ACC provide comprehensive, no-fault personal injury cover for all New Zealand residents and visitors to New Zealand. This means you can apply for ACC help, no matter how you got injured, or whose fault it was. ACC help can include a wide range of services – from payment towards treatment, to help around the home while you get better, and assistance with your income if you can’t work because of your injury.

Role and what it involves

ACC as a Crown organisation, it role is set out by the Government to:

• prevent injury
• make sure people can get treatment for injury, if it happens
• help people get back to everyday life as soon as possible.

Here are some of the things ACC do to carry out its role:

• receive injury claims, and tell them if ACC can help
• oversee and coordinate the help clients get, to make sure they get the help they need
• pay weekly compensation (a regular form of income, calculated at a percentage of the client’s usual earnings)
• help pay for a wide range of treatment and medical costs, from GP visits and specialist fees, to x-rays, prescription costs and hospital emergency services
• collect levies to help pay for the services ACC provides
• work with businesses and in the community, to help them become safer, injury-free places

Injury cover for all New Zealanders and visitors

All New Zealanders and visitors to New Zealand who get injured can apply for help from ACC, whether or not:

• you’re working, retired, a child, a student or on a benefit
• you or someone else caused the accident that led to your injury
• the injury happened at work, during sport or recreation, at home or on the road.

ACC can also help you if you’re a New Zealander returning from overseas with an injury, as long as you’re a permanent resident, and you haven’t been away for more than six months.

Because of the wide range of help available from ACC after an injury, you can’t sue for personal injury in New Zealand, except for exemplary damages. This applies to overseas tourists too.