Kiwis' love for the water also took its toll - 24 people were hurt by seals, 42 by eels, 44 by sharks, 94 by stingrays and 402 by fish. Fish injuries included a cut finger from a dogfish spine and a fish bite to the ankle.
Birds, including parrots and the territorial magpie, left 42 needing medical treatment, and monkeys hurt 54 people.
Among the smallest critters to inflict pain were mice - they hurt 190 at a cost of $22,589, including one person whose reward for saving a mouse from a cat was a chomp to the thumb. Gnasher also connected with finger for another person as they removed a mouse from a trap, according to accident descriptions.
Fifty people were injured by guinea pigs, at a cost of $5,484.
Those on farms also risk injury from stock. Sheep and cattle were implicated in almost 15,000 ACC claims, costing $6.1m and $9.3m respectively.
Horses were blamed for another 15,000 injuries, costing $15.2m, and almost 600 people were hurt by pigs at a cost of $313,348, including one person who told ACC they injured their back while lifting a heavy pig.
An escaping pig headbutted another.
Melville cautioned against blaming cattle, sheep and horses for hurting more Kiwis than other animals. There were simply more of them than other animals, she said.
"The number of [those injuries] is proportional, and not because these animals present a greater danger."
More than 28,000 claims were made by New Zealanders hurt by insects, costing $2.08m.
Animal antics
In the past two financial years the Accident Compensation has paid out a whopping $49.1 million after 107,000 animal-related injury claims. Farm animals and man's best friend dominate the payouts but some of New Zealand's most unique animals have also left painful memories.
• Insects: 28,093 claims, totalling $2,087,890
• Fish, sharks and stingrays: 540, totalling $216,430
• Monkeys: 54 claims, totalling $13,475
• Seals: 24 claims, totalling $16,870
• Guinea pigs: 50 claims, totalling $5,484
- Source: ACC
