Health Insurance
The New Zealand Government requires all international students to have appropriate medical and travel insurance for the duration of their enrolment at LSNZ and for travel to and from New Zealand, regardless of the type of visa they hold.
Schools can only accept insurance policies written in English and which meet the requirements set out in the NZQA Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2021.
An acceptable insurance policy includes:
Medical care in New Zealand, including diagnosis, prescription, surgery, and hospitalisation;
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Repatriation or expatriation of the student as a result of serious illness or injury, including the cover of travel costs incurred by family members assisting repatriation or expatriation;
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Death of the student, including the cover of: 1. travel costs of family members to and from New Zealand; and 2. costs of repatriation or expatriation of the body; and 3. funeral expenses;
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A reputable and established insurer with a credit rating no lower than ‘A’ from Standard and Poors or B+ from A M Best.
An insurer who is able to provide 24-hour service, seven days a week.
Amounts for health cover should be for an unlimited sum insured.
To avoid confusion, LSNZ strongly recommends arranging a policy through LSNZ prior to arrival in New Zealand.
Insurance will be arranged with an NZQA compliant insurer, Uni-care (www.uni-care.org).
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If the student’s own insurance policy does not meet the conditions outlined above, the student will be required to upgrade their policy or order one through LSNZ, which can be requested at any time during the enrolment process or on arrival.
Things You Should Know:
Pre-existing Medical Conditions
Pre-existing medical conditions are not automatically covered. Cover may be granted upon application – if you have a pre-existing medical condition please make sure you provide full details in your online application.
If you have already applied for your policy but the policy has not started yet, and become aware of a pre-existing medical condition please complete a Medical Declaration online to enquire about obtaining cover.
High-Value Items Need to be Specified
Your luggage is covered for up to $15,000 in total but individual items, sets, or pairs of items are limited to $2,500 for each individual item, set, or pair of items unless the items are specified and an additional premium is paid.
Where will I be covered?
As well as cover in New Zealand, NZ Student Plan offers cover for up to 9 days in transit between your country of origin and New Zealand. The cover is also in place for visits of up to 31 days to Australia, Fiji, Cook Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, Niue and Vanuatu, and Bali and Lombok.
If you change your Visa from a Student Visa to another type of Visa then your Student Plan is no longer valid and you will need to upgrade to an NZ Visitor Plan or an Australasian Plan for the remainder of the policy period.
Medical Care
If you unexpectedly become ill or suffer an accident or injury, you won’t have to worry about paying for your qualifying medical care. NZ Student Plan will pay your qualifying medical treatment costs including diagnosis, prescriptions, surgery, and hospitalisation.
Unexpected Return Home
If you were to suffer a serious injury or illness and needed to go home then NZ Student Plan would help by taking care of the costly expenses involved, allowing you and your family to focus on your recovery. If your family members are required to assist with your repatriation the policy would assist with their travel costs. If one of your immediate family suffered a critical illness or injury or died then the policy would also help to get you home quickly.
Loss of Deposit
If illness or injury means you are unable to take part in planned travel activities or complete your enrolled course of study, the policy would reimburse your non-refundable costs.
Property
NZ Student Plan covers your personal effects for loss or damage to $15,000 but individual items, sets, or pairs of items are limited to $2,500 for each individual item, set, or pair of items unless the items are specified.
Personal Liability
If you accidentally damage property belonging to someone else then tell us what has happened and let us manage negotiations and costs with the other party or their insurer.
Rental Car Excess
Rental car excesses can be costly – you can claim up to $5,000 liability for rental car excess payment.