Since 1974 ACC has been helping New Zealanders get the best out of life. If you're injured in an accident in New Zealand, whether it's relatively minor or something more serious, we're here to give you care and support so you can get back to everyday life.

We're here for people who are:

• working
• unemployed
• retired.

We're here for:

• children
• students
• overseas visitors.

Every year, we accept around two million claims. Some of them just need a bit of time to recover from a minor injury. Some of them are dealing with life-changing consequences, and some will need care throughout their lives.

We accept over 97% of claims and our support is set by legislation. We can accept claims for injuries resulting from accidents. We can't usually accept claims that are the result of illness or general wear and tear.

Our decisions are based on expert advice

Sometimes it can be hard to tell if an injury has been caused by an accident, illness or general wear and tear. In this situation, we might need to get expert medical opinions or assessments before we can make a decision.

Many of the New Zealanders we help might not even realise that ACC is involved in their care. That's because 94% of the people we help visit their doctor, a hospital or a physiotherapist for treatment and don't realise that we're working in the background to help pay for the treatment they need.

A solution that works for you

Every injury comes with its own unique set of circumstances, and everyone who gets injured has their own needs and priorities. Which means we need to tailor our support to each individual who needs our help.

Whether your injury is minor or life-changing, we'll work with you to find the best solution and put that plan into action.

Some of the things we help with:

• doctor visits
• equipment, eg crutches
• help around the home
• weekly compensation of up to 80% of income
• counselling
• support for victims of sexual assault
• surgery for more serious injuries.

We work to prevent injuries

We understand that part of the Kiwi way of life is getting out there and enjoying yourself. So we don't just help people recover from injuries, we also help to prevent them, supporting programmes that keep you safe:

• on the roads
• at home
• at work
• on the sports field
• in the water.

We also work to prevent sexual violence by helping to educate teens about healthy relationships.

We fund emergency services

Because it's important that you get help as soon as possible in an accident, we also help to fund emergency services, such as ambulances and rescue helicopters.

What we don't cover

There are some things we don't support. What we can do to help people recover is set by legislation. This means there are a lot of things we're unable to help with.

We don't cover:

• Most illness or contagious diseases such as measles
• Stress, hurt feelings or other emotional issues – unless they're linked to an injury we already cover or caused at work
• Conditions due to ageing, such as arthritis
• Injuries that happen over time, unless it's caused by activity at work
• Damage to property
• Some common injuries and conditions not related to accidents:
  • appendicitis, including emergency trips to the hospital
  • back pain that isn't the result of an accident.

We're funded from relevant sources

ACC is funded from multiple sources, including business, petrol revenues and wages. Funds from each source are spent on injuries relevant to where they happened.

Examples of funds paying for different injuries:

• If you're injured in a motor vehicle accident, your ACC claim is paid for by funds sourced from motorists, such as vehicle registration and petrol levies
• If you fall off your bicycle, the cost of your treatment is paid from a levy on your wages.
• Accidents in the workplace are covered by levies paid by businesses
• Government funds treatment for children and retirees. 

These are just a few examples of the ways ACC levies from multiple sources are used to support people who are injured.

Future-proofing how ACC is funded

We need to makes sure we can cover the cost of every eligible claim, now and in the future. Some people may need our support for many years, so we need to have enough money to pay for their ongoing treatment.

We collect enough funds to pay for the future cost of today's injuries. This means that future generations of New Zealanders don't have to pay for injuries that happened in the past – whether that was yesterday, last year or decades ago.

That's where our investment fund comes in. The returns we get from these investments help to reduce the amount of money we need from levies to cover injuries. 

Videos telling you more about us

Watch or read the transcripts for our videos telling you more about what we do and how we can support you. 

  Video transcript for who we are