Consumer views of New Zealand insurers are reflected in the 2026 Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands Awards, with several life, health, general, travel, pet, and funeral insurance providers listed as winners or highly commended across multiple categories.
The Trusted Brands program has operated in New Zealand for 27 years and is based on an annual survey of thousands of consumers conducted by an independent research firm. Brands do not apply or pay to participate. Inclusion and rankings are determined from consumer responses, with winners identified through a statistically significant majority of votes. The survey seeks to understand how New Zealanders assess brands on factors such as reliability, integrity, and consistency over time.
While price and product design also affect purchasing decisions, the awards concentrate on trust as a factor in brand selection and retention. Reader’s Digest presents the program as both an awards exercise and a way to monitor changes in consumer sentiment toward brands over time. For insurers, the outcomes sit alongside other indicators such as claims performance, complaint trends, and financial strength ratings when assessing market position.
In funeral insurance, AA Life Insurance was named the 2026 category winner. New Zealand Seniors and Fidelity Life were both highly commended. In general insurance – covering home, contents, and motor – AA Insurance was ranked first. State and AMI were named as highly commended brands in this category. In health insurance, Southern Cross Health Insurance was the category winner. AA Insurance and AIA received highly commended recognition.
In life insurance, Southern Cross Life Insurance was ranked first. Chubb and AA Life Insurance were both highly commended. In the pet insurance category, SPCA Pet Insurance was named winner. Southern Cross Pet Insurance and AA Pet Insurance were highly commended. In travel insurance, Southern Cross Travel Insurance was named winner, with AA Travel Insurance and State both highly commended.
Southern Cross insurance businesses appeared across several categories in the 2026 results, with wins in health, life, and travel insurance and a highly commended placing in pet insurance. Southern Cross Health Insurance was named Most Trusted Health Insurance Brand for the 10th consecutive year. The Friendly Society, which first offered health insurance in the New Zealand market more than 60 years ago, reports a membership base of about 940,000.
Southern Cross Life Insurance, established in 2016 in partnership with Chubb Life Insurance New Zealand Limited, was named Most Trusted Life Insurance Brand for the fourth consecutive year. Southern Cross Travel Insurance recorded its fourth consecutive result as Most Trusted Travel Insurance Brand. The business has provided travel cover for New Zealand residents since 1982. Southern Cross Pet Insurance was highly commended in the pet insurance category and reports providing cover for more than 60,000 pets.
Regan Savage, chief sales and marketing officer at Southern Cross Health Insurance, said the outcome reflects a long-term approach to building trust with customers. “Trust isn’t something you claim, it’s something you earn over time through the way you show up for people. For Southern Cross Health Insurance, this means supporting New Zealanders to live healthier lives for longer and staying true to our vision of a healthier Aotearoa New Zealand. Being recognised again across health, life, travel, and pet insurance reflects the important role Southern Cross insurance businesses play in people’s lives and the responsibility that comes with that trust,” Savage said.
The 2026 Trusted Brands results provide one view of how personal lines brands are perceived by consumers in New Zealand. The findings show that Southern Cross was named in health, life, travel, and pet insurance categories, and that AA-branded offerings were recognised in life, general, and travel insurance. State, AMI, AIA, Chubb, Fidelity Life, New Zealand Seniors, and SPCA Pet Insurance also appeared as winners or highly commended in their respective categories.
Although the awards do not assess underwriting performance, capital adequacy, or detailed product features, they give an indication of how consumers report their level of trust in particular brands. Insurance professionals can use this information alongside quantitative and regulatory data when considering competitive positioning, customer communication, and retention strategies in the personal lines market.
