Insurance Advice You Can Trust

Trust. Support. Confidence. Value.

New Zealand’s insurance landscape has never been so complex, or so heavily scrutinised. Yet with so many insurers, policies, and choices – including an abundance of generic ‘direct’ insurance offers – it’s also never been harder to know which option is the best for you and your business. That’s why there’s never been a more important time to partner with a specialist Insurance Adviser who works for you.

What does an Insurance Adviser do?

Insurance Advisers are highly qualified insurance and risk management specialists. Just as you rely on your Solicitor for legal matters and your Accountant for financial advice, they act on your behalf to provide expert advice, insurance solutions and claims support to protect you and your business. An Insurance Adviser works closely with you to help you identify the risks that you or your business may be exposed to. They will then advise you on what risks should be insured against, and then if you agree, the adviser will canvass the insurance market to obtain the best insurance protection to meet your needs, at a competitive price.

Why Choose an Insurance Adviser

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An Adviser provides advice and explains clearly what your insurance covers, and what is not covered and will tailor an insurance programme best suited for your individual business needs. They act for the you and have a legal duty of care in the advice and products they provide.

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New Zealand businesses are 97% less likely to have an insurance complaint when they work with an Insurance Adviser.

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SOURCE: Fire & General Insurance complaints made to the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman (IFSO) Scheme between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2021. 3,626 total complaints. 9 against Insurance Advisers. 199 against Direct Insurers.

Link to Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Annual Report 2021 here.

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In a positive sign for industry growth, 41% of direct buyers would consider using a broker, up from 34% in 2020.

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SOURCE: Vero 2021 SME Insurance Index found that 41% of direct buyers said that they would consider using a broker in the future, up from 34% in 2020.

Link to Vero 2021 SME Insurance Index here.

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Over half of businesses who are direct insurance buyers say they are now actively considering using an Insurance Adviser, up from 51% in 2018.

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SOURCE: Vero 2021 SME Insurance Index found that 54% of surveyed SMEs had purchased their most recent insurance policy through a broker, compared to 51% from 2018.

Link to Vero 2021 SME Insurance Index here.

Find your local Insurance Adviser

Talk to your local Adviser to get advice about your insurance needs and to get a quote

Frequently Asked Questions

Why pay for an Insurance Adviser when I can do it myself?

Rather than trying to juggle everything yourself, an Insurance Adviser can save you time, frustration and money. They can help you quickly review and access different products from many insurers, whether they be locally based or via major global insurers such as Lloyd’s of London. Insurance Advisers are aware of detailed terms and conditions, benefits and exclusions and costs of a wide range of competing insurance policies, so they can help you find the most appropriate cover for your circumstances. Insurance Advisers also have access to up-to-date industry data that outlines the major risks your occupation or industry are exposed too, along with secondary data outlining the natural hazards specific to your business location.

Can an Insurance Adviser assist you with claims?

Absolutely. In fact, claims support is one of their most important services. Your Insurance Adviser will act as your dedicated claims advocate in the event of a claim, working closely with you and your insurer to ensure the smoothest possible process, the best possible outcome, in the shortest possible timeframe.

Why should I trust an Insurance Adviser?

Insurance is all about trust and confidence. 334 General Insurance complaints were made to the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman (IFSO) Scheme for the period between 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021. Of these, just 9 were made against Insurance Advisers – compared to 199 against direct insurance companies. In other words, only 2.7% of complaints came against Insurance Advisers. There’s a powerfully simple reason for this sizeable discrepancy, the key role of an Insurance Adviser is to give you professional expert advice, not simply sell you a policy. Providing a personal service rather than generic automation, they seek to understand your unique insurance needs and approach to risk, long before putting together your individual insurance programme. The algorithm-driven direct insurance business model, on the other hand, makes it heavily focused on offering the same core solution/s to all customers, with little – if any – consideration given to the nuances of your unique needs. If you want insurance advice and solutions you can trust, the choice couldn’t be any clearer.

How are Insurance Advisers paid?

An Insurance Adviser may charge you a fee for their services. Or they may receive a commission from the insurance company. Either way, your Adviser will work with you to find the most appropriate solution for you. Fees and other charges will be disclosed in the documentation provided by your Insurance Adviser. As always this can also be discussed directly with your Insurance Adviser.

What about emerging digital/direct models of insurance advice?

There is a real risk that improving technology may not necessarily achieve the greater transparency and trust required for financial services of the future. In particular, regulators in the United Kingdom have identified many of the same challenges in regulating digital advice, as they have when advice is given by humans. This is because algorithms operate within design parameters, many of which may codify bias, taking many forms:

limiting the compared set of products, often with the result of showing one product to be much better than the others compared, when a wider market comparison would be less flattering.
excessive focus on price or brand to the detriment of considering fundamentals – such as suitability, coverage, and the value created by how these interact with price.
dictating the criteria for comparison and selection – with the result that the consumer may not be aware of how the product would perform if different criteria were used.
limiting the ability for the customer to define their own vision, goals, and needs – defining the goal can skew the question of suitability.
not offering alternatives if a customer falls outside the criteria of an online service customer can form the view that they cannot be insured, rather than not meeting the requirements for just this particular product.

Often the effect of these limitations may not be clear to clients. Some may suffer from poor advice. Others may have claims declined, having not understood the conditions of the policy that they signed up for. Consumer rights advocates will seek to highlight unfairness and poor outcomes, while commercially-operated review sites and further innovations will scan offers, testing them, rating them and seeking to become the new ‘trust engines’ on all things insurance.

Who monitors Insurance Advisers?

All Insurance Advisers in New Zealand must operate under a Financial Services License, either as a Financial Advice Provider (FAP) or as an Authorised Body of a FAP License holder. The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) is the industry regulator that monitors the conduct of all financial advisers in New Zealand.

Insurance Advisers must also adhere to the Code of Professional Conduct which states that they must:

Act in your best interests
Provide you with appropriate advice
Warn you if their advice is based on incomplete or inaccurate information
Prioritise your interests where there is a conflict with their own interests (or an interests of a related party)

What if something goes wrong with my Insurance Adviser?

Insurance Advisers are required to belong to an approved external disputes resolution service which resolves complaints and issues between It is also important to look for an Insurance Adviser who is a member of the Insurance Brokers Association of New Zealand (IBANZ) and follows the terms of the IBANZ Code of Professional Code of Conduct, which sets out the standards of professional practice and levels of service that are expected of Insurance Advisers in New Zealand.

Latest News

Information & Downloads

From policy documents and claim forms, to the very latest Insurance industry insights and news from around the world, Insurance Advisernet produces a range of free downloadable brochures and reports each year that you may find useful.

GENERAL INSURANCE landscape

Click here to download (328KB)

Why Use An Adviser?

Product Spotlight

Cyber Insurance

Technology has never been so deeply entwined in our businesses. While it delivers significant efficiencies and convenience, it also comes with significant cyber risks.

Workers’ Compensation

While some occupations and industries have a higher risk of workplace incidents and/or fatalities than others, Workers’ Compensation is compulsory for all Australian employers. It provides financial compensation to workers if they suffer a work-related injury or illness.

Business Interruption Insurance

From your family and employees to customers and suppliers, there are a lot of people who depend on your business opening its doors each day.

Marine & Hull Insurance

Do you operate a marine business and/or transport goods? Marine Insurance is designed to provide peace of mind when you have a ship or vessel that requires insurance, or you are moving cargo across sea, land or air.

Contract Works Insurance

Contract Works Insurance provides cover for any physical damage of works or third party liabilities during construction stages of a project.

Professional Indemnity Insurance

Professional Indemnity (PI) Insurance isn’t just limited to typical ‘professions’ such as accountants, engineers, lawyers, doctors and architects. Essentially, anybody providing advice or consultancy services for a fee has an exposure that needs to be considered.

SME Business Insurance Pack

Business Insurance is used by many businesses, but it’s best suited to SME-type operators.

Directors & Officers/Management Liability Insurance

Many small and medium-sized business owners think they don’t need Directors & Officers (D&O) Insurance as it’s only relevant to large multi-national companies. However, D&O insurance is just as important to SME’s as any other business.

Liability Insurance

Despite the very best of intentions, accidents can still happen in any business. Public and Product Liability Insurance protects you against claims for personal injury or damage to a third party.

Motor Insurance / Commercial / Heavy Motor Insurance

One of the more common types of business covers, motor insurance provides coverage for physical loss, damage or theft to your vehicle(s).

Mobile Plant & Equipment Insurance

Plant & Equipment Insurance is important for a wide variety of businesses that rely on mobile plant and equipment to continue their business activities. It protects the equipment itself, but also the liabilities associated with its use, from portable tools and the smallest of earthmoving machines, to forklifts and the largest of cranes.

Property Insurance

Cover for loss or damage to your physical business assets in the event of an incident occurring.

Find your local Insurance Adviser

Talk to your local Adviser to get advice about your insurance needs and to get a quote

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Insurance Advice You Can Trust

Trust. Support. Confidence. Value.

What does an Insurance Adviser do?

Why Choose an Insurance Adviser

Find your local Insurance Adviser

Frequently Asked Questions

Why have General Insurance?

Why pay for an Insurance Adviser when I can do it myself?

Who does your Insurance Adviser work for?

Can an Insurance Adviser assist you with claims?

Why should I trust an Insurance Adviser?

How are Insurance Advisers paid?

What about emerging digital/direct models of insurance advice?

Who monitors Insurance Advisers?

What qualifications should an Insurance Adviser hold?

What if something goes wrong with my Insurance Adviser?

Latest News

Information & Downloads

GENERAL INSURANCE landscape

Product Spotlight

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