How do I get treatment?

Learn about medical treatments in New Zealand. We can’t give you medical advice about your specific situation, but we’ve included some general information here that may help you as you navigate the New Zealand system.

If you unexpectedly become ill, or have an accident or injury while you are in New Zealand, OrbitProtect will cover your doctor, hospital and treatment costs (over your excess amount*), if your claim is accepted. If you require hospitalisation or surgery, you may need pre-approval from OrbitProtect to check your cover. Check below for information on when you would need pre-approval and how to make a claim.

*Excess – please note that your policy may have an excess relating to your treatment. An excess is the amount of a claim that you must pay yourself. It is not covered by your OrbitProtect policy and we will deduct it from your claim.

Medical Provider Treatment

Many illness or health issues can be addressed by a visit to your GP (doctor). Depending on your OrbitProtect policy, you may also be covered to see a Dentist, Physiotherapist, Osteopath, Chiropractor or Acupuncturist.

Check your policy to see if you are covered for these services, how much you can claim and what your excess is.

Check Policy

Hospital / Surgery

For illnesses requiring hospital care, surgery or cancer treatment, you may need pre-approval from OrbitProtect at least 5 days before your treatment (apart from urgent hospital care).

If you have a severe emergency (such as a serious injury, severe breathing issues etc), please go to the Emergency Department at your nearest public hospital.

Find out about pre-approval

Medical Evacuation

If you become seriously ill while in New Zealand, your OrbitProtect insurance may pay for you to be evacuated back to your home country, and pay for some ongoing medical costs.

Your policy may also cover travel and accommodation for a medical professional to accompany you.

Email us

Urgent Care

We suggest calling the free NZ government Healthline service on 0800 611 116 first to determine how urgent your health issue might be and what you should do next. If your health issue is urgent and occurs after normal practice hours (e.g. between 5pm and 8am), you may need to attend a 24-hour clinic if there is one in your location or go to the Emergency Department of your nearest hospital.

Health concern

1. Health concern

If you have an injury or medical issue, please start by calling Healthline to find out if you need to see a doctor or if you need more urgent care.

You can make a free call to Healthline on 0800 611 116.

Healthline might recommend you see a GP, so go ahead and book an appointment with the medical centre or practice you are registered with, or your nearest location if you are not already registered. This applies to Experience NZ and Working Holiday Insurance policyholders.

If you have our International Student or RSE/Seasonal Worker insurance, you can book an appointment with one of our OrbitPay medical providers, where you will be able to use your OrbitPay Card.

When you pay with your OrbitPay Card you don’t need to pay any fees upfront, and no claiming process is necessary.

GP visit

2. GP visit or Medical Centre visit

Generally when you are sick and need medical attention, your GP or medical centre is the first place to call to make an appointment (we suggest you call Healthline first to decide the best approach).

If you have an issue that needs urgent attention, then go directly to the Emergency Department of your nearest hospital. If you need transport to get to hospital, you can call 111 to get an ambulance.

Note: We recommend you register with your nearest medical provider once you know you will be in an area for a while. The costs are higher if you are not enrolled with the clinic or practice that you go to, and in some cases, they will only accept patients who are already registered with them.

Check your cover

Bills and claiming

4. Bills and claiming

If you have an OrbitPay Card and used this to pay for your treatment and/or prescription, you don’t need to make a claim.

For OrbitProtect customers on our Working Holiday or Experience NZ insurance plans, you will need to pay for your treatment upfront and then make a claim through our online claims process. Make sure you have any receipts for the treatment you received scanned onto your phone or take a photo of them that you can upload.

Head to the Make a claim section of our website and follow the steps. If you haven’t claimed before, you will be asked to register first.