What New Zealand homeowners say about their house insurance providers, gathered from Trustpilot, Google, Feefo and the other review platforms we track. This page covers customer experience only: service, claims handling and communication.
House insurance reviews are shaped heavily by large weather events. Claims from the 2023 Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle took months or years to settle for some customers, and those experiences still weigh on several insurers' ratings. Ratings shown are for each brand as a whole.
| Provider | Overall | Reviews counted | Positive | Negative | Platform scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initio | 4.8/5 | 5,870+ | 94% | 3% | Reviews published by Initio on its own website. Initio's own published reviews 4.8 |
| Cove Insurance | 4.7/5 | 2,381+ | 89% | 3% | Google Reviews 4.7, Feefo 4.7, Trustpilot 2.5 |
| MAS | 4.3/5 | Limited public data | 84% | 6% | Limited public data |
| Tower | 4.2/5 | 4,270+ | 77% | 18% | Trustpilot 4.3, Google Reviews 3.3 |
| AA Insurance | 3.8/5 | 3,131+ | 72% | 16% | Google Reviews 4.2, Trustpilot 1.9, Reviews.io 2.95 |
| State Insurance | 3.8/5 | 140+ | 55% | 35% | Google Reviews 4.6, Trustpilot 1.8 |
| FMG | 3.8/5 | 41+ | 70% | 15% | Trustpilot 3.2, Facebook 3.4 |
| AMI | 2.0/5 | 278 | 13% | 84% | Google Reviews (Branch) 4.4, Trustpilot 1.9 |
| Vero | 1.8/5 | 60+ | 15% | 80% | Trustpilot 1.4 |
| Trade Me Insurance | Limited data | Limited public data | - | - | Underwriter (Tower) 4.0 |
The themes that come up most often in each provider's reviews, with one example of praise and one of criticism where we found them.
Quick and easy to select the cover I wanted.Paraphrased from Initio customer, landlord cover, July 2026Read the full Initio review
Switched from AA and saved over $40/month on my 2019 Mazda CX-5. Whole process took five minutes online.Paraphrased from Google, 2025Read the full Cove Insurance review
Claims process was no fuss at all. Reported damage to my car on Monday and had it booked for repair by Wednesday. MAS sorted everything directly with the panel beater.Paraphrased from Consumer NZ survey, 2025
Premiums went up significantly at renewal despite no claims. When I queried it, was told it was market-wide increases. Felt like loyalty wasn't rewarded.Paraphrased from Reddit, 2024Read the full MAS review
Signed up online in about 10 minutes. The quoting tool was easy to use and the price was competitive. Really happy with how straightforward it was.Paraphrased from Trustpilot, 2025
After the flooding event, it took over three months to get a resolution. Communication was poor and I had to chase for updates constantly.Paraphrased from Google, 2024Read the full Tower review
Claim was sorted fast - had money in the bank within two days of my car being written off. Really impressed.Paraphrased from Google, 2025
Stolen car claim took over four months. Felt like I was being treated with suspicion the whole time.Paraphrased from Reviews.io, 2024Read the full AA Insurance review
Claim was handled really smoothly - had a payout within a week of reporting my car accident. Staff were professional and kept me updated.Paraphrased from Google, 2025
Waited over 45 minutes on hold to speak with someone about my claim. When I finally got through, the call centre was clearly overseas.Paraphrased from Trustpilot, 2025Read the full State Insurance review
FMG understands farming. Our local adviser sorted our claim on damaged fencing within a week - no hassle.Paraphrased from Consumer NZ Survey, 2025
Felt shafted twice on claims. Communication was poor and the process took far longer than expected.Paraphrased from Reddit, 2024Read the full FMG review
Had my car claim sorted within a week. AMI kept me updated every step of the way and the payout was fair.Paraphrased from Google, 2025
Waited over an hour on the phone just to ask a simple question about my policy. Then got transferred twice.Paraphrased from Trustpilot, 2024Read the full AMI review
Competitive pricing compared to other insurers. Our broker got us a better deal than we found anywhere else for our Auckland home.Paraphrased from Trustpilot, 2024
Claim denied after weeks of waiting. Nobody returned calls and I had to chase them repeatedly just to get an update on my case.Paraphrased from Trustpilot, 2025Read the full Vero review
Among the house insurance providers we track with at least 100 reviews from New Zealand customers, Cove Insurance has the highest overall score at 4.7/5 from 2,381+ reviews, followed by Tower (4.2/5) and AA Insurance (3.8/5). Scores cover each brand as a whole and change over time, so check the date on each full review.
Each overall score is the customer sentiment score from our full review of that provider. It aggregates ratings from public platforms such as Trustpilot, Google and Feefo, weighted by review volume, with platforms holding fewer than 50 reviews given less weight. Quotes are paraphrased summaries of real customer reviews, and scores built on self-published or overseas review profiles are marked in the table. The scores describe customer experience only and say nothing about the price or cover of any policy.
These ratings describe customer experience only. To compare cover, prices and policy features, see our house insurance comparison, or browse all NZ insurance company reviews.
Disclaimer: Reviews and ratings on this page are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial advice. Scores are drawn from third-party review platforms at the date shown on each full review and may have changed since. Always verify details directly with the insurer.