Small Business Insurance

Insurance for your small-to-medium business

Protection for your business

Zurich provides insurance cover for hundreds of occupations, from property owners and owner drivers to hairdressers, trades, retailers and office-based professionals.

Material Damage Insurance

Covers damage to buildings, contents and stock. Some common claims include loss from fire, storms and flood; burglary and malicious damage; and water damage from burst pipes.  Earthquake cover may also be available.

Business Interruption Insurance

Covers your loss of income and additional costs as a result of property damage insured by your Material Damage policy. For example, your building is severely damaged by fire.  You are unable to occupy your building and you are unable to trade.  Repairs to your building may take many months and then you need to replace stock and contents.  Business Interruption insurance will cover you for loss of income during this period.

Portable Tools of Trade and Equipment Insurance

Covers your tools and equipment anywhere in New Zealand. Some common claims include loss from fire and storms; and theft from a locked vehicle or storage shed. Cover is also provided for customers' goods in your temporary possession.

Liability Package Insurance

Covers General Liability, Statutory Liability and Employers Liability. General Liability covers personal injury. property damage and advertising liability claims against your business. Employers Liability covers damages and defence costs as a result of an employee sustaining personal injury arising out of or in the course of their employment. Statutory Liability covers fines payable by you for an offence under an Act of Parliament in connection with the business

How to apply

Zurich Insurance is available through independent insurance brokers who can assist you to obtain the right cover for your needs.

You can find a broker with the free IBANZ service

Case studies

Alan is a plumber working at a customer's house. He is digging holes along the boundary of the property and he doesn't realise he has significantly weakened the soil holding the neighbour's fence in place. When he arrives the next morning to continue his work, he finds the fence has completely fallen down overnight, collapsing onto the neighbour's car and significantly damaging it. While both the neighbour and his customer are very annoyed with Alan, his liability cover means he can cover the cost of damage caused.

Delia owns three commercial units in a business park that she rents out. During a week of torrential rain, the business park is flooded. Fortunately, Delia's Material Damage Insurance included standard flood cover, helping her pay for the repairs required to make the offices habitable again.  And while these repairs were being made, Delia's additional business interruption cover replaced her lost rental income while the offices were unlettable.
Mia runs a clothing store and rents her retail space in a large shopping centre in downtown Auckland. One evening after hours, she is alerted by security that her shop has been broken into. She discovers that the glass in the front window has been smashed and that valuable stock as well as some computer equipment have been stolen. What’s more, the display cabinets and mirrors have also been damaged. The damage to her store as well as the stolen stock and contents are covered by a material damage insurance policy covering her stock and contents. The policy also cover the cost of temporary shuttering of the broken window until the glass could be replaced, as well as replacement signwriting.

Nikau is a tradesman who owns a van that he uses for transporting all of his tools and equipment, as well as any customer goods that he needs to install on-site. He has insured his tools for $10,000 with a maximum value of $5,000 for any one item.  One day his locked van is broken into and both his tools and the customer’s goods are stolen.  Tools of trade or equipment insurance covered the cost to replace the insured tools and equipment with items of a similar condition, age and specification, as well as replace the customer’s goods to a value of up to $20,000.

Managing claims

Make a Claim

Priority claims settlements

Under Zurich’s Priority Settlement Service for Property you can get paid for your small property claims within 24-48 hours. For property claims under $30,000, provide us with all the required information and we’ll deposit the funds directly into your bank account.

❯ Find out more

   Zurich also issues…

Motor Insurance

For your sedans, utes, vans and trucks, trailers and mobile plant and equipment.

Learn more