NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business

Christmas accidents result in $7.2 million bill and thousands injured

Vaimoana Tapaleao
By Vaimoana Tapaleao
Pasifika Editor·NZ Herald·
25 Feb, 2017 04:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Just over 3,700 people made injury claims to ACC for injuries that happened on Christmas Day alone, in 2016. Photo /Getty Images

Just over 3,700 people made injury claims to ACC for injuries that happened on Christmas Day alone, in 2016. Photo /Getty Images

The festive season proved not so merry for thousands of Kiwis who hurt themselves over the holidays, with ACC paying out just over $7 million in injury claims to date.

A total of $7,218,966 in claims were accepted by the Accident Compensation Corporation for accidents that happened on just six dangerous days over the recent holiday period - Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and January 2.

And although that figure is already sizeable, it is expected to balloon in the next 12 months as some Kiwis receive continued support for injury rehabilitation and treatment.

Figures released to the Herald on Sunday show 25,403 people made claims for injuries they had suffered on those days, with the highest number of injuries reported on January 2 (4826 claims) and the first day of 2017, when 4602 people were hurt.

The top causes of injuries included loss of balance, tripping or stumbling, being pushed or pulled, being knocked over by an object or being struck by an animal.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The injuries that were diagnosed most often were soft tissue injuries (strain, sprain or contusion), lacerations, punctures, stings, fractures or dislocations - and dental injuries.

Injury by a "foreign body'' poking an eye or another part of the body also made the list.

ACC couldn't provide more detailed descriptions of the injuries or exactly how they occurred.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Asked how many accidents involved alcohol, ACC spokeswoman Suzanne Muth said because the organisation was a no-fault scheme, people were not required to say whether alcohol contributed to an accident.

But ACC estimates 11-13 per cent of all claims are alcohol-related.

Last year's figures over the holiday period - but including the cost of ongoing treatment - - show a total of 26,135 claims with a cost of more than $23 million.

The single highest claim cost was on New Year's Day, when 4949 claims were accepted, resulting in a payout of just over $5.3m.

Discover more

New Zealand|education

Driver fails to stop after hitting student

21 Feb 05:12 AM
New Zealand

Man killed at Bluff port

23 Feb 08:19 PM
New Zealand|education

Hats with cords banned after safety fears

23 Feb 11:37 PM

"The majority of clients will only need medical costs. However, some will require ongoing care, as they recover, on a case by case basis.''

Muth did not say whether ACC would target the festive season in any new safety awareness campaigns as a result of the high holiday costs.

But ACC did have a few injury prevention tips to keep Kiwis safe.

They included fastening loose rugs to the floor, wiping spills as soon as they happen, running power cords along walls, putting toys away and clearing up clutter from walkways.

And when it comes to holiday DIY projects, ACC encouraged people to always use a safe and stable ladder when carrying out work, making sure you know how to correctly use hired equipment and being realistic about your ability - if you can't do it, get an expert.

Top 10 injury causes 2016-2017:

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

1. Loss of balance or personal control
2. Lifting, carrying or strain
3. Struck by person or animal
4. Collision or knocked over by an object
5. Tripping or stumbling
6. Twisting movement
7. Slipping or skidding on foot
8. Puncture
9. Other or unclear cause
10. Pushed or pulled

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Business

Premium
Opinion

Mary Holm: Embracing non-financial investments for a happier retirement

20 Jun 05:00 PM
Premium
Opinion

Bridget Snelling: How financial education can transform NZ's small-business landscape

20 Jun 03:00 AM
Premium
Media Insider

Court writer: Polkinghorne pitches his own book; TVNZ v Sky in Olympics showdown

20 Jun 01:00 AM

Audi offers a sporty spin on city driving with the A3 Sportback and S3 Sportback

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Business

Premium
Mary Holm: Embracing non-financial investments for a happier retirement

Mary Holm: Embracing non-financial investments for a happier retirement

20 Jun 05:00 PM

OPINION: Developing hobbies and exercising are part of a fulfilling retirement.

Premium
Bridget Snelling: How financial education can transform NZ's small-business landscape

Bridget Snelling: How financial education can transform NZ's small-business landscape

20 Jun 03:00 AM
Premium
Court writer: Polkinghorne pitches his own book; TVNZ v Sky in Olympics showdown

Court writer: Polkinghorne pitches his own book; TVNZ v Sky in Olympics showdown

20 Jun 01:00 AM
Premium
'Māori are long-term investors' - learning from success and failure working with iwi

'Māori are long-term investors' - learning from success and failure working with iwi

20 Jun 12:00 AM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP