If you’ve bought or are thinking about buying gold and silver bullion, the question you should ask is where will you store it?

The next question that often springs to mind is can I insure gold and silver bullion in New Zealand?

The short answer to this question is “Yes”. However it’s not as simple as this. Read on to see what options you have, what you need to consider, and what the pros and cons are:

Can You Get Insurance on Gold and Silver Bullion in New Zealand?

If you store gold and silver at home and intend to claim it under your home and contents insurance policy, you should be sure to check with your insurance company or insurance broker what cover if any exists for gold and silver bullion bars or coins.

You may find any cover is quite limited in scope and dollar coverage.

Because gold bullion (and silver to a lesser extent) is so valuable per ounce, and also compared to jewellery hard to distinguish from item to item, insurers are often not that keen to cover it.

One way to make it easier to insure your gold and silver bullion while stored in your home is to buy and install a home safe with a “cash rating”.

Point 6 and 7 in this previous article of ours on buying a home safe for gold and silver storage covers this:

6. What is the “cash rating” on a safe and how does this apply to gold and silver bullion?

What is a “Cash Rating”?

What is a “Cash Rating”?

A Cash Rating is for Insurance purposes. It refers to the level of cover that a particular safe is rated for in terms of cash contents. However for precious metals this value could potentially be doubled. For example, a $100,000 cash rating could be doubled to $200,000 for gold and silver bullion.

To achieve this the insurer will require a certified safe. For example to CEN (European) standard or AS/NZS 3809 standard. The harder it is to break into and the longer it takes, the higher the grade.

But it will also depend upon the installation and other measures in place such as security systems, cameras, fencing, gating etc.
In New Zealand insurance cover for gold and silver bullion can come via Lloyds of London so you will require a specialist insurance agent to get you cover for this. Don’t expect your home and contents insurance policy to cover it very easily.

7. Can I increase the “cash rating” if my silver and gold rises in value?

It pays to plan ahead in case your gold and silver end up being worth more than your safes cash rating a few years down the track (potentially a good problem to have though!).

So don’t just ask yourself what is the expected total value of your precious metals purchases. But also consider and allow for if they “go up in value” in dollar terms.

You should allow some leeway for this as the only way to increase the cash rating is to purchase a different safe with a higher cash rating, or purchase a second safe. Although some people do like to spread their load across more than one safe anyway.

Learn more about a buying a home safe here.

What about insurance on gold and silver stored in a private safety deposit box or non bank vault?

What about insurance on bullion stored in private vaults or safety deposit boxes?

If you choose to store gold and silver in a private safety deposit box and then insure it yourself, you may find some difficulty in getting cover.

If you do manage to get it, this may be quite costly. We have heard of quotes as high as 1.4% per annum of the value insured. Often this is also limited to a maximum of $100,000.

However our preferred vault/safe storage facility in NZ has insurance available for a much lesser rate.

“Insurance cover is offered in bands of $10,000, up to an unlimited amount for any one box at 0.2% of the dollar value you request.”

We have a deal going where if you choose to vault with them, you’ll also get a free “Dictionary Book Diversion Safe”. See here for details of that offer: Safety Deposit Boxes for Gold and Silver Storage in NZ

So insurance on gold and silver bullion is available in New Zealand

However as you’ll have seen the terms, cost and coverage provided can vary dramatically depending upon your situation. So be sure to consider your options as the ongoing cost of insurance can add up if you are paying more than 1% per annum.

A reminder you can Learn more about a buying a home safe here.

Or about Safety Deposit Boxes for Gold and Silver Storage in NZ here.