A warning from affected New Zealand families
If an insurance adviser moved you to a new policy on the promise that your existing cover would carry over, and you later found you were not covered when you came to claim, you are not alone.
Independent guidance only. We point you to the official, free channels: the FSPR, the FMA and the IFSO.
Our experience
We were moved to a new insurer on one condition: that my wife's pre-existing conditions, which our old policy covered, would still be covered under the new one. That promise was the only reason we agreed to switch.
Instead, those conditions were written into the new policy as exclusions. Every time we claimed, we were declined. Our daughter had no pre-existing condition at all, yet an exclusion was placed on her policy too, and her claims were rejected as well.
We cannot go back to our old insurer. My wife is now effectively uninsurable for those conditions, and we face losing thousands of dollars in claims we were told would be covered.
You are not alone.
We believe an insurance adviser operating in Christchurch and Auckland has left other families in the same position. We are deliberately not naming anyone here while the proper legal and regulatory process runs its course. If this has happened to you or someone you know, please get in touch through the form below so we can compare experiences and act together.
Paying premiums is not proof you are covered. Cover only exists if the insurer has a live policy in your name. You can confirm that in one phone call, and this page shows you how.
Two quick checks tell you most of what you need to know. Do both today.
Every financial and insurance adviser in New Zealand must be on the Financial Service Providers Register. Search by name or FSP number.
Do not rely on your adviser's word. Phone the insurer they named and ask the plain question.
One of these alone can be innocent. Several together is a reason to check hard.
You never received a policy document or schedule from the insurer, only assurances from the adviser.
Premiums leave your account, but the insurer has no record of a matching policy.
Your adviser stops returning calls, texts and emails once you start asking questions.
You were switched to a new provider and the cover quietly changed, shrank or never re-started.
You tried to claim and were told no cover was in force, despite paying for a long time.
You were told the problem would be sorted, but nothing was ever put in writing or actually resolved.
Follow these in order. Every step is free, and you do not need a lawyer to start.
Bank statements showing premiums, any emails or texts where cover was promised, application forms you signed, and any decline letter. Put it all in one folder.
Ask the insurer, in writing, whether a policy ever existed and what they received. This is the single most powerful document you can hold.
Send a formal written complaint to the Financial Advice Provider named on the FSPR. Keep a dated copy. This step is usually required before the Ombudsman can step in.
If the firm does not resolve it, take it to the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman. It is free and can order compensation, including refunded premiums.
Report the adviser to the Financial Markets Authority. The FMA regulates advisers and can investigate conduct and licensing. Group reports carry real weight.
Community Law and Citizens Advice Bureau give free advice. If money was taken by deception, the Police can be involved. And tell us your story, there may be others in the same position.
These are the organisations that can actually check, investigate and compensate. All free.
Check whether an adviser is registered, and under which firm.
fsp-register.companiesoffice.govt.nzThe regulator. Report an adviser's misconduct. Phone 0800 434 566.
fma.govt.nzFree dispute resolution that can award compensation. Phone 0800 888 202.
ifso.nzMisleading conduct under the Fair Trading Act.
comcom.govt.nzFree legal advice on your specific situation.
communitylaw.org.nzFree, confidential help understanding your options.
cab.org.nzSearch the Financial Service Providers Register (FSPR) at fsp-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz by the adviser's name or FSP number. It shows their registration date, their Financial Advice Provider (FAP), and their dispute resolution scheme. If they are not listed, or the details do not match what you were told, treat it as a serious warning sign.
Ask the insurer in writing whether a policy ever existed and what premiums they received. Complain in writing to the adviser's firm. If that does not resolve it, take it to the IFSO (free) and report the adviser to the FMA. Keep every bank statement, email and text.
Possibly. If you paid for cover that was never put in place, you can seek a refund and compensation through the adviser's dispute resolution scheme, usually IFSO. The service is free and IFSO can make awards. Gather proof of every payment and of what you were promised.
Yes, both are free and you do not need a lawyer to start. IFSO can order compensation. The FMA can investigate an adviser's conduct and licence.
Their FSP number follows them and their obligations do not disappear. The FSPR will show their current firm. Complaints can still be made about past conduct, and the FMA looks at patterns across firms.
If you were told you had cover in New Zealand that turned out not to be in place, tell us what happened. It is confidential. We can point you to the right free channel, and if others report the same thing, there is strength in acting together.