What is Public Liability insurance?

Public Liability insurance protects you against the cost of accidental loss or damage of someone else’s property and even injuries to people (not covered by ACC). 

Let’s face it, sometimes accidents happen (despite our best efforts), resulting in property damage or injury. So be sure to protect your customers, suppliers, and members of the public, no matter where you work – from your own premises, a home office, your client’s place, or even out in public. 

What does Public Liability insurance cover?

Personal Injury

Compensation costs to a customer, supplier, or member of the public who is injured as a result of your business activities (when not covered by ACC).

Legal & Defence

The legal and defence costs associated with a claim.

Damage to Property

Repair and replacements costs to a property accidentality damaged as a result of your business activity.

Damage to third-party goods

Compensation for goods owned by a third party, which have become damaged as a result of your business activity.

  • Employee injuries (covered under ACC). 
  • Compensation for personal injury where cover is provided by the ACC. 
  • Damage to your own business property. 
  • Known claims and circumstances

Why you might need Public Liability insurance?

Business insurance isn’t mandatory in NZ for most businesses, but you may be required to have a Public Liability policy to do things like:

Enter a jobsite.

Lease a building.

Work as a contractor or sub-contractor.

Pay legal costs if you face a liability claim.

Get Public Liability cover sorted quicker than a smoko break.

Get your Public Liability insurance sorted quicker than a smoko break.

3 industries who purchase Public Liability most:

Trades

  • Builders & Handymen
  • Electricians
  • Painters & Decorators
  • Plumbers
and more…: Trades

Consultants & Freelancers

  • IT Consultants
  • Management Consultants
  • Recruitment Consultants
  • Real Estate Agents
and more…: Consultants & Freelancers

Maintenance Services

  • Cleaners
  • Gardeners
  • Lawn Services
  • Landscapers
and more…: Maintenance Services

If you don’t see your industry or occupation above, it doesn’t mean Public Liability isn’t suited for your business.

How much does Public Liability insurance cost?

Public Liability insurance costs $30 per month* on average for BizCover NZ customers, but every business is unique. The cost of a policy can vary based on your business’ size, risks, insurance requirements and other factors.

Public Liability

Expected average cost

Get cover that works with the risks of your business

You can select from 5 different levels of cover.
This is the most you will be paid out if you need to make a claim. Choosing different cover levels may impact the cost of your policy.

Flexible Cover

Pick from 6 levels of Public Liability cover

6 levels of Public Liability cover

Unsure how much to choose? Think about:

Statutory professional requirements

Cover required by contracts

Number of employees being covered

Your contract value

Worst case scenario claim size

Underinsurance

We know it’s tempting to select a lower level of cover to reduce premiums, but this can leave businesses shocked and insufficiently covered when making a claim.

Ways underinsurance catches business owners out:

Inflation

With inflation, the cost of living and doing business increases. Remember to cover you, your tools and assets for the rising costs of replacing or covering them, not what you paid for them – you may be surprised at the difference.

Not covering the full cost of your risks

If you select cover levels for less than the value you may be found liable – left out of pocket when it comes to claims time. It’s important to review your risks and determine how much you will need to cover any claim that may come your way.

Public Liability

Expected average cost

Get cover that works with the risks of your business

You can select from 5 different levels of cover.
This is the most you will be paid out if you need to make a claim. Choosing different cover levels may impact the cost of your policy.

Flexible Cover

Pick from 6 levels of Public Liability cover

Unsure how much to choose? Think about:

Statutory professional requirements

Cover required by contracts

Number of employees being covered

Your contract value

Worst case scenario claim size

Underinsurance

We know it’s tempting to select a lower level of cover to reduce premiums, but this can leave businesses shocked and insufficiently covered when making a claim.

Ways underinsurance catches business owners out:

Inflation

With inflation, the cost of living and doing business increases. Remember to cover you, your tools and assets for the rising costs of replacing or covering them, not what you paid for them – you may be surprised at the difference.

Not covering the full cost of your risks

If you select cover levels for less than the value you may be found liable – left out of pocket when it comes to claims time. It’s important to review your risks and determine how much you will need to cover any claim that may come your way.

Our Insurers

We work with a selected group of trusted NZ insurers to offer you great cover.

The savings are real

See how much others have saved while purchasing policy through Bizcover

Martin

Gardener from

Christchurch

Saved

$2,000

on

Public Liability, Statutory Liability

& Employers Liability

Vicki

Management Consultant

from Napier

Saved

$1,500

on

Professional Indemnity &
Public Liability

Ian

Plumber from

Picton

Saved

$600

on

Public Liability&
Statutory Liability

Yvonne

Councellor from

Rotorua

Saved

$100

on

Public Liability &
Professional Indemnity

^ Savings made from January 2023 to July 2024. This information is provided as a guide only and may not reflect pricing for your particular business, as individual underwriting criteria will apply.

What sets BizCover apart?

We are not just a comparison and buy site.

Make claims online

We’ll manage the process on your behalf with the insurers.

Flexi Payment Options

Pay monthly or annually, cancel at any time.

One Stop Shop

Manage multiple cover types in one place.

Easy Renewals

Optional automatic renewal to stay protected.

Frequently asked questions

Confused about Public Liability insurance? We have answered the most common questions we get here.
If you still have questions, you can reach one of our friendly business insurance experts click here

Both Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance can protect your business from the result of a mistake or accident, but the types of mistakes and accidents they cover are different.

Public Liability insurance protects your business against claims resulting from injury to a third party, or damage to a third party’s property.

Professional Indemnity insurance protects your business if a client claims the advice you gave was negligent and has resulted in financial losses.

For most businesses there is no insurance which in mandatory by the New Zealand government. But having insurance may be a requirement for certain customer contracts or work sites.

While Public Liability insurance isn’t legally required many business owners wouldn’t want to go without it! The cost of a Public Liability claim can stack up to thousands of dollars, if you wouldn’t be okay to pay this out of packet, you may want to consider Public Liability insurance.

Yes

If you have a business where you operate on your client’s property, or in public spaces, or if your clients or members of the public come to your business premises, you may want to consider Public Liability insurance.

Finding the right mix of insurance cover will be unique to the needs and risks of each business.

People who purchase Public Liability may also consider:

Tool & Portable Equipment Insurance:
To cover the tools you take with you against loss and damage.
Business Interruption Insurance:
To cover ongoing expenses such as rent and utilities if business stops or is interrupted due to an event such as fire, theft, or flooding.
Building Insurance:
To cover the cost of repairing or reconstructing damage to buildings your business owns, which is the result of fire or other insured event.
Contents (Property) Insurance:
To cover the cost of repairing or reconstructing damage to contents your business owns, which is the result of fire or other insured event.

With BizCover there are 5 levels of Public Liability cover to choose from, being $1 million, $2 million, $5 million, $10 million, and $20 million.
Policies are typically tailored to suit the type of industry your business operates within. However, the amount of cover required will vary from one business to another.

When deciding on how much cover you need for your business, consider the following factors:

  • Do any of your contracts require a minimum level of cover?
  • Has your industry body set a minimum level of cover for membership?
  • Does your business or trade license require a minimum amount of cover?
  • Do the terms of your lease require a minimum level of cover?
  • Finally, think about what your level of risk and exposure could be. What kind of accidents could occur, and what could be the potential cost of a claim?

More types of cover

Business Interruption Insurance
Business Interruption Coverage
Professional Indemnity Insurance
Tool & Portable Equipment Insurance 
Tool coverage
Business Insurance Package
BizPack Coverage

Hear from our customers

BizCover NZ Rating 4.7/5 on Feefo

Efficient

Trusted Customer

Efficient and great price
Quoted and bought insurance online, very quick and a great price.

Definitely worth

Burnett B

BizCover is definitely worth their word. Quick easy understandable cover

Straight forward

Trusted Customer

It is very straight forward and easy to understand and you can choose whatever you need for your business.

Easy to choose

Pavan K

Easy to choose business insurance. The search and the options provided were very simple and straight forward, didn’t expect it to be that easy.

Fast, friendly and efficient

Kylie T

The customer service agent was excellent. He explained to me clearly all the questions I had. Can’t be beat on price for the policy I needed and I was contacted within half an hour of my enquiry. Policy was confirmed on the phone. Excellent.