The Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) levy helps fund essential fire and emergency services that protect all of us, our homes, vehicles, personal contents, businesses, and communities. It is a contribution we all make through insurance policies. While insurers and insurance advisers collect the levy through insurance policies, it is important to know that the amount itself is set by legislation and sits separately from insurers own premium pricing. From Wednesday, 1 July 2026, changes to the Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) levy will come into effect across many insurance policies throughout New Zealand. These changes form part of the new FENZ levy regime and will impact residential, motor, commercial, marine, and specialist insurance programmes.

With the first quarter of 2026 (January to March) well behind us, we see an economic landscape reshaped by a fuel price crisis, geopolitical events, and CPI announcements.