What to Do After a Car Accident in New Zealand

An ordered checklist for the minutes, hours and days after an incident.

In the first few minutes

  1. Check for injuries. Call 111 if anyone is hurt. ACC covers personal injury in NZ regardless of fault.
  2. Move to safety if the vehicle is causing a hazard and is safe to move.
  3. Turn on hazard lights.
  4. Exchange details — full name, contact, address, vehicle rego, insurer — with all other parties involved.

Documenting the scene

  1. Take photos of vehicle positions before anything is moved.
  2. Photos of damage to all vehicles.
  3. Photos of the road, signage, road conditions, and surrounding context.
  4. A short video walk-around captures more information than photos alone.
  5. Take notes: time, weather, what each driver was doing, witness names and contacts.

What not to do

  • Don't admit fault at the scene. Fault is determined by the insurer based on evidence.
  • Don't agree to a private settlement without notifying your insurer — it can compromise your policy.
  • Don't drive away if anyone is injured or any vehicle is undriveable.

When to involve police

Police must be involved if anyone is injured or if a vehicle is undriveable. Otherwise, you can file an online report at police.govt.nz (search "report a crash") if you wish. Many insurers ask for an event reference number.

Lodging the claim

  1. Contact your insurer — most have 24/7 claim lines.
  2. Provide policy number, time/date/location of the incident, parties involved, and your description.
  3. Upload photos and any supporting documents.
  4. You'll receive a claim number and (typically) a claims handler.

See our step-by-step claim guide for more detail.

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