No Insurance

[rok-the-boat]

I am new to New Zealand and insured my little car fully comp, as usual. However, someone has told me you don't even need insurance in NZ to drive o nthe road.

Is this true? And what about bikes? If true, sounds kind of crazy to me. So, what's the verdict?

[White trash]

Well crash into me without it and you'll be wishing you had medical. But no, strangely enough, insurance is not a legal requirement to drive in NZ.

Welcome by the way, nice bike.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Know a bit about insurance do ya mate? :-p

[Ixion]

This is because you pay an insurance premium automatically, equivalent to third party, the minimum UK requirement, as part of your vehicle licensing fee. It is part of our Accident Compensation scheme, a sort of government run, national insurance scheme that covers everybody against any accident. You pay the premiums for this in several ways, as part of your vehicle license fee, as a fuel tax, and as part of your PAYE (income tax ).

So it is not true that NZ does not have motor vehicle third party insurance, it is just you do not see it because you do not need to organise it yourself.

[bugjuice]

welcome guys..
fellow pom here ;) (shut up you lot)

Nope, don't need insurance to drive around here. Thing that sucks, is that if you're insured and some uninsured hits you... you better run after them quick.. As stupid as some quotes can be, it's one of those catch 22 things

[Crasherfromwayback]

Bollocks, not true

[GR81]

Bollocks, not true
explain yourself then!

[Crasherfromwayback]

There is NO AUTOMATIC 3rd party vehicle insurance in NZ.
If you're not insured, and the queer c*nt that hits you isn't either, you're fucked.

[Qkchk]

This is because you pay an insurance premium automatically, equivalent to third party, the minimum UK requirement, as part of your vehicle licensing fee. It is part of our Accident Compensation scheme, a sort of government run, national insurance scheme that covers everybody against any accident. You pay the premiums for this in several ways, as part of your vehicle license fee, as a fuel tax, and as part of your PAYE (income tax ).

So it is not true that NZ does not have motor vehicle third party insurance, it is just you do not see it because you do not need to organise it yourself.
What he means is when we pay for car/motorbike registration, a large sum of the fee goes to Accident Compensation Corp who pay out if you are injured in a Motor vehicle accident (or playing sport or fell over at home etc....) its a form of compulsary MEDICAL cover but not INSURANCE as in the vehicle repair type. As someone mentioned earlier, if you have full cover and they dont have any at all (which happens alot in the 'slum' areas quite often) make sure you try to stop them cause they probably will try to run. Most people who dont have insurance usually dont have a/the right type of licence. Get as much info on them as you can like their drivers licence number, rego of the car so at least your insurance comp can track them down.

Becides all that, hope you enjoy our beautiful scenery and roads in NZ. :ride:

[onearmedbandit]

Yup, haven't seen ACC paying for repairs to crashed cars before!

[White trash]

Know a bit about insurance do ya mate? :-p
I know all about it. Why we have it, when you try and defraud it ya gets what's comin' to ya, if ya don't got it you wish you had it and when you've got it, you wonder why the hell you're payin it.

[cowpoos]

There is NO AUTOMATIC 3rd party vehicle insurance in NZ.
If you're not insured, and the queer c*nt that hits you isn't either, you're fucked.
ain't that what people have been saying in this thread?

[White trash]

This is because you pay an insurance premium automatically, equivalent to third party, the minimum UK requirement, as part of your vehicle licensing fee. It is part of our Accident Compensation scheme, a sort of government run, national insurance scheme that covers everybody against any accident. You pay the premiums for this in several ways, as part of your vehicle license fee, as a fuel tax, and as part of your PAYE (income tax ).

So it is not true that NZ does not have motor vehicle third party insurance, it is just you do not see it because you do not need to organise it yourself.

ACC is more like a form of medical insurance, doubt they'll ever fork out for a broken bike that someone knocked over. Just the broken ankle that came with it.

[Ixion]

NZ follows the pre 1987 practice in the UK. (Road Traffic Act 1972 I think, which itself consolidated long standing practice under previous instruments).

That required (as does NZ) third party personal injury cover. The 1987 amendment extended that to third party injury and property damage, at the behest of the EU.

NZ is not part of the EU (thank goodness) so we can ignore their plaints. The difference in NZ to pre-1987 UK is that in NZ the insurance is "automatic" - you don't have to arrange it yourself. It has always been thus in this country , even before the ACC, you used to have to nominate a company when licensing your vehicle. Note that the ACC cover is NOT affected even if the other person's vehicle is not registered. You have coverage against personal injury at all times.

[Crasherfromwayback]

cheeky c*nt.

[Sniper]

cheeky c*nt.

Alternate ego?

[White trash]

Whos? Yours?

Actually, it's the biggest ego you ever met. One to rival my own in fact.

[Lias]

As one of my pommy mates has pointed out to me.. Mandatory insurance would be farken great, cos we all know that the boy racers could never afford the insurance for the souped up beasts they drive, so they'd all be fucked :-)

[Crasherfromwayback]

ACC is more like a form of medical insurance, doubt they'll ever fork out for a broken bike that someone knocked over. Just the broken ankle that came with it.
By the way.....my "cheeky c*nt" reference was for WT, not the post above my previous one.
He's a good mate and I used to work with him, and he was having a friendly dig at my ankle injury from Boxing day.
I was returning the favour.

[rok-the-boat]

So, the gist is I can ride/drive anything as long as it has been registered. Sounds rather stupid to me but then, in the UK I could often barely afford more than third party only anyway. Still, here in NZ I'll do the good deed and insure my trusty steed in case one of those boy racer types makes me bleed. Shit, that almost rhymes ...

[HenryDorsetCase]

This is because you pay an insurance premium automatically, equivalent to third party, the minimum UK requirement, as part of your vehicle licensing fee. It is part of our Accident Compensation scheme, a sort of government run, national insurance scheme that covers everybody against any accident. You pay the premiums for this in several ways, as part of your vehicle license fee, as a fuel tax, and as part of your PAYE (income tax ).

So it is not true that NZ does not have motor vehicle third party insurance, it is just you do not see it because you do not need to organise it yourself.

thats "only" personal injury, doesnt cover damage to property.

[rok-the-boat]

Just talked to the AA - they said that the Rego ACC insurance does not allow you to drive on the road. Anyway, my ride is now insured by KiwiBiker - thanks to a recommendation on another thread.

[Insanity_rules]

We're one of a few countries that don't have a mandatory requirement for some kind of insurance. Not a good thing either.

[rok-the-boat]

This is an email I gotfrom landtransport.govt.nz - basically, they advise that INSURANCE IS NOT INCLUDED in the licensing fee.

--------------------
I can confirm that third party insurance is not included in a vehicle's licensing fee.

The money collected through motor vehicle licensing goes to a variety of funds:
The licence fee goes to the National Land Transport Fund for road construction, and to safety programmes run by Land Transport New Zealand and the New Zealand Police.
The Accident Compensation Commission (ACC) Motor Vehicle Account Levy is collected on behalf of the ACC. This levy covers the medical costs related to injuries that happen on public roads.
An administration and licence label fee funds the operating costs of the services provided by Land Transport New Zealand and its agents.
Motor vehicles may be subject to one or more of the following levies, depending on their type and use:

Safety Standards levy
Audit and Standards levy
Transport licence fee.
As a matter of interest, I have attached a link to our website on vehicle licensing.
http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/factsheets/49.html

I hope this has been of assistance.

Kind Regards,

Email Response Team
Transport Registry Centre
Land Transport New Zealand
Ashley Street
PALMERSTON NORTH
---------------------------

[rok-the-boat]

I called 'LandTransport' to find out about international driving licences and during the conversation the woman confirmed that you DO NOT NEED INSURANCE in New Zealand. I asked her if she thought that was crazy and she said yes. It is nothing to do with Rego, just a simple fact. Which, of course, means, as a biker, you need fully comprehensive in case someone with no insurance crashes into you!

Incidentally, an international licence becomes invalid when you apply to get an NZ licence. Kinda stupid, and means you can no longer drive your car or bike until you pass you test(s), even though you have been driving/riding for months. I wonder, actually, if it is legal to do that - what it means is that international agreements mean zilch.

[Babelfish]

As one of my pommy mates has pointed out to me.. Mandatory insurance would be farken great, cos we all know that the boy racers could never afford the insurance for the souped up beasts they drive, so they'd all be fucked :-)

Definately agree...since a. I've passed through that stage (sort of) and b. I could never afford a flash-git car 'cos I put money into insuring me and others on the road.

The one prob with manditory insurance is that it allows insurers to nail not just the boy racers, but everyone. Insurance premiums in the UK (just got back from over there) are crazy with a capital FARK!:gob:

But I'd rather it manditory than have cockheads out there not being arsed and then driving within 100 meters of me.:2guns:

[Roj]

This is because you pay an insurance premium automatically, equivalent to third party, the minimum UK requirement, as part of your vehicle licensing fee. It is part of our Accident Compensation scheme, a sort of government run, national insurance scheme that covers everybody against any accident. You pay the premiums for this in several ways, as part of your vehicle license fee, as a fuel tax, and as part of your PAYE (income tax ).

So it is not true that NZ does not have motor vehicle third party insurance, it is just you do not see it because you do not need to organise it yourself.

this is not quite true, the acc levies pay for medical bills but not any damage to vehicles or anything else, what it is suppossed to offer is "no fault accident cover" for medical costs related to accidents, nothing else, what the compulsory 3rd party insurance elswhere in the world covers the damage to vehicles and things

There has been plenty of debate over this subject due to the number of uninsured drivers around

[jetboy]

there is an excellent link on kiwibikere here --> http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=33796

[klingon]

This is an email I gotfrom landtransport.govt.nz - basically, they advise that INSURANCE IS NOT INCLUDED in the licensing fee.

--------------------
I can confirm that third party insurance is not included in a vehicle's licensing fee.

The money collected through motor vehicle licensing goes to a variety of funds:
The licence fee goes to the National Land Transport Fund for road construction, and to safety programmes run by Land Transport New Zealand and the New Zealand Police.
The Accident Compensation Commission (ACC) Motor Vehicle Account Levy is collected on behalf of the ACC. This levy covers the medical costs related to injuries that happen on public roads.
An administration and licence label fee funds the operating costs of the services provided by Land Transport New Zealand and its agents.
Motor vehicles may be subject to one or more of the following levies, depending on their type and use:

Safety Standards levy
Audit and Standards levy
Transport licence fee.
As a matter of interest, I have attached a link to our website on vehicle licensing.
http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/factsheets/49.html

I hope this has been of assistance.

Kind Regards,

Email Response Team
Transport Registry Centre
Land Transport New Zealand
Ashley Street
PALMERSTON NORTH
---------------------------

rok, depending on your immigration status in NZ, you may not even be covered by ACC if you're injured in an accident (on the road or elsewhere). If you're a citizen or permanent resident you should be fine, but if you're here on another kind of visa you should make sure you have comprehensive medical insurance.

This is one of the loopholes of our ACC system for non-residents. If you were in a country where 3rd party insurance is compulsory, and some twit knocked you off your bike, you would sue them and their 3rd party insurance would pay for your medical costs. In NZ if I run you down and I'm not insured, you can't sue me, you can't sue my insurance company and you don't qualify for ACC.

Welcome to New Zealand!

[rok-the-boat]

This is one of the loopholes of our ACC system for non-residents. If you were in a country where 3rd party insurance is compulsory, and some twit knocked you off your bike, you would sue them and their 3rd party insurance would pay for your medical costs. In NZ if I run you down and I'm not insured, you can't sue me, you can't sue my insurance company and you don't qualify for ACC.

Welcome to New Zealand!

I can still sue you, it's just that I won't get anything, right?

[NinjaBoy]

I can still sue you, it's just that I won't get anything, right?

NO ... Klingon is correct. The ACC legislation specifically takes away your ability in NZ law to sue anyone for Compensatory damages. Pretty Unique in the world.

[Oscar]

We're one of a few countries that don't have a mandatory requirement for some kind of insurance. Not a good thing either.

Not a good thing?
Perhaps.
But if you think your Bike & Car Insurance premiums are expensive now, iif we had compulsory third party the premiums would be waaaay more...

[Oscar]

NO ... Klingon is correct. The ACC legislation specifically takes away your ability in NZ law to sue anyone for Compensatory damages. Pretty Unique in the world.

There have been several cases where employers were sued in excess of their ACC coverage. The Police Photographer who was adversely affected by photographing crime scenes was one.

[imdying]

Not a good thing?
Perhaps.
But if you think your Bike & Car Insurance premiums are expensive now, iif we had compulsory third party the premiums would be waaaay more...
Yeah, I've yet to see an example of a society similar to ours where that doesn't happen :(

[Insanity_rules]

Not a good thing?
Perhaps.
But if you think your Bike & Car Insurance premiums are expensive now, iif we had compulsory third party the premiums would be waaaay more...

I appreciate your point of view, but it wouldn't necessarily be so if the regulation included some sort of control regarding price. Any legislation should take into account that it would be for the benefit of road users/ road toll etc not the insurance companies although there would be an initial benefit to them, not to mention extra jobs.

It would be easier to keep repeat drunk and dangerous drivers off the road if they couldn't get insurance.

I realise my point of view may be a little eutopian before you all pan me into the ground but if it was carefully thought out it could well be for the benefit of all road users, especially us. All my vehicles are insured, why should I be penalised in my premium by the risk of being hit by an uninsured driver!

[Oscar]

I appreciate your point of view, but it wouldn't necessarily be so if the regulation included some sort of control regarding price. Any legislation should take into account that it would be for the benefit of road users/ road toll etc not the insurance companies although there would be an initial benefit to them, not to mention extra jobs.

It would be easier to keep repeat drunk and dangerous drivers off the road if they couldn't get insurance.

I realise my point of view may be a little eutopian before you all pan me into the ground but if it was carefully thought out it could well be for the benefit of all road users, especially us. All my vehicles are insured, why should I be penalised in my premium by the risk of being hit by an uninsured driver!

You can't really legislate premium rates.
Bearing in mind that private Motor Vehicle business is regarded by most insurers as "accommodation" business (i.e. they do it to get your house & contents), your scenario would require a state owned insurer.

Notwithstanding that, who is gonna enforce it? Half the scumbags out there currently uninsured are almost certainly are also not warranted and have no rego. If no ones stopping them now, why they gonna stop with no insurance?

[NinjaBoy]

There have been several cases where employers were sued in excess of their ACC coverage. The Police Photographer who was adversely affected by photographing crime scenes was one.

Yep... there is case law which says it doesn't restrict someone from suing for exemplary damages. But it does restrict the right for compensatory damagaes.