Policywise

What Policywise does

Policywise is a privately held New Zealand financial services company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Mount Maunganui. The company operates as a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP715811) under the Financial Markets Authority, offering free comparison and advisory services across health, life, disability, and trauma insurance, as well as KiwiSaver retirement products. Its core technology is a proprietary comparison and analytics platform that ingests policy data from 8 leading NZ insurers (AIA, Asteron Life, Chubb, Fidelity Life, Nib, Partners Life, Southern Cross, Unimed) and 5 KiwiSaver providers (Booster, Generate, Milford, Pathfinder, Fisher Funds), generating personalized recommendations and printable summary reports for consumers. The platform includes a self-service online quote tool, supplemented by phone-based consultations with licensed advisers and a free 5-minute callback booking system powered by HubSpot Meetings.

The company serves two primary customer segments: individual consumers and families seeking personal insurance and KiwiSaver advice, and business owners seeking group insurance, key person cover, and employee benefit solutions. Policywise earns revenue exclusively through affiliate referral commissions from insurers (10-230% of first-year premium, 5-25% of subsequent years) and KiwiSaver providers ($30-250 upfront per implementation, 0-0.50% p.a. ongoing), with no fees charged to consumers. The go-to-market is sales-led and inside-sales driven, combining a content-rich website (educational articles on insurance types and health conditions) with direct adviser engagement. The company also offers ongoing claims advocacy as a value-added service to retain customers post-purchase.

Policywise is a member of the Independent Financial Adviser Association (IFAA) and operates with a lean team of 1-10 employees, having served 40,000+ NZ clients over 7+ years. The business is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, acquisitions, or parent company. Its operating geography is limited to New Zealand, with no international expansion signals. Berne Villacastin serves as the Privacy Officer responsible for Privacy Act 2020 compliance.

Name

Policywise

Legal name

Policywise Limited

Website

https://policywise.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Policywise is a New Zealand-licensed insurance and KiwiSaver advisory service that uses proprietary comparison software to match consumers with policies from 8 leading NZ insurers, earning commission-based revenue. It serves individual consumers, families, and business owners nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mount Maunganui

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Insurance Commission - Upfront: Policywise receives commission from insurers based on a percentage of the first year's premium when a customer takes out insurance. Commission range: 10%-230% of first year's premium.
2. Insurance Commission - Ongoing/Servicing: Ongoing commission payments from insurers based on a percentage of subsequent years' premiums. Commission range: 5-25% of subsequent years' premiums.
3. KiwiSaver Fees: Fees received from KiwiSaver providers when customers join or switch providers. Upfront fee: $30-$250 per implementation. Ongoing fee: 0%-0.50% p.a.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Policywise is a New Zealand licensed insurance and KiwiSaver advisory service that compares policies from 8 leading NZ insurers and multiple KiwiSaver providers using proprietary comparison software. It provides free, no-obligation personalised recommendations to individuals, families, and businesses across health, life, trauma, income protection, mortgage protection, TPD, and KiwiSaver products, with ongoing claims advocacy support.

Product overview

Policywise is an independent New Zealand insurance and KiwiSaver advisory service operating as a single unified platform offering comparison and recommendation services across multiple insurance product categories and KiwiSaver schemes. The core offering is the quote comparison platform that uses proprietary comparison software to analyze policies from partnered insurers and generate personalized recommendations. Policywise provides advisory services for: Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Trauma (Critical Illness) Insurance, Income Protection Insurance, Mortgage Protection Insurance, Total Permanent Disability Insurance, Cancer Insurance, Mental Health Insurance, Dental Cover, Redundancy Insurance, Funeral Insurance, Family Insurance products (health and life), Children's Insurance, Joint/Couple Insurance, Business Insurance (Key Person, Group Insurance, Farmers Insurance), and KiwiSaver. All services are provided free to consumers as the insurer pays Policywise's commission. The platform also includes a complementary Claims Advocacy Service for ongoing client support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health Insurance Advisory Free comparison and personalised advice on health insurance policies covering medical treatments, specialist consultations, diagnostic tests, and access to private healthcare in New Zealand, drawing on policies from 8 leading NZ insurers.
• Life Insurance Advisory Free comparison and advice on life insurance policies providing financial protection for families, covering death benefits, funeral costs, debt repayment, and income replacement.
• Trauma Insurance Advisory Free comparison and advice on critical illness/trauma insurance providing lump sum payments upon diagnosis of specified serious medical conditions such as cancer, heart attack, or stroke.
• Income Protection Insurance Advisory Free comparison and advice on income protection policies providing regular payments (up to 75% of income) when unable to work due to illness or injury.
• Mortgage Protection Insurance Advisory Free comparison and advice on mortgage protection insurance covering home loan repayments in case of death, illness, or disability.
• Total Permanent Disability Insurance Advisory Free comparison and advice on TPD insurance providing lump sum payments if the insured becomes totally and permanently disabled and unable to work.
• Business Insurance Advisory (Key Person, Group, Farmers) Free comparison and advice on business insurance including key person insurance protecting companies against the loss of essential employees, employer group insurance schemes (company health, group life), and tailored cover for farmers and agricultural workers.
• KiwiSaver Advisory Independent advice on KiwiSaver retirement savings schemes, comparing providers including Booster, Generate, Milford, Pathfinder, and Fisher Funds, with focus on ethical investment options and provider switching.
• Quote Comparison Platform Proprietary online comparison tool that provides personalised policy recommendations by comparing quotes from multiple insurers, featuring condition-specific analytics and printable summary reports at no cost to the user.
• Claims Advocacy Service Ongoing support service helping clients navigate insurance claims, negotiate with insurers, and manage difficult claim situations at no additional cost, included with all policies arranged through Policywise.

Quantifiable outcome

• Service is rated 4.9 stars with 49 reviews on Reviews.io
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AIAcoreOthersInsurance provider partnership offering Health, Life, and Disability Policies. One of the 8 leading NZ insurers Policywise works with.
• Asteron LifecoreOthersInsurance provider partnership offering Life and Disability Policies. One of the 8 leading NZ insurers Policywise works with.
• ChubbcoreOthersInsurance provider partnership offering Life and Disability Policies. One of the 8 leading NZ insurers Policywise works with.
• Fidelity LifecoreOthersInsurance provider partnership offering Life and Disability Policies. One of the 8 leading NZ insurers Policywise works with.
• NibcoreOthersInsurance provider partnership offering Health, Life, and Disability Policies. One of the 8 leading NZ insurers Policywise works with.
• Partners LifecoreOthersInsurance provider partnership offering Health, Life, and Disability Policies. One of the 8 leading NZ insurers Policywise works with.
• Southern CrosscoreOthersInsurance provider partnership offering Health and Disability Policies. One of the 8 leading NZ insurers Policywise works with.
• Unimed (formerly Accuro)coreOthersInsurance provider partnership offering Health Policies. One of the 8 leading NZ insurers Policywise works with.
• BoostercoreOthersKiwiSaver provider partnership offering KiwiSaver products. Policywise provides independent advice on multiple KiwiSaver providers.
• GeneratecoreOthersKiwiSaver provider partnership offering KiwiSaver products. Policywise provides independent advice on multiple KiwiSaver providers.
• MilfordcoreOthersKiwiSaver provider partnership offering KiwiSaver products. Policywise provides independent advice on multiple KiwiSaver providers.
• PathfindercoreOthersKiwiSaver provider partnership offering KiwiSaver products. Policywise provides independent advice on multiple KiwiSaver providers.
• Fisher FundsminorOthersKiwiSaver provider partnership offering KiwiSaver products. Policywise provides independent advice on multiple KiwiSaver providers.
• IFAA (Independent Financial Adviser Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolicywise is a member of IFAA. Remuneration may flow from product providers through the IFAA Group. IFAA Group provides professional services including assistance with operations, training, and compliance.
• Reviews.iominorOthersIndependent third-party review platform used by Policywise to display verified customer reviews on their website.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Partners Life: New Zealand life and disability insurer partnered with Policywise. Overlaps in the life and disability product lines that Policywise advises on, but operates as a direct carrier rather than an advisory intermediary.
• Nib New Zealand: New Zealand health and life insurer and a Policywise partner. Comparable in product categories advised on (health, life, disability), but competes as a direct-writing carrier with growing D2C distribution.
• AIA New Zealand: One of New Zealand's largest life and health insurers and a key Policywise distribution partner. Comparable as a major player in the same product categories (life, health, disability) that Policywise advises on, but operates as a direct carrier rather than a broker.
• Southern Cross: New Zealand's largest health insurer and a Policywise distribution partner. Comparable overlap in health insurance advisory space but as a direct carrier with its own distribution and brand recognition.

Others

• Sorted: New Zealand government-backed retirement and money guidance service. Compares KiwiSaver providers and includes insurance content, providing free non-commissioned guidance that overlaps with Policywise's KiwiSaver advisory offering.
• Canstar New Zealand: Financial product comparison and research platform operating in NZ. Adjacent competitor in the comparison/research layer for insurance and KiwiSaver, but does not place policies or provide licensed financial advice.

Direct peers

• Sterling Insurance: New Zealand insurance broker offering personal and business insurance advisory services. Comparable as a multi-insurer broker serving NZ consumers with commission-driven revenue from policy placement.
• LifeDirect: New Zealand life and health insurance comparison and broker service. Directly comparable in business model (commission-based, multi-insurer panel, free to consumer) and customer base (NZ individuals and families comparing insurance policies).
• Insurance Advisernet: NZ-based insurance broker network providing independent advice across personal and commercial lines. Comparable as a licensed financial advice provider distributing multiple insurers' products via advisers, with similar commission-based economics.

Regional players

• iSelect: Australia-headquartered price comparison and broker service with NZ operations. Comparable business model (multi-insurer panel, commission-based, comparison-driven) but serves a broader Australasian market and operates at larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/policywisenz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/policywisenz

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Policywise