New Zealand offers high-quality public and private healthcare throughout the country. Permanent residents also benefit from the coverage of its Social Security system, and thus from free or subsidised access to a number of healthcare services. However, many also take out private health insurance to make access to care even more comfortable.
Get a quote according to the length of your stay:
Health insurance for expats in New Zealand
How does the healthcare system work in New Zealand?
New Zealand’s public healthcare system is funded through the government's Ministry of Health. Health services are available to New Zealand citizens, permanent residents, and some temporary residents (such as work visa holders). Visitors from the UK and Australia can also access the public system, as they are covered by a reciprocal health agreement.
The vast majority of hospital admissions in the public sector are fully covered, as are medical consultations for under-13s and dental care for under-18s.
For other categories of insured persons, generalist or specialist consultations (whose fees are freely set by doctors, and can vary greatly) are partially subsidised by the system; however, dental care and private hospital care are not covered.
How to choose health insurance in New Zealand: local or international?
Many citizens and residents in New Zealand generally opt for supplementary private health insurance. This offers more flexibility, access to private hospitals, additional services such as adult dental care, and extra cover for treatments not fully covered by the public system.
Expatriates moving to New Zealand on a long-term or short-term basis may find it beneficial to take out international health insurance (instead of, or sometimes in addition to, local health insurance). It offers many privileged benefits, such as coverage outside New Zealand, repatriation assistance as well as the possibility of choosing hospitals (which local insurance does not always allow).
What is the cost of healthcare in New Zealand?
GP CONSULTATION
A visit to a GP will cost you between NZD 35 and NZD 75 (€20 to €45)
APRIL International up to 45 €*
Out-of-pocket expenses 0€**
HOSPITALISATION
A hospital stay will cost you NZD 500/day, excluding medical expenses (€310)
APRIL International up to 310 €*
Out-of-pocket expenses 0€**
Reasonable costs of care in the private sector, APRIL International data 01/2022
* Example of reimbursement with MyHealth International - Comfort
** Example of the amount to be paid by the insured after reimbursement
Care in New Zealand
Choosing hospitals in New Zealand
General practitioners in private practice―working in medical centres―are the first to be called upon for primary care. Patients enrolled in a medical centre, and therefore not changing GPs, benefit from lower fees and better availability. Specialist doctors usually work in hospitals or private clinics.
To choose a doctor, you can consult the official HealthPoint platform, which lists all GPs in the country, by locality, and also indicates the fees charged by each one.
The same platform can be used to find a dental clinic, a public or private hospital (depending on their specialities), a pharmacy, a maternity centre, etc.; however their prices are not systematically specified.
Titre phone establishment list
Health facilities
Additional info about life and healthcare in New Zealand
Which international health insurance is right for you?
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The opinion of our customers is important and allows us to better meet their expectations. To this end, we collect the opinions of our policyholders via a questionnaire sent by the independent platform eKomi.
