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New Zealand Expat Health Insurance

New Zealand, or Aotearoa (meaning the land of the long white cloud) as it’s known in Maori, is a Commonwealth country in the South Pacific Ocean. The country is made up of two main islands, the North Island and the South Island and five smaller islands, Stewart Island, Waiheke Islands, the Chatham Islands, Great Barrier Island and d’Urville Island. New Zealand is home to approximately 4.4 million people. Its closest neighbours are Australia and the Pacific Islands.

New Zealand is well known for its rugby team the All Blacks, having more sheep than people, and its beautiful scenery made famous by the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The country is a peaceful paradise and the first to see the sun in the world each day. New Zealand offers many activities for lovers of the great outdoors including, relaxing beaches, geothermal hot springs, snow skiing, jet boating, surfing, whale and dolphin watching, trekking in the wilderness, up mountains and glaciers. Many adventure sports including caving, canoeing, white water rafting, bungy jumping, water skiing and many more can also be partaken in. Many visitors are attracted to the South Island’s ski fields each winter as the island has 18 peaks and is divided down the middle by the Southern Alps. New Zealand offers many great walks in native forests including the Abel Tasman and Milford Tracks.

The capital city of New Zealand is Wellington which is located at the bottom of the North Island. The largest city in the country is Auckland, also located in the North Island. Auckland is home to approximately one quarter of the population and was ranked the 10th most liveable city in the world in 2011.

The country is covered with forests and native wildlife including the endangered kiwi (a flightless bird), frogs, tuatara, geckos and many more. Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand and signed a Treaty with the British in 1840 making the country part of the British Empire. The official languages in New Zealand are English and Maori with the majority of the population being of European descent. New Zealand has a mild climate which varies between the two main islands. The North Island is warmer with the top often being referred to as the “winterless north”. In contrast the bottom of the South Island is much cooler. Summer in New Zealand is from December to February, winter is from April to November with the snow skiing season from June to August.

Agriculture is the main driver of the New Zealand economy exporting dairy products, meat, wool, fish and fruit (including the Kiwi fruit) to all corners of the globe. Tourism also plays a big part of the economy employing approximately 10 percent of the work force. New Zealand is a producer of coal, oil and natural gas which fuel the energy requirements along with hydroelectric and geothermal power. New Zealand is also a producer of great wine with vineyards scattered all over both main islands. The main wine regions include Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa in the North Island and Marlborough and Central Otago in the South Island. Many vineyards offer tastings and tours and have world class restaurants within their complexes. Wine exports surpassed wool exports in 2007 and the number of vineyards continue to increase.

New Zealand Health Care and Insurance

New Zealand’s medical facilities are of are high standard and are moderately inexpensive. The Ministry of Health is responsible for the health care services in New Zealand along with its 21 District Health Boards. Medical care is funded through taxes and user pays contributions. Free services are provided to New Zealand citizens and permanent residents including free hospitalisation, laboratory tests, radiology, maternity costs, specialist and surgery costs. General Practitioner (GP) visits and prescription medications are subsidised, even more so if the patient has registered with the GP and joined one of 46 Primary Health Organisations (PHO). Prescription medications which are subsided by the Governmental agency PHARMAC usually cost $3.

New Zealand also provides free GP visits (if the patient has been added to a PHO) and vaccinations for children under the age of 6 years old and dentistry for those under the age of 18. People who are on unemployment, sickness and domestic benefits, as well as low income earners can apply for a Community Service Card to further reduce the cost of GP visits and prescription medications. The elderly receive the same benefit by presenting their Super Gold card. High users of health care, such as long term sufferers of chronic diseases can apply for a High Use Health Card to further subside the costs of GP visits.

Health insurance is available in New Zealand for people wanting faster care than that offered by the public medical facilities which often have long waiting lists for some procedures. Private health insurance provides access to private medical facilities with private hospital rooms rather than shared wards and priority service.

Visitors to New Zealand are covered by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) for the cost of medical treatment resulting from an accident that occurs in New Zealand. Travel insurance should be purchased for New Zealand to ensure that any other medical costs are covered if treatment is required. Patients will never be refused health care in New Zealand but may be sent an invoice for the cost. New Zealand has reciprocal arrangements with its neighbour Australia and Britain to provide health care to citizens of those countries which is immediately necessary.

New Zealand has well stocked pharmacies. However some medications that are available for purchase over the counter in other countries require a prescription in New Zealand. Travellers should ensure that they bring sufficient medication with them to last for the duration of their visit.

New Zealand Travel Advice

There are no vaccination requirements for visitors to New Zealand. However, the World Health Organisation recommends that childhood vaccinations be kept up to date, including vaccinations against measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), diphtheria/pertussis/ tetanus and polio. They also advise travellers to be vaccinated against hepatitis B regardless of what countries that are visiting.

New Zealand is a safe place for tourists to visit as violent crime is not common. Visitors should ensure that valuables are not left in vehicles as these are often easy targets for theft. If valuables must be left, ensure that they are placed out of sight especially in tourist areas. New Zealand beaches can be hazardous for weak swimmers as rips are common. Tourists should make sure that they swim between the flags on patrolled beaches. The sun is also extremely hot in New Zealand and those with fair skin can burn in as little as 10 minutes. Sun screen with a high SPF factor of at least 30 should be applied frequently especially between the hours of 10am and 4pm when the sun is at its hottest.

The emergency telephone number in New Zealand is 111. The same number is used to contact the fire, police and ambulance services. Please be aware the ambulance services are not free in New Zealand unless an accident has occurred and it is covered by ACC. Both St John’s and the Wellington Free Ambulance Service operate free ambulances in New Zealand for those who cannot afford the cost. Tap water is safe to drink in New Zealand and bottled water is available for those who prefer it. Travellers should avoid drinking water directly from lakes and rivers as it may be contaminated.

New Zealand has many unique species of flora and flora with agriculture as a main driver of the economy. New Zealand has very strict customs guidelines in order to protect New Zealand from pests and diseases that other countries have. All food, wooden items, seeds, plants, meats etc must be declared when entering New Zealand and may be confiscated if they pose a danger to New Zealand. There are large fines for not complying with the guidelines. If you are unsure whether something can be bought into New Zealand it is best to check when you arrive or leave it at home. All baggage is scanned upon arrival into the country.

New Zealand Expat Health Insurance

While health care is free in New Zealand for visitors who suffer an accident, it is not free for all other medical treatment including hospitalisation and GP visits if you fall ill. Visitors should purchase medical insurance to ensure that the cost of all health care is covered if required in New Zealand. Expat health insurance will also give visitors access to private medical facilities which can be expensive but do not have the waiting lists that the public facilities do. If you choose to travel to New Zealand. Global Health Insurance we can help you select a health insurance plan that will meet your needs and budget. Please contact one of our highly trained expat medical insurance specialists today for a quotation.