Policy Wording

Pet Protect Insurance Limited

This is a sample of our Policy Wording. Please note that the actual Policy Wording is subject to amendment from time to time and may be varied by us according to details disclosed in your application. Pet Protect Insurance Limited administers this policy on behalf of NZI, a business division of IAG New Zealand Limited. All correspondence and claims under this policy must be forwarded direct to Pet Protect Insurance Limited

Agreement

You agree to pay us the premium described in the schedule and comply with this policy. In exchange, we agree to insure you as set out in this policy.

Policy

This policy consists of the following parts:

  1. your application for insurance, and any oral or written supporting statements or documents supplied by you, and
  2. this policy wording (including any endorsements), and
  3. the schedule.

Interpreting This Policy

Certain words in this policy have a specific meaning. These words appear in bold and you will find the meaning listed in the 'Definitions' section at the end of this policy. The definitions apply to the plural and any derivatives of the bolded words.

You will also find examples and comments to make parts of this policy easier to understand. These examples and comments, which appear in italics, do not affect or limit the meaning of the section they refer to.

The headings in this policy are for reference only and do not form part of it. They are not to be used when interpreting the policy.

10-Day Free Look Period

If you are not happy with this Pet Protect Policy, and you tell us within 10 days of receiving the schedule, we will cancel your policy and refund any premium you have paid. This does not apply if you wish to claim under the policy.

What you are insured for

Injury or Illness
If your pet suffers an injury or illness during the period of insurance we will pay you the amounts set out in this policy.

What you are not insured for

  1. Waiting Period
    1. You are not insured for any injury that occurs within the first 7 days of the policy commencing.
    2. You are not insured for any illness that occurs within the first 14 days of the policy commencing.
  2. Fees after 6 months
    You are not insured for veterinary fees incurred more than 6 months after the first manifestation of the injury or illness.
  3. Pre-existing Conditions
    You are not insured for any pre-existing conditions.
  4. Conditions Listed in Schedule
    You are not insured for veterinary fees in connection with any condition, injury or illness listed in the schedule as being specifically excluded.
  5. Preventative Treatment
    You are not insured for veterinary fees for normal preventative treatment recommended by veterinarians in order to avoid injury or illness. This includes:
    1. Elective treatments of any kind,
    2. Cosmetic treatments,
    3. Prescribed diets and neutraceuticals,
    4. Food and non-prescribed general health enhancers,
    5. Flea and parasite control,
    6. Vaccinations,
    7. Dental hygiene, including de-scaling and/or polishing,
    8. Bathing and grooming.
  6. Euthanasia
    You are not insured for the euthanasia of your pet unless the euthanasia is humane and necessary to end incurable suffering that has arisen from an injury or illness that would otherwise be covered by this policy.
  7. Breeding
    You are not insured for veterinary fees in connection with your pet's breeding, pregnancy or giving birth. This includes the cost of spaying and castrating, and costs arising from these procedures.
  8. Your Deliberate or Negligent Act
    You are not insured for any injury or illness to your pet deliberately or negligently caused by you, a member of your family or anyone living with you.
  9. Costs
    You are not insured for the following costs:
    1. Hospitalisation, house calls or after-hours consultation surcharges, unless a veterinarian certifies the severity of your pet's condition reasonably justified them,
    2. Dentistry and dental related procedures, unless as a consequence of an injury,
    3. Treatment of mental, emotional or behavioural problems,
    4. Treatment of contact skin allergies, e.g. from plants,
    5. Treatment of any condition arising from inherited or congenital factors, or arising from a predilection specific to the breed of your pet,
    6. Treatment arising from the use of your pet for guarding, hunting, competitive sports or fighting,
    7. Treatment of your pet arising from the prevention of it from injuring people or livestock.
  10. Illegal Actions
    You are not insured for any injury or illness that occurs in connection with the infringement of any laws.
  11. Age
    Your pet is not insured if it is:
    1. less than 8 weeks old, or
    2. more than 8 years old if it is one of the named breeds.
  12. Nuclear
    You are not insured for injury or illness in connection with any operations employing the process of nuclear fission or fusion, or handling of radioactive material. This includes, but is not limited to:
    1. the use of nuclear reactors such as atomic piles, particle accelerators or generators or similar devices, and
    2. the use, handling or transportation of any radioactive material, and
    3. the use, handling or transportation of any weapon or explosive device employing nuclear fission or fusion.
  13. Terrorism
    You are not insured for injury or illness in connection with an act of terrorism.
  14. War
    You are not insured for injury or illness in connection with war, invasion, act of foreign enemy, hostilities or war like operations (whether war is declared or not), civil war, mutiny, rebellion, revolution, civil commotion assuming the proportions of or amounting to an uprising, insurrection, military or usurped power.
  15. Consequential Loss
    You are not insured for any kind of consequential loss (e.g. financial loss that occurs as a result of the loss of your pet), including the following:
    1. Penalties,
    2. Delays,
    3. Loss of Market,
    4. Loss of use of your pet,
    5. Loss of stud fees,
    6. Loss of future progeny.
  16. Natural Disaster
    You are not insured for loss, liability, prosecution or expense of any type in connection with earthquake, subterranean fire, volcanic eruption, tsunami, geothermal activity or hydrothermal activity.

What we pay

  1. VETERINARY FEES
    We will pay the veterinary fees for your pet's treatment of the injury or illness.
  2. DEATH
    If a covered injury or illness directly results in your pet's death (including euthanasia for humane reasons) during the period of insurance, we will pay the following amounts:
    • ValueCare: $100.
    • RegularCare: $150.
    • ExtraCare: $200.
    The Plan you have is shown in the schedule.
    This Death benefit does not apply if your policy commences:
    • After your cat is 10 years old, or
    • After your dog is 8 years old, or
    • After any named breed of dog is 5 years old.
  3. CRUCIATE LIGAMENT
    The most we will ever pay for all injuries or illnesses in connection with your pet's Cruciate Ligaments during the period of insurance and all future periods of insurance in relation to your pet is:
    • ValueCare: $600.
    • RegularCare: $750.
    • ExtraCare: $900.
    The Plan you have is shown in the schedule.
  4. EXCESS
    We will deduct the standard excess shown in the schedule from the veterinary fees payable for each separate injury or illness.
    We will deduct the specialist excess shown in the schedule from the veterinary fees payable to a registered specialist veterinary surgeon for each separate injury or illness.
    The excess shown in the schedule may be either a percentage of the veterinary fees or a dollar amount.
    In all cases a minimum excess of $50 applies to each separate injury or illness, unless a different amount is shown in the schedule.
  5. MAXIMUM AMOUNT
    The most we will pay in total for all injuries and/or illnesses during the period of insurance is the Maximum Amount shown in the schedule.

What you must always do

  1. YOUR OBLIGATIONS
    1. Take reasonable care of your pet
      You must always:
      1. take reasonable care of your pet, and
      2. undertake at your own cost any treatment recommended by a veterinarian to prevent an injury or illness.
    2. Vaccinate your pet
      You must arrange for your pet to always be vaccinated at your own cost against:
      1. For dogs: distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, bordatella and leptospirosis.
      2. For cats: feline viral rhinotracheitis, feline respiratory disease, feline panleukopenia feline calicivirus and feline parvovirus.
    3. Pay the premium
      You must pay the premium promptly. There is no cover under the policy until the annual premium or any monthly instalment due is paid.
  2. CLAIMS
    1. No prior approval
      We do not approve claims in advance of treatment.
    2. Immediate treatment
      Once your pet shows any sign of a change in its normal healthy behaviour or normal healthy bodily functions that may indicate an injury or illness, you must arrange for a veterinarian to examine it as soon as possible. We may choose the veterinarian you must see.
    3. Minimise the claim
      must take all reasonable steps to minimise the claim and avoid any further claim arising.
    4. Claim information
      If you wish to claim you must:
      1. give us free access to examine and assess the claim, and
      2. send any relevant correspondence or documents to us, and
      3. complete our claim form, and
      4. submit the completed claim form to us with original receipts and clinical history notes to support the claim as soon as possible after the treatment, and
      5. provide evidence that is acceptable to us of your pet’s death, where applicable, and
      6. complete a statutory declaration to confirm the claim if we request it, and
      7. provide any other information or assistance that we may require at any time.
      You authorise us to tell your veterinarian information about your claim and this policy.
    5. Be Truthful
      If your claim is dishonest or fraudulent in any way, we may:
      1. decline your claim either in whole or in part, or
      2. declare this policy unenforceable from the date of the dishonest or fraudulent act.
      This is at our sole discretion.
    6. Subrogation
      Once we have accepted any part of your claim under this policy, we may assume your legal right of recovery against any liable party.
      You must not do or say anything that may prejudice our ability to take recovery action in your name.
      If we initiate a recovery action, we will include any uninsured losses you suffered. Where we do this, you agree to pay your proportional share of the recovery costs. The proceeds of the recovery will be shared on the same proportional basis, except we will refund your Excess first.
    7. Reparation or Compensation
      If anyone must make reparation or pay compensation to you for an injury or illness covered under this policy, then you must tell us. Any payments you receive, must first reimburse your Excess, and thereafter must reimburse our claim payment to you.

    General Conditions

    1. HOW WE ADMINISTER THIS POLICY
      1. Cancellation and Modification
        By You
        You may ask us to cancel or modify this policy at any time. We must agree in writing to any modification before it will take effect. If you pay your premium by instalments, you must pay us any unpaid instalments that are due before the policy is cancelled.
        By Us
        We may cancel or modify this policy by advising you by letter, fax or email at any time. Cancellation or modification will take effect at 4.00pm, on the 14th day after the date of our advice.
        We may cancel this policy immediately if your pet
        1. is officially designated, either individually or by breed, as dangerous, or
        2. dies.
        In all cases of cancellation where a claim has not been made, we will refund the proportion of unused annual premium paid, calculated from the date of cancellation.
      2. Other Insurance
        You must notify us as soon as you know of any other insurance policy that covers you for any of the risks covered under this policy.
        If you or anyone else who is covered under this policy can claim under any other insurance, we will only pay over and above the limit payable by the other insurances.
      3. GST
        All amounts shown in this policy include GST.
    2. LAWS & ACTS THAT GOVERN THIS POLICY
      1. Acts of Parliament
        Where this policy refers to any Act of Parliament, it also includes any sub-ordinate legislation made under it, and any subsequent Acts or regulations.
      2. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
        The law of New Zealand applies to this policy and the New Zealand Courts have exclusive jurisdiction.
    3. YOUR OBLIGATIONS
      1. Comply with the policy
        You must comply with the conditions of this policy at all times. If you fail to comply, we may not pay your claim.
      2. Provide accurate information
        You must make sure all statements and representations that are made to us, at any time, either by you or anyone else, are truthful and complete.
      3. Change in Circumstances
        You must tell us immediately if there is a material:
        1. increase in the risk insured, or
        2. alteration of the risk insured.
        Once you have told us of the change, we may then cancel or alter the premium and/or terms of this policy.
        If you fail to notify us about a change in the risk insured, we may:
        1. declare this policy unenforceable, or
        2. decline any subsequent claim either in whole or in part.
        These actions will be taken from the date you knew, or ought to have known, of the increase or alteration in the risk insured.
        Information is ‘material’ where we would have made different decisions about either:
        1. accepting your insurance, or
        2. setting the terms of your insurance,
        if we had known that information. If in any doubt, notify us anyway.

    Definitions

    accident An injury directly and solely caused by violent, accidental, external and visible means, that is first referred to a vet within 7 days of the date on which the injury occurred.
    act of terrorism Includes any unlawful act, or preparation in respect of action, or threat of action designed to influence or coerce the government de jure or de facto of any nation or any political division therefore, or in pursuit of political, religious, ideological, or similar purposes to intimidate the public or a section of the public of any nation by any person or group(s) of persons whether acting alone or on behalf of or in connection with any organisation(s) or government(s) de jure or de facto, and that:
    1. involves violence against one or more persons, or
    2. involves damage to property, or
    3. endangers life other than that of the person committing the action, or
    4. creates a risk to health or safety of the public or a section of the public, or
    5. is designed to interfere with or disrupt an electronic system.
    illness A sickness or disease suffered by your pet in New Zealand.
    injury A bodily injury to your pet in New Zealand caused solely and directly by violent, accidental, external and visible means.
    named breed Any one of the following breeds:
    Antolian Shepherd, Basset Hound, Beauceron, Bernese Mountain Dog, Blood Hound, Bouvier des Flandres, Bulldog, Briard, Deerhound, Dogue de Bordeaux, Estrela Mountain Dog, Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound, Leonberger, all Mastiff breeds, Munsterlander, Newfoundland, Old English Sheep Dog, Pyrenean Mountain Dog and any other Mountain Dog, , Rottweiler, St Bernard, Sharpel, Giant Schnauzer, Terrier - English Bull, Terrier - Soft Coat Wheaten, Terrier - Staffordshire.
    period of insurance The period shown in the schedule, that specifies the start and end dates of this insurance contract.
    pet The dog or cat named in the schedule.
    pre-existing condition Any condition, symptom, change in your pet’s normal healthy behaviour or normal healthy bodily functions or sign of any injury or illness that existed prior to or at the start of the first period of insurance of this policy.
    schedule The latest version of the Schedule we issued to you for this policy.
    treatment Any examination, advice, care, carrying out of tests, X-rays, prescribing of medication or surgery that is:
    1. carried out by a veterinary practice, or
    2. is required by a veterinary practice,
    as necessary to treat your pet for an injury or illness that is covered by this policy.
    veterinarian A person registered as a veterinarian under the Veterinarians Act 2005.
    veterinary fees The fees charged by a veterinarian for a particular treatment up to any maximum amounts shown in the schedule.
    we, us, our NZI, a business division of IAG New Zealand Limited, by its authorised agent, Pet Protect Limited.
    Please forward all correspondence direct to Pet Protect Limited.
    you The person(s) named in the schedule as 'Insured'.