Insurance an election issue in New Zealand

Workplace insurance has become something of a political football in the lead up to New Zealand’s general election on 27 July. The opposition National Party threatens to again privatise the Accident Compensation Insurance Corporation (ACC) if it gains power. It did so during its previous term in office three years ago, throwing the business open to six private insurers and the state owned ACC. One of the first acts of the new Labour controlled government was to renationalise workplace insurance and to restore ACC’s monopoly.