Most NZ insurers ask the same three questions at renewal. Here’s what they want to see and how to make sure your system answers cleanly.
NZ commercial insurance renewals are increasingly tight, and security is one of the few levers a business can pull to reduce excess or premium. The catch: insurers are specific about what they want, and a vague “yes we have a CCTV system” isn’t enough. Most underwriters want documented evidence of three things: who installed it, when it was last tested, and whether it reports to a monitoring station. Here’s how to make sure your system gives clean answers.
AS/NZS 2201 is the alarm-installation standard most NZ insurers reference. It covers sensor placement, panel configuration, sounder rating, and comms paths. Most insurers don’t require certification under the standard but want evidence that the install matches it. The clean answer is a written commissioning record from the installer that explicitly references AS/NZS 2201 compliance.
What we provide on every Comsys alarm install: a signed commissioning record listing each sensor by location and zone, panel configuration details, comms-path test results, sounder placement, and battery test. This is the document to attach to your insurance renewal.
An installed system that hasn’t been touched in three years is no longer a satisfactory answer to the underwriter. Most NZ commercial insurers want evidence of annual maintenance: physical sensor test, battery check, panel firmware review, and a written service report. Some sectors (regulated goods, healthcare) want six-monthly servicing.
If you don’t have a maintenance contract, get one. The cost is a fraction of the insurance excess on a single declined claim. We typically charge $400–$1,200/year for commercial annual maintenance depending on system size.
For low-risk residential, an audible alarm is usually enough. For commercial, hospitality, retail, and any site with high-value stock or cash, most insurers want monitored response — meaning the alarm reports to a 24/7 monitoring station, an operator verifies the event, and dispatch happens. Comsys doesn’t run a monitoring centre, but we install the comms path and set up the account hand-off with a third-party NZ provider.
For higher-risk sites (jewellery, electronics, late-night hospitality), insurers may also want documented response time SLAs and a guard-response service rather than just police dispatch. The monitoring provider you choose matters; we’ll recommend ones that match your insurer’s expectations.
Insurers want footage retained long enough to support a claim. The Privacy Commissioner’s default of 30 days is the floor for general workplace use; many commercial insurers prefer 60–90 days for high-claim-frequency sectors (retail, hospitality, warehousing). Make sure your NVR is sized for the retention period you state, and document the retention policy in writing.
Insurers don’t typically prescribe camera placement, but they want evidence that high-risk areas are covered: cash-handling zones, stock storage, perimeter and entry points. A documented coverage map (which we provide on every commercial commissioning) is the cleanest answer.
Critical: when an incident happens, can you actually pull footage and provide it within your insurer’s timeframe (often 7 days)? We test export on commissioning day and provide written instructions for pulling clips to USB. Don’t wait until the incident to find out the export doesn’t work.
For commercial sites with controlled doors, insurers increasingly want to see audit logs and credential management documented:
NZ insurers don’t typically advertise specific premium reductions for security. What they do is:
Talk to your broker before the renewal — they’ll tell you exactly what their underwriter is looking for. Bring our commissioning record to the conversation.
For every Comsys commercial install we provide a written commissioning pack that includes:
This is the document you attach to your insurance renewal.
Alarm system installation · Alarm monitoring cost guide · Security audit checklist
Indicative supplied-and-installed price for a Comsys CCTV system. Move the inputs to match your site — the calculator updates live.
This calculator is a guide only. Final pricing depends on the site visit — specific camera models, mounting access, cable routing, and any access control or alarm integration can move the number up or down. We always quote in writing after a free on-site assessment, with brand and model itemised so you can see exactly what you’re paying for.
