Christchurch's earthquakes may have jolted New Zealanders into thinking about the insurance policies they hold, Retirement Commissioner Diana Crossan says.
Kiwis have one of the world's lowest rates of life insurance.
A study found that 85 per cent have some form of insurance but only 37 per cent have life or risk protection.
"People spend more time thinking about where to get their hair done than thinking about life insurance," Crossan said.
The Commission for Financial Literacy and Retirement Income was working on getting New Zealanders to think about what was important to them. "They might spend more on their car or home contents insurance than they do on their life insurance when their life and income is probably more important."