ACC

ACC is New Zealand’s accident compensation scheme. It provides no-fault personal injury insurance cover to all New Zealand residents, and visitors to New Zealand. 

Visit the ACC website for more info here.

What ACC covers

ACC covers everyone in New Zealand who is injured in an accident. The scheme covers children, beneficiaries, students, if you’re working, unemployed or retired. It also includes visitors to New Zealand if they’re injured while they’re here.

Claims must be made through your Doctor and can be made up to 12 months after your injury. They may still consider claims made after this time if there’s a good reason for the claim not being made sooner.

ACC helps pay for costs to get you back on your feet. It includes payment towards medical bills, treatment, help at home and work and help with your income.

Physical injuries covered by ACC

  • sprains or strains – such as ankle, back, knee or shoulder sprains
  • wounds – cut, broken or bruised skin
  • burns
  • fractures
  • dislocations
  • dental injuries
  • hearing loss
  • Loss of consciousness.

Physical injuries if they’re caused by:

  • an accident
  • sexual violence
  • A condition that comes on gradually because of work.
  • We can also cover injuries that are long-term, permanent or that happened at birth.

Injuries caused by treatment:

  • the treatment directly caused your injury
  • a registered health professional was treating you
  • It’s not a normal side-effect of your treatment.
  • We can also cover injuries caused by treatment for an injury we’ve already covered.

Conditions that come on gradually from work:

  • tendonitis from overusing muscles or heavy lifting
  • deafness caused from noise at work
  • Infections or diseases from exposure to certain environments.

For more information visit ACC here.

What isn’t covered

Your injury must be because of an accident. ACC doesn’t cover things like illness, conditions from ageing and emotional issues.

Not covered:

  • illness or contagious diseases, e.g. measles
  • Stress, hurt feelings or other emotional issues. This is unless they’re linked to an injury we already cover
  • conditions related to ageing, e.g. arthritis
  • most hernias
  • injuries that happen over time, unless an activity at work is causing it
  • Damage to items that don’t replace body parts. This includes hearing aids, glasses, pacemakers and gastric bands.
  • if you have appendicitis and need an emergency trip to the hospital
  • you get skin burn from the sun, wind or snow
  • You have unexplained back pain that gets worse over time.

If you’re injured overseas

If you’re a New Zealand resident and you return home with an injury that happened while you were travelling overseas, ACC can help cover costs. This includes if you’ve been travelling for business, a holiday, or visiting friends or family.

For more information on what ACC covers if you’re injured overseas, visit the ACC website here.

If you’re injured visiting New Zealand

If you’re injured while visiting New Zealand, you may be covered by ACC – it doesn’t matter if you’re not a resident. You’ll still need travel insurance for what we don’t cover.

For more information on what ACC covers you’re injured visiting New Zealand, visit the ACC website here.