Clear scope. Human advice. No buried fine print. First we understand the real situation — no pressure to proceed, and no same-day decision required.
The adviser, the journey, and the proof — in one orbit. Open any card, or read the full detail on the working-together page.
Independent risk-insurance advice for NZ households and businesses — life, health, trauma, income protection, TPD, business and group cover. Warkworth, advising New Zealanders since 2010. Who you are working with →
No pressure, and no same-day decision required. We map what protection actually needs to do before any product talk. Meeting one is discovery; meeting two is recommendations.
How the process works →Recommendations are shaped with you against budget and goals, with the trade-offs kept visible. Final acceptance and terms stay subject to insurer underwriting and policy wording.
How the process works →Income, debts, dependants, business ownership, health, affordability — when they move, the cover is reviewed so it keeps fitting, through to retirement.
The relationship after placement →Commission can range from approximately 6% to 230% of the first-year premium, and a portion may be reversed if cover is cancelled within the first two years. Your interests still come first under the Code of Professional Conduct.
Full commission disclosure →Privacy is handled under the NZ Privacy Act 2020. For complaints, talk to Marcus first; support@theinsuranceguy.nz is the formal complaints and privacy address. IFSO (membership 5005710) provides free, independent dispute resolution.
Privacy and complaints detail →Marcus Longone · FSP 106925 The Insurance Guy Ltd · FSP 729371 No direct adviser fee. Paid by insurer commission if cover is placed. Final cover depends on insurer underwriting and policy wording Disclosure Privacy Complaints
Illness is the gap. ACC generally responds to accidents — not sickness — and illness causes most long-term time off work in New Zealand. As health changes, each cover can hold up a different part of the picture, depending on policy wording and underwriting.
The gapWhen the cause is illness rather than an accident, ACC generally cannot help — and if timing matters, waiting affects work, family, and stress. This is where the gap usually starts.
Public safety netHealth NZ waiting-list data (Jan 2025) counted 77,000+ people waiting over four months for a first specialist assessment.
May fund eligible private treatment and give you more control over timing. Subject to policy wording.
The gapIllness is the part the public net was not built for. When sickness stops your income, the household usually carries the bills alone — and a working partner can mean little or no benefit support.
Public safety netAfter a qualifying accident, ACC can pay 80% of earnings from day 8, capped at $2,418.55 a week (ACC rate, 1 Jul 2025). Illness does not qualify.
Can replace part of your income while you cannot work — illness included. The amount, wait period and offsets depend on the cover.
The gapTreatment is only part of it. Recovery time, travel, debt, and family disruption are not automatically funded — and ACC generally excludes illness entirely.
Public safety netThe public health system treats the condition — it does not fund the life around it.
Generally pays a lump sum on a covered diagnosis — usually tax-free for personally owned policies — when the condition meets the policy definition.
The gapLong-term household income, debt, and care needs usually run far past what a benefit floor can hold — and a working partner can reduce or remove it.
Public safety netThe Supported Living Payment is about $489.21 a week for a single person, and it is means-tested (Work and Income rate, 1 Apr 2026).
Generally pays a lump sum — usually tax-free for personally owned policies — if total and permanent disability meets the policy definition.
The gapThe family may still face the mortgage, living costs, childcare, and the years ahead — often years of household income, not weeks. What that looks like for your household is exactly what the advice works through.
Public safety netSome public support may exist, but it is not designed to replace a household income or clear major debts.
Generally pays a lump sum to your family or estate — usually tax-free for personally owned policies — so the people you leave behind aren’t carrying it alone.
The gapA badly structured policy can create avoidable problems at claim time — a lump sum counts as an asset for means-tested support.
Public safety netCash-asset limits are low — about $8,100 single / $16,200 couple (Work and Income, 1 Apr 2026).
Ownership and beneficiaries are considered before claim time. Legal, tax, and estate questions go to the right professional.
Evolve
Every light down there is a household whose life keeps changing — income, debts, family, business, health. Cover should keep up. When you want a second set of eyes on yours, this is where it starts.
You don’t face the insurer alone — help gathering the evidence, presenting the claim properly, and checking decisions against the policy wording.
A new baby, a new home, a new business, income up or down — each one is a review trigger, so the cover gets checked against real life.
Cover gets reshaped with you — trimmed, restructured, or rebalanced — rather than silently dropped.
As earning years wind down, cover is re-pointed at what still matters instead of running on autopilot.
The Insurance Guy Ltd holds a Financial Advice Provider full licence (Class 1), FSP 729371. Marcus Longone is the financial adviser, FSP 106925. Registered with the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman (IFSO, membership 5005710) for free independent dispute resolution.