Updated 1:21pm: Insurance companies will be keeping a close eye on new rules which could see people liable to top up ACC payouts, when their actions injure others.

At the moment ACC pays up to 80 percent of a person's income if they're put off work by an injury.

Now, if someone is convicted of a crime which injures someone else, a judge could order them to shell out the difference.

Insurance Council chief Tim Grafton says insurers will be watching closely.

He says there's a potential for a double standard, as for example people injured in a crash where someone is convicted of a crime can potentially get more ACC compensation than those where nobody is prosecuted.

Mr Grafton says it also opens up compensation to overseas visitors, so you wouldn't want to cause a crash that badly injures a tour coach of well-heeled foreign tourists, for example.

Amateur athletes to benefit from new guidelines

Amateur athletes are most likely to benefit from new guidelines around the recognition and treatment of sport concussion.

The guidelines were announced yesterday by ACC.

Dr Bruce Hamilton from High Performance Sport NZ says they are aimed at both elite and community sport but will have the biggest impact in the latter.

He says at the elite end there are more resources already involved in recognising and treating concussion.