Waiting periods — NZ health insurance
The waiting period that matters most on NZ health insurance is for pre-existing conditions. Some plans exclude them for three years and then cover them: AA Private Hospital Cover says "In the first three years following your join date, we won't pay any claims that directly or indirectly relate to any pre-existing conditions." Others decide at application, so the exclusion is personal to you: Accuro's wordings exclude "Any pre-existing conditions, unless accepted by us". Separate benefits can carry their own waits, such as Southern Cross obstetrics cover after 1 year.
Accidents are different: ACC covers injury treatment for everyone in New Zealand, whatever your insurance (ACC: what we cover).
Surgical
Stand-down before non-acute (planned) surgery is funded.
0 products with data
Pre-existing condition
Stand-down before previously-disclosed conditions become eligible.
4 products with data
Mental health
Stand-down before mental health benefits are claimable.
0 products with data
Maternity
Stand-down before pregnancy-related cover starts.
2 products with data
Why waiting periods matter
A 3-year pre-existing-condition stand-down means a condition you had symptoms for at sign-up isn't claimable for three years. Most waits we found in the wordings apply to named benefits rather than to surgery generally, for example Southern Cross KiwiCare's bariatric allowance: "After 3 years of continuous cover on this plan, this benefit contributes towards one of the following bariatric procedures".
Figures come from each insurer's published policy wording, checked against the wording text. A product with no figure has no general wait on file, which is not the same as no wait. Read the clause and source PDF on every product page.