If you've searched the net for private health insurance that covers expats in New Zealand then you are probably for looking for established UK based health insurance companies that can cover your medical expenses in New Zealand.
Living as an expatriate in New Zealand you want to avoid any unwanted and unexpected medical costs. In some countries these can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds for very serious medical conditions.
Our advice when looking for health insurance that covers expatriates living in New Zealand is to speak to a health insurance broker. Health insurance is incredibly complex and if you want absolute certainty that New Zealand is covered by your policy you should consult with a health insurance broker who can explain which policy providers will cover medical expenses for expatriates in New Zealand and which will not.
There are many advantages to using a broker but the largest by far is that you're using their industry experience at no cost. They are paid by the insurer (Aviva or Bupa etc) rather than you so it costs you no extra to use their services.
- Do you live in many different areas? Some will give you a lower premium than offers. A insurance broker will be able to advise whats best.
- Do you have a hobby that may invalidate your insurance claim? A broker will know this vital information.
- If you are a couple and one of you has claimed on your policy this year would it be cheaper to separate you both onto two different insurance policies?
- You've lean't you're at risk of developing a certain condition and want to know which policy provider offers the largest amount of cover for it. A broker will know this instantly saving you huge amounts of time and effort.
You can call around every health insurance provider you can find and ask if they provider cover for expats in New Zealand, however this will be a very time consuming process. Each insurer will ask for your medical history because its not normally a simple yes or not if a medical condition is covered or not.
Its much quicker to speak to one medical insurance broker which will know which policy providers on the market offer cover for expats in New Zealand and under what conditions they do or don't cover it.
New Zealand Information
Tourism in New Zealand comprised an important sector of the national economy prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand in 2020 – tourism directly contributed NZ$16.2 billion (or 5.8%) of the country's GDP in the year ended March 2019. As of 2016[update] tourism supported 188,000 full-time-equivalent jobs (nearly 7.5% of New Zealand's workforce). The flow-on effects of tourism indirectly contributed a further 4.3% of GDP (or NZ$9.8 billion). Despite the country's geographical isolation, spending by international tourists accounted for 17.1% of New Zealand's export earnings (nearly NZ$12 billion). International and domestic tourism contributed, in total, NZ$34 billion to New Zealand's economy every year as of 2017[update].
New Zealand markets itself abroad as a "clean, green" adventure-playground (Tourism New Zealand's main marketing slogan, "100% Pure New Zealand", reflects this), emphasising as typical tourist destinations nature areas such as Milford Sound, Abel Tasman National Park and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing; while activities such as bungee jumping or whale watching exemplify typical tourist attractions, often[quantify] marketed primarily to individual and small-group travellers. Australia provides by far the largest group of New Zealand's international tourists (about 45%), due to its close proximity (3-4 hours by plane) and traditional good relations. Mainland China, the United States and the United Kingdom are the next three largest markets.
The vast majority of international tourist arrivals to New Zealand come through Auckland Airport, which handled nearly fifteen million passengers in 2013[update].[citation needed] Two percent of visitors arrived by sea as of 2009[update]. Many international tourists spend time in Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, Rotorua, and Wellington. Other high-profile destinations include the Bay of Islands, the Waitomo Caves, Aoraki / Mount Cook, and Milford Sound. Many tourists travel considerable distances through the country during their stays, typically using coach lines or hired cars. Though some destinations have seasonal specialities (for winter sports, for example), New Zealand's southern-hemisphere location offers attractions for off-peak northern-hemisphere tourists chasing or avoiding certain seasons. In June 2018 the New Zealand government announced the imposition of a "tourist tax" of around NZ$25 to NZ$35 for international visitors, excluding Australians, many Pacific islanders, and young children. It planned to implement this taxation in 2019 through a newly proposed electronic travel-registration process.
Domestic tourism is also important, though expenditure and trip numbers declined or stagnated[when?] in the face of[clarification needed] fast-growing international tourism.[citation needed] Domestic tourism spending still exceeds that of international tourism; in the year to March 2020, domestic tourists spent $24.4 billion compared to $17.5 billion spent by international tourists.
The interaction of the demands of international tourism and aspects of New Zealand's self-perceived national character (such as individualism and classless egalitarianism) can entail contradictions.
The country is internationally seen[by whom?] as a top holiday-destination, as shown by being voted most favourite destination by the readers of the Condé Nast Traveler magazine (specialising in luxury travel) in 2008, though it slipped to second place in 2009. A 2007 Daily Telegraph poll, the United Kingdom's largest such poll, also identified New Zealand as the best overseas holiday destination. Between 2000 (the start of an advertising campaign by Tourism New Zealand) and 2007 the number of Britons visiting New Zealand increased by 61%.
The availability of air travel is a large contributing factor to market growth. After Air New Zealand launched non-stop flights from Auckland to Buenos Aires in December 2015, visitor numbers from Argentina tripled, from 5,400 in 2015 to 15,300 in 2016.
Tourism New Zealand, the country's official tourism agency, actively promotes the country as a destination worldwide. Activities have included a NZ$7 million campaign in China, concentrating on Shanghai, and co-operating to produce a New Zealand tourism layer for Google Earth, the first such country-wide initiative.
From March 2020 the New Zealand government implemented strict quarantine provisions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and the numbers of incoming international visitors dropped dramatically. The tourism sector responded with a strategy of hunker and hope. A brief re-opening of borders with Australia (the "travel bubble") from April 2021 encountered official "pauses" and "suspension" (July 2021) as the Covid Delta variant took hold in different Australian states.