Important Information Regarding: New Zealand Severe Storms and Flooding

Issued: 10 December 2019

Background

Over the weekend, New Zealand has been hit with severe storms, resulting in landslides and flooding in the South Island cutting off towns as well as numerous tourists in the area whose flights have been cancelled.

On Sunday, the Meteorological Service of New Zealand advised that central and western areas in the North Island could expect severe thunderstorms, with intense rainfall able to cause surface and/or flash flooding, as well as large hail and possible ‘“small tornadoes”, with public fears that it may take months to clear.

If you have been directly affected and need medical assistance, please call our 24 hour emergency assistance team immediately on +61 2 8907 5619. We further urge you to pay close attention to local media and emergency services, following any instructions provided and visit the DFAT page on Smartraveller.

If you are planning to travel, we encourage you to contact your travel agent, airline or tour operator as soon as possible to discuss whether there have been any changes to your itinerary.

Policy Wording

For policies/trips with the Relevant Time prior to December 7^th 2019

If you have been directly affected from this event, there may be provision for you to claim for benefits provided by your travel insurance policy. Claims will be assessed in accordance with your Product Disclosure Statement and may vary depending on the type of policy you purchased.

If you have already departed

• If you have incurred medical expenses as a result of this event, there is cover up to the specified limits.
• If you are directly affected due to this event, there is cover (up to the nominated policy sub limits) for reasonable Additional transport and accommodation expenses.
• There is no cover if your existing travel plans are not directly affected.
• There is no cover available for any portions of your Journey that have been utilised.

If you have not yet departed

• If your pre-booked travel arrangements are cancelled, delayed or rescheduled as a result of this event you may be able to claim for cancellation or amendment of your journey. Please note costs to rearrange Your trip must not exceed the costs you would have incurred had you cancelled Your trip outright.
• You must take all reasonable steps to mitigate your out of pocket expenses and we encourage you to speak with your travel agent or transport provider as soon as possible to minimise these expenses.

To submit your claim, please remember:

• To keep all itemised receipts for additional purchases or costs incurred
• Obtain documentation from the travel provider confirming the length and reason for delay
• The easiest way to lodge your claim will be online via: https://claims.covermore.com.au/default

Costs that are not covered by your policy

• Travel arrangements that have already been utilised
• Costs excluded or above the limits outlined in your PDS
• Costs that are incurred where your travel is not directly affected
• Where alternate travel is at a higher fare class than originally booked
• Depending on the policy benefit claimed and our assessment, there is no cover available for policies purchased on or after December 7^th 2019 as the event is no longer considered unforeseeable

For policies/trips with the Relevant Time on or after December 7^th 2019

There is no cover for policies issued after this date as it would no longer deemed an unforeseeable event.

Important general advice

This information must be read in conjunction with the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) as certain terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions apply. These terms, conditions, limits and exclusions are detailed in the PDS and in particular we draw your attention to ‘The Benefits’ and ‘General Exclusions’ sections of the PDS.

Contact us

If you have any further enquiries, please contact our Customer Service team on 1300 728 822 between 8.00am and 7.00pm Monday to Friday (AEDT).