with the date we read them.

Where can I read NZ Seniors's policy wording?

NZ Seniors does not publish a policy wording we can link. Ask for it before you apply: the wording is the contract.

Is NZ Seniors the cheapest?

No insurer is cheapest for everyone. Price depends on your age, your health and an underwriting decision that has not happened yet, so a comparison that leads with price compares the wrong thing. The published limits and definitions are what can be compared, and they are on this page.

How does NZ Seniors compare with the other insurers?

The financial strength table on this page puts every insurer we compare side by side, with the agency, the grade and the date. The benefit limits sit on the comparison page, and a licensed adviser can run your own details across the panel.

Does QuoteHub work with NZ Seniors?

No. NZ Seniors is not on the QuoteHub panel, so we cannot quote or arrange their cover. This page exists because the company is worth understanding if you hold one of their policies or are considering one, not because we sell it. The insurers we can place are published on the disclosure page.

What should I check before applying to NZ Seniors?

The stand-down period, the exclusions that apply to your own history, whether the premium is stepped or level, and what happens at renewal. All four are in the wording and none of them is in a price.

Does NZ Seniors cover pre-existing conditions?

Not automatically. An existing condition is either excluded, loaded or accepted on its own terms, and that decision is made at underwriting on your own history. What matters is what you disclose, because non-disclosure is the most common reason a claim is declined.

Are NZ Seniors premiums stepped or level?

Both structures exist in the New Zealand market. Stepped rises with your age each year and costs less at the start; level holds a rate to a chosen age and costs more early and less later. Which is cheaper over the life of the policy depends on how long you keep it, not on the insurer.

Can I move to NZ Seniors from another insurer?

Yes, but moving means new underwriting, so anything that has happened to your health since you took the old policy is assessed again. Never cancel the old cover until the new policy is issued and you have read what it excludes.

Does NZ Seniors pay claims quickly?

Claims-paid percentages and payment times are published by some New Zealand insurers and not by others, on different bases, which is why we publish the figure only where the insurer publishes it with a period. Where we hold one it appears on the review page for that insurer.

Is NZ Seniors regulated in New Zealand?

Yes. A licensed insurer is regulated by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, and the advice about a policy is regulated separately by the Financial Markets Authority. Those are two different licences and both matter.

What happens to my NZ Seniors policy if the company is sold?

A policy is a contract with the licensed entity, so it continues on its terms if ownership changes. New Zealand has seen several life books change hands, and the practical effect for existing policyholders is usually the servicing brand rather than the cover.

How much does NZ Seniors cover cost?

We do not publish a price for an insurer on this page. A premium depends on age, health, smoking status, occupation, the cover amount and an underwriting decision, so a single figure would be wrong for almost everyone reading it.

Where can I get advice about NZ Seniors?

A licensed financial adviser can compare it against the rest of the panel on your own details and tell you where it suits you and where it does not. QuoteHub is a trading name of a licensed Financial Advice Provider and the review is free.

How do I make a complaint about NZ Seniors?

Raise it with the insurer first. If it is not resolved you can take it to the insurer's dispute resolution scheme at no cost. QuoteHub's own scheme is the Financial Dispute Resolution Service.