Keep your things safe
How to keep your things safe
Stay safe in New Zealand. New Zealand's crime rate is lower than many other countries, which means we have less theft. However, it's still important to keep your things safe while you’re studying here. Learn about student insurance and protecting your belongings.
Get insurance
It’s a good idea to get insurance for your things. Write down a list of the valuable things (like cameras, tablets, laptops and smartphones) you’ve brought to New Zealand and their serial numbers.
This will help you to claim insurance if you lose them or they get stolen. Take photos of them and any other valuable things you've brought (like jewellery) and upload them to a Dropbox(external link that opens in a new tab) or iCloud (external link that opens in a new tab)account so you can access them even if your phone or computer is stolen.
Protect your things
People who steal are good at seeing opportunities. Don’t make it easy for them to steal from you. You don’t want to have to spend money buying a new phone or laptop!
Here are some things you can do to increase your chances of keeping your things safe:
Always lock up your house – this means doors and windows are closed and locked
If you have a house alarm, set it before you leave the house
Don’t leave expensive things out in the open – if you're out, put your laptop, tablets, and jewellery in your bag while you're out or somewhere safe in your room, like under the bed or in the wardrobe
Don’t leave your things in parked cars or campervans, in the city or at the beach
If you have to carry things in your car, lock them in the boot (some people call this the 'trunk')
Don’t leave your bags, backpacks, wallets, phones or cameras unattended in public places like airports, railway stations or ferry terminals
If you do have something stolen, you should tell the police right away. You can call them for free on their non-emergency reporting number, 105(external link that opens in a new tab), make a report online(external link that opens in a new tab) or visit your local police station(external link that opens in a new tab).
If you lose your things
If you lose something, like your mobile phone or your wallet, you can report it online(external link that opens in a new tab), or visit your local police station(external link that opens in a new tab) and complete a lost property report in person. When you report your lost property to Police, you will receive a Police Acknowledgement Form (PAF) with a reference number that can be used for an insurance claim.
Things that are handed in to Police are only held for a short period of time. Keeping serial numbers will improve your chances of identifying your things if they are handed in.
Tip: Tell the banks that issued you credit or EFTPOS cards so they can cancel them and send you new ones.