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Support available to victims of Christchurch terror attack

Ngā mahi hei tautoko i ngā pārurenga o te kōhurutanga nui ki Ōtautahi

If you've been injured or have lost a loved one in the Christchurch terror attacks, we're here to help.

Our no-fault scheme covers everyone in New Zealand if you're injured in an accident. The scheme covers children, beneficiaries, students, if you’re working, unemployed or retired. It also includes visitors to New Zealand if they're injured while they're here.

Whether you've been injured in the Christchurch attacks or have lost a loved one, we're here to help. We'll work with you and your family to make sure you get the help you need - whether you live in New Zealand or overseas.

How to get support

If you’re in hospital, the staff there will have submitted an ACC claim for you. They'll provide you with the treatment you need and we'll be in contact with you shortly.

If you've been injured, or are a family member of someone who has been injured please get in touch with us, so that we can explain and organise the support that’s available. You can:

Visit us at the ACC Christchurch branch:
BNZ Centre, Level 2
101-111 Cashel St
Christchurch
8.30am – 5pm, Monday to Friday
Phone us on 0800 101 996
International callers, phone +64 7859 8678
Email us at christchurchresponse@acc.co.nz

Support available if you've been injured

If you've have been injured, as well as paying for your medical care, there are a number of ways we can support you while you recover. This includes:

Compensation for loss of earnings – we pay up to 80% of your income as weekly compensation if you' can't work because of an injury we cover
Help at home – we can provide support with cleaning and looking after your home while you're injured and support with personal care activities such as showering and dressing
Childcare – we can support with caring for your children while you're injured. Help is available at home or at a play centre or kindergarten. We can also provide care to help an injured parent with tasks they can’t do for their child because of an injury, for example dressing and washing
Counselling – we can provide counselling and mental health support if it's needed
Anyone experiencing distress who needs support can access help via the National Telehealth Service:
Free call or text 1737 any time
More about 1737

Ways we can support your recovery

Weekly compensation - getting paid if you can't work

Support available for families who have lost a loved one

Helping with funeral costs

We pay a funeral grant of up to $6,219 towards funeral and memorial costs. This is topped up by the Ministry of Justice to a total of $10,000 for victims of murder. You don’t pay any tax on this. You can choose to have the funeral or memorial in New Zealand or overseas.

Survivor grants for families

A one-off tax-free survivor’s grant is paid to the deceased's partner, children, and dependents. We'll pay:

$6,668.03 to the partner
$3,334.04 to each child under 18, or other dependents.

If the child or dependent is under 16, this money will go to their parent or caregiver. If the deceased had children living in New Zealand, those caring for the children can get weekly payments to help with childcare.

Ongoing support for children in New Zealand

If the deceased had children, families can get weekly payments to help with childcare for five years or until the child turns 14. The amount depends on how many children under 14 are being cared for.

You won’t pay tax on these payments, but it may affect help you get from Work and Income. If the child has a disability, we can see if payments can continue for longer.

Paying for loss of income

If the deceased was earning an income in New Zealand when they died, you may be able to get compensation for the loss of that income to support the family. We pay up to 80% of what the deceased was earning.

This money is available to support the deceased’s spouse or partner, their children and, may be available to their parents or other relatives who were dependent on them. If a dependent lives overseas, they may still be able to receive payments. Payments depend on people’s circumstances.

Financial support if someone has died