What SPCA Pet Insurance covers, and what it doesn't
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.
SPCA Pet Insurance sells three fixed tiers in New Zealand: Everyday Cover pays 70% of vet expenses up to an $11,000 annual limit, The Works Cover pays 80% up to $20,000, and Big Stuff Cover pays 90% up to $25,000 with a $1,000 excess (Everyday, The Works and Big Stuff Cover Policy Documents, retrieved 17 September 2026). All three are underwritten by the same insurer and reimburse the policyholder after the vet bill is paid, not the vet directly. The rest of this page sets out what each tier's own policy document publishes, tier by tier.
Who is actually behind SPCA Pet Insurance
The policy is underwritten by The Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd, a licensed New Zealand insurer (FSP480747), administered and settled by PetSure (Australia) Pty Ltd as Hollard's agent, and distributed by Greenstone Financial Services NZ Limited (FSP646129): "SPCA Pet Insurance is issued by The Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd... and is administered and managed through PetSure (Australia) Pty Ltd... distributed by Greenstone Financial Services NZ Limited" (Big Stuff Cover Policy Document, p.4; SPCA Pet Insurance homepage, retrieved 17 September 2026). When you buy a policy, the contract is with Hollard, not with SPCA the charity.
The product describes itself as a partnership: "by taking out SPCA Pet Insurance, you are... helping support the great work of SPCA" (Big Stuff Cover Policy Document, p.2). No document states a percentage of premium, a per-policy amount, or any other quantified mechanism for that support, so treat it as a general partnership claim rather than a measurable donation.
The three tiers compared
 Tier |
Annual limit | Benefit percentage (insurer pays) | Excess | Notable cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everyday Cover | $11,000 | 70% | None | $2,000 Annual Condition Limit on every individual condition |
| The Works Cover | $20,000 | 80% | None | $4,000 for cruciate ligament conditions; $4,000 for IVDD |
| Big Stuff Cover | $25,000 | 90% | $1,000 per condition, per policy period | No per-condition cap beyond the overall $25,000 limit |
Source: Everyday, The Works and Big Stuff Cover Policy Documents, retrieved 17 September 2026.
Disclosure: QuoteHub does not sell these policies on this page. Its licensed advisers may receive commission from an insurer if you take out cover through them.
Everyday Cover's $2,000 Annual Condition Limit is the tier's real ceiling: even with an $11,000 overall limit, a policyholder can never claim more than $2,000 against one named condition in a policy year, and no excess applies (Everyday Cover Policy Document, p.5-6). Big Stuff Cover has the highest limit and reimbursement rate and no per-condition sub-cap, but it is the only tier with an excess, charged once per distinct condition per policy period rather than once a year (Big Stuff Cover Policy Document, p.5, 7, 23). See pet insurance excess explained NZ and pet insurance annual limits and sub-limits NZ.
Waiting periods
Every tier uses the same three waiting periods: 21 days for illness, none for accidental injury, and 6 months for cruciate ligament conditions (Big Stuff Cover Policy Document, p.8-9). The 6-month cruciate wait can be reduced if a vet completes the insurer's own Cruciate Ligament Examination Form within 14 days of the exam, though "any waiver is at our discretion" (Big Stuff Cover Policy Document, p.8). Patella luxation, hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia and IVDD carry no waiting period of their own; instead they are excluded outright under accident cover on every tier and only payable under illness cover, subject to the 21-day wait (Big Stuff Cover Policy Document, p.7). See pet insurance waiting periods NZ.
Dental, desexing and vaccination are excluded on every tier
Dental treatment is a general exclusion across all three policy documents, worded identically at every tier including Big Stuff Cover: "Dental procedures, dental diseases, gingivitis, teeth fractures, teeth cleaning/scaling, orthodontics, removal of deciduous and any oral disease (with the exception of oral tumours)" (Big Stuff Cover Policy Document, p.13). No dental add-on is published for any tier; oral tumours are the sole carve-out, covered under illness cover as a cancer-type condition. See does pet insurance cover dental NZ.
Routine vaccinations and elective desexing are excluded the same way on every tier: vaccinations sit under the general routine-care exclusion, and desexing is excluded "unless required to treat your pet's reproductive organs due to inflammation, infection, or cancer" (Big Stuff Cover Policy Document, p.13). A narrower exception sits inside that exclusion: a vaccination reaction or a desexing complication is covered even though the vaccination or desexing itself is not (Big Stuff Cover Policy Document, p.8).
Pre-existing conditions and the 18-month reconsideration
A pre-existing condition is one that existed, or that you or your vet were reasonably aware of, before the policy started or during a waiting period (Big Stuff Cover Policy Document, p.23). Where a condition is classed as "temporary," an exclusion can be reconsidered once it has produced no signs, symptoms or abnormality for 18 straight months, via the insurer's Pre-Existing Condition Exclusion Review Form, which allows up to 30 days and states plainly that completing it "does not mean an automatic waiver" (Pre-Existing Condition Exclusion Review Form, p.1-2).
A fixed list can never go through that review, however long the pet stays symptom-free: "chronic conditions, cruciate ligament conditions, intervertebral disc disease, hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, patella luxation and endocrine diseases" (Pre-Existing Condition Exclusion Review Form, p.1). If one of those seven is flagged pre-existing, it stays excluded permanently. See pre-existing conditions and pet insurance NZ.
How a claim actually works
SPCA Pet Insurance is reimbursement-only: the policyholder pays the vet, then claims the cost back through an online Pet Portal account, submitting an itemised invoice, payment receipt and consultation notes (Big Stuff Cover Policy Document, p.5, 18). Pre-authorisation does not change that: it is an estimate only, and "a claim for reimbursement of veterinary expenses will still need to be made and assessed following treatment" (Pre-Authorisation Request Form, p.1). See pet insurance that pays the vet directly NZ.
Hollard's own worked example shows the excess and benefit percentage applied together on Big Stuff Cover: an $8,000 vet bill, reduced to $7,200 after the 90% benefit percentage, then less the $1,000 excess, for a $6,200 payout (Big Stuff Cover Policy Document, p.18). No claims-processing turnaround time is published; the only published turnaround figures relate to complaints, not claims. See how to claim pet insurance NZ.
Age limits, renewal and multi-pet discount
Every tier accepts a pet from 8 weeks old. The Works Cover is the only tier that publishes a maximum entry age, under 9 years at application; Everyday and Big Stuff Cover state none either way (Everyday, The Works and Big Stuff Cover Policy Documents, p.5). Once accepted, cover continues for the pet's life as long as the policy is renewed continuously and Hollard keeps offering the product; limits reset each renewal rather than being exhausted permanently (Big Stuff Cover Policy Document, p.5-6, 14). A 10% multi-pet discount applies to a second policy and each further one, published on the homepage but not restated in any policy document (SPCA Pet Insurance homepage, retrieved 17 September 2026). See multi-pet insurance discounts NZ.
Questions people ask
Which SPCA Pet Insurance tier has the highest annual limit?
Big Stuff Cover, at $25,000 a year with a 90% benefit percentage and a $1,000 excess per condition (Big Stuff Cover Policy Document, p.5).
Does SPCA Pet Insurance cover dental treatment?
No, on any of the three tiers. Dental procedures, dental disease, teeth cleaning and orthodontics are all excluded, with the sole exception of oral tumours (Big Stuff Cover Policy Document, p.13). Compare against other insurers at does pet insurance cover dental NZ.
Can a pre-existing exclusion ever be removed?
Yes, for conditions classed as "temporary," after 18 months with no signs or symptoms, via the insurer's own review form and at the insurer's discretion (Pre-Existing Condition Exclusion Review Form, p.1). Seven condition types, including cruciate ligament, hip dysplasia and IVDD, are permanently excluded from that review regardless of how long the pet stays symptom-free.
Does SPCA Pet Insurance pay the vet directly?
No. It reimburses the policyholder after the vet bill is paid, using an online Pet Portal claim, on all three tiers (Big Stuff Cover Policy Document, p.5, 18).
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.
A licensed NZ adviser can compare the pet insurers on your pet's details. Get pet cover quotes.
Adviser's view
QuoteHub's read is that SPCA Pet Insurance is a straightforward three-tier reimbursement product with clearly published limits and a workable route to unwind an old pre-existing exclusion, but dental is excluded on every tier and the insurer does not quantify how much of your premium supports SPCA's own work.
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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). SPCA Pet Insurance NZ: Plans, Limits and Claims. www.quotehub.co.nz/pet-insurance/spca-pet-insurance. Updated 2026-09-17.
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