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by Jessica Allen, Lakes Weekly Bulletin

I was recently overseas and had a bit of an accident which required medical attention. When it happened, my first thought wasn’t ‘let’s get to a hospital,’ but rather, ‘oh shit, can I go to the hospital, and what’s this going to cost?’. This is a thought most tourists don’t need to consider in New Zealand thanks to our fantastic ACC system, but is it getting taken advantage of?

I was in the UK and travel insurance aside, in hindsight, I now know that the NHS does have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with us and can cover emergency medical treatment, but they’re certainly not shouting about it, nor encouraging it. ACC, on the other hand, states that: “Our no-fault scheme covers everyone, including visitors, who are injured in an accident in New Zealand,” and while they do suggest individuals need travel insurance for illness, disrupted travel plans, injuries while in transit, and treatment/rehabilitation when you return home – who actually listens to that advice?

Not to mention my dismay when I returned home to the news of yet another helicopter rescue of a tourist, doing something they probably shouldn’t have been – there seems to be another instance every week at the moment. 100% let’s get out there and enjoy ourselves, we are the adventure capital after all, but who’s footing the bill when things go wrong is my big question.

In addition to the issue of who’s paying, it’s important to mention that many of these rescues are carried out by volunteers, who are often putting themselves in harm’s way. Ironically, volunteers aren’t able to fully utilise ACC when they need assistance in some circumstances, such as mental trauma (see p2). Rescue services in the region reiterate similar messages each time these events happen – think about the decisions you’re making, be smart and be prepared – lack of experience and a lack of equipment are common themes in rescues.

I love our laid-back attitude, but do occasionally find myself thinking we’re a little too ‘she’ll be right.’ In the same way car insurance isn’t compulsory here, where in other countries it is, should travel insurance be compulsory? Perhaps some of this new foreign tourist fee, which I do feel is the government really double dipping, should be allocated to tourists’ injuries and rescue operations, or ACC should simply only cover those who pay the ACC levy in this country.

In 2020, the NZ Herald reported that ACC spent $15 million on injured tourists in the previous five years. ACC do claim that their no-fault scheme removes the right to sue for personal injury sustained in New Zealand, which is another factor to be taken into consideration.

As a country full of hiking, biking, water and adventure sports, is it silly for us to allow free accident and rescue cover to anyone and everyone who visits us, or is it the responsible thing to do?