Business Law Library & Tracker
Insurance Policies & Claims
Policy wording, disclosure, coverage, claims and insurer disputes.
Sources last reviewed 28 July 2026
Main law guides
157
Acts, regulations and codes worth reading first
Topics
60
Plain-English clusters
Published case explainers
96
Selected cases with a business lesson
Tracked updates
8
New, amended & reviewed
Plain-English explainers, not legal advice. Use the linked official source for section-level detail, and get advice for your situation.
Get legal helpMain laws
Contracts of Insurance Act 2024
2024 No 46
Civil Aviation Act 2023
2023 No 10
Disputes Tribunal Act 1988
1988 No 110
Imports and Exports (Restrictions) Act 1988
1988 No 157
Local Government (Rating) Act 2002
2002 No 6
Natural Hazards Insurance Act 2023
2023 No 1
Unit Titles Act 2010
2010 No 22
Insurance Intermediaries Act 1994
1994 No 41
Insurance Law Reform Act 1985
1985 No 117
Marine Insurance Act 1908
1908 No 112
Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017
2017 No 17
Cases
Wilson Parking New Zealand Limited v Turner
The durable lesson from this case is procedural discipline. If your defence includes the point that someone else also caused the loss, do not wait until the...
127 Hobson Street Ltd v Honey Bees Preschool Ltd
Commercial default clauses can be enforceable when they protect a real business interest and are proportionate. Drafting should show why the obligation matters,...
Anna Elizabeth Osborne and Sonya Lynne Rockhouse v Worksafe New Zealand
Keep two tracks separate after a serious workplace event. One track is victim support, compensation, apologies and practical assistance. The other is the...
David Charles Browne v David Ross Petterson as Liquidator of Polyethylene Pipe Systems Limited (in liq)
Read this case as a caution about timing, purpose and records. It is not a broad rule that every insider payment or shareholder security is invalid. The lesson is...
Prattley Enterprises Limited v Vero Insurance New Zealand Limited
For business owners, the main lesson is to check what your property policy really covers before a loss happens and again before you settle a claim. In this case,...
New Zealand Fire Service Commission v Insurance Brokers Association of New Zealand Incorporated & Vero New Zealand Limited
Do not assume a levy or similar statutory charge will always track the way your insurance programme is packaged. In this case, the Supreme Court focused closely on...
Chuan Wu v Body Corporate 366611 and Theta Management Limited
If your business owns or occupies premises in a unit title development, do not treat access control as just an operational issue. It is tied to property rights,...
Firm PI 1 Limited v Zurich Australian Insurance Limited
A replacement-value label does not protect a business from an inadequate sum insured or an unclear interaction with statutory and other insurance. Check both the...
University of Canterbury v The Insurance Council of New Zealand Inc
For business owners, the main lesson is that building compliance, insurance exposure and reinstatement costs often turn on the exact wording of the statute, not...
BFSL 2007 Ltd & Ors (In Liquidation) v Steigrad
If your business buys D&O or similar liability cover, do not assume the policy limit will be freely available both to defend the claim and to pay any eventual...