Chatswood serves the life and health insurance sector in New Zealand with market intelligence, data, and bespoke consulting services. Some of these are provided in conjunction with Quality Product Research Limited - a subsidiary that brings you Quotemonster.

We believe that good decisions are more likely to occur when we have good information about the market environment in which we operate. Intuitive leaps and creative decisions are always required, of course, but the more they are based on a firm foundation of observation, the better they tend to be.

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NZFSG appoints new Head of Insurance Distribution

NZFSG has appointed Gavin Neal as its new Head of Insurance Distribution, effective 14 July.

NZFSG has appointed Gavin Neal as its new Head of Insurance Distribution, effective 14 July. Neal has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, with his most recent role being National Strategic Alliance Manager at nib. He’s held leadership roles across operations, compliance, project coordination, business development, quality assurance, and sales.

Baden Martin, NZFSG chief executive, said

“In our search for this pivotal role, we were focused on finding someone with the strategic insight, energy, and practical know-how to elevate our insurance proposition – and Gavin ticks all the boxes.”

 

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New CEO of nib announced

Skye Daniels has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer at nib New Zealand, effective from 4 August 2025.

Skye Daniels

Daniels was formerly the Chief Financial Officer at Southern Cross Health Society and the Executive Sponsor for the Southern Cross life insurance strategy, Māori strategy, Te Ao Māori Rōpū and the Pacific languages collective.

nib Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ed Close said

“We look forward to Skye joining nib NZ and leading our NZ team. Skye has strong commercial, strategic and financial service skills, and brings to nib knowledge of the local healthcare market, and extensive experience across a broad range of New Zealand industries.”

 

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Fidelity Life welcomes record number of advisers to Career Connect programme

Fidelity Life has announced the fourth intake of its adviser programme, Career connect, for new advisers and the recipients of their eight scholarships.

Fidelity Life has announced the fourth intake of its adviser programme, Career connect, for new advisers. This year sees the programme expand to welcome its largest cohort to date - 30 emerging advisers. The company will also soon invite adviser businesses to join the Career connect registry; to signal their interest in offering work experience opportunities to newly qualified financial advisers. 

Submissions this year attracted greater diversity, , with 56% of applicants under the age of 35, 62% coming from female applicants and just under 30 ethnicities represented across the more than 70 applicants.

The Career connect programme awarded eight scholarships this year, up from seven last year, with each valued at up to $5,000. The recipients of the 2025 Career connect scholarships are:

  • Grace Leaso, Auckland - Kōwhai scholarship (for an outstanding Pasifika applicant)  

  • Grace Shearer, Hastings - Toe Toe scholarship (for an outstanding young applicant aged 21-25)

  • Jada Mandery, Auckland - Women in Finance scholarship (supported by Kaplan Professional)

  • Marcel Stenning, Auckland - Pāua scholarship (for outstanding applicant demonstrating excellence)

  • Michelle Andrews, Auckland - Women in Finance scholarship (supported by Kaplan Professional)

  • Milly Elworthy, Mosgiel – Rural scholarship (supported by FMG) 

  • Olivera Vasic-Wooller, Auckland - Rāngi Po scholarship (for an underrepresented community in financial services)

  • TK Buchanan, Christchurch - Pounamu scholarship (for an outstanding Māori applicant)

Fidelity Life Head of Solutions Michelle Doyle said

“By taking part, advice businesses play a vital role in mentoring fresh talent… It helps new advisers gain industry experience and build confidence as they transition into the profession.” 

The 2025 cohort of 30 will start their journey this week. Over the next six months, they’ll take on part-time study to earn their Level 5 qualification through Kaplan Professional. Fidelity Life will host a graduation ceremony early next year to celebrate their accomplishments.  

 

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AIA announce four new national sales manager appointments

AIA has made four new appointments within their Distribution team.

 
 

Aaron Gilmore has been appointed National Sales Manager, Retail. Gilmore has been with AIA since 2023 and has been an AIA Vitality Coach and Northern Region Manger, Business Development.

 

Carley Ellis has been appointed National Sales Manager, Aligned Advice. Ellis has 20 years of experience in New Zealand’s financial services industry and has a proven track record in business development, financial advice, and leadership.

Sarah Hepper has been appointed National Sales Manager, Corporate Solutions. Hepper has over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, and has spent the past 15 years contributing to the growth of Corporate Solutions at AIA NZ

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MAS announce appointment of new CEO

Jo McCauley has been appointed new Chief Executive Officer of MAS, starting 4 August 2025.

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Naomi Ballantyne honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award

Naomi Ballantyne, chair of The Adviser Platform, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Financial Advice New Zealand Conference.

Naomi Ballantyne, chair of The Adviser Platform (TAP), was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Financial Advice New Zealand (FANZ) Conference.

Financial Advice NZ said

“Her commitment to making financial advice accessible to more New Zealanders is evident in her continued efforts towards driving the importance of advice and innovation…Her tireless advocacy for the importance of financial advice is sure to inspire the new generation of advisers, leaders and entrepreneurs to walk in the path she has carved.”

Naomi’s career in the life insurance industry spans more than 40 years and includes founding two insurance companies, advocating for making financial advice more accessible for all New Zealanders, and spearheading initiatives aimed at supporting advisers through technology-driven solutions.

At TAP, Naomi has worked on embedding fintech solutions to streamline compliance and administrative processes, freeing up members to have more time to focus on clients; shares her invaluable expertise through TAP’s Insider Insights series; leads initiatives designed to empower and inspire female advisers; and is a regular presence at TAP events and conferences.

Ballantyne will lead TAPs inaugural Women in Advice event being held in July in Auckland, a full day event to empower, connect, and inspire female advisers and staff within the TAP community.

 

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Fidelity Life celebrates its latest 20 Career connect graduates

Last week, Fidelity Life held a celebration to honour its latest 20 Career Connect graduates. Each graduate has successfully completed their Level 5 qualifications in life, disability, and health insurance.  

Last week, Fidelity Life held a celebration to honour its latest 20 Career Connect graduates. Each graduate has successfully completed their Level 5 qualifications in life, disability, and health insurance.  

  • Anna Devereux; Women in finance scholarship recipient (Dunedin)

  • Ashlee Cuttance (Dunedin)

  • Awhina Scott; Pounamu scholarship recipient (Christchurch)

  • Briar Evans (Auckland)

  • Caitlin Hayward (Morrinsville)

  • Christabel Bertie (Auckland)

  • Grace McIntyre; Rural scholarship recipient (Dunedin)

  • Harpreet Rehal (Auckland)

  • Jenny Silva; Kōwhai scholarship recipient (Queenstown)

  • Kim Forsythe (Invercargill)

  • Kirsty Gobbie (Auckland)

  • Leean Te (Auckland)

  • Marna Breetzke; Pāua scholarship recipient (Auckland)

  • Matthew Roxburgh (Dunedin)

  • Myja Gregory (Auckland)

  • Namrata Kumar (Auckland)

  • Shiwangni Mala (Auckland)

  • Sydnee Taylor; Toe Toe scholarship recipient (Christchurch)

  • Taylah Marr; Rāngi Po scholarship recipient (Christchurch)

  • Vanessa Jones-Dutton (New Plymouth)

This year, 95% of Career connect graduates were women, and a quarter of the group identifies as Māori or Pasifika.

Michelle Doyle, Head of Solutions said

"More than 60% of the graduates who asked for introductions to adviser businesses have already landed jobs, excited to start careers that help New Zealanders protect what matters most.”

Since its inception in 2023, Career connect has had more than 200 registrations for 70 course places, welcomed 47 students and helped almost 40 people gain their Level 5 qualifications in life, disability, and health insurance.

Submissions to be part of the 2025 intake of Career connect closed earlier this month with nearly 70 applications from a diverse group of candidates across various ages, genders, and cultural backgrounds. 

 

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Chubb Life appoints new CFO

Chubb Life has appointed Jaco Grobbelaar as its chief financial officer.

Chubb Life has appointed Jaco Grobbelaar as its chief financial officer. Grobbelaar has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance and financial services sectors. Grobbelaar was most recently at Partners Life, where he led the finance function team across a range of activities to help strengthen organisational resilience and growth.

Chubb Life chief executive Gail Costa said

"Jaco has a strong track record of optimising financial planning and reporting processes, driving efficiency and successfully leading teams through change. I'm really looking forward to having Jaco on board and have every confidence that his expertise, experience and leadership will further strengthen our senior leadership team."

 

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AI becoming more trusted by executives

SAP investigated how US executives were using AI in their organisations and their trust in the technology.

SAP investigated how US executives were using AI in their organisations and their trust in the technology. They found that AI has become embedded in work practices (with 63% of executives using generative AI daily) and is changing how people do business.

Decisions are being made based on AI insights, with 44% of C-suite executives saying they would override a decision they had already planned to make based on AI insights and another 38% trusting AI to make business decisions on their behalf. 74% of executives had more confidence in AI advice over advice from family and friends. And a massive 55% of executives say in their company AI-driven insights have replaced or bypassed traditional decision-making.

Some common tasks carried out by generative AI tools include:

  • Analysing data and making recommendations for decision-making (52%)

  • Spotting risk or issues they hadn't previously considered (48%)

  • Offering alternate plans (47%)

  • Enhancing product development (40%)

  • Supporting budget planning (40%)

  • Performing market research (40%)

SAP found that there were positive implications on employee wellbeing, with 39% of executives reporting better work-life balance, 38% reporting improved wellbeing and 31% reporting reduced stress.

 

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Product and pricing changes at Partners Life

Partners Life have announced a range of product changes, effective from 15 March 2025, aimed at giving customers more flexibility and the option to remove features if they don’t want to pay for them.

Partners Life have announced a range of product changes, effective from 15 March 2025, aimed at giving customers more flexibility and the option to remove features if they don’t want to pay for them.

  • The built-in Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Benefit will become a TPD Option. If a client opts out of TPD, the premium for their monthly disability cover will reduce accordingly. This change applies to Mortgage Repayment Cover, Household Expenses Covers and Income Cover Agreed Value, Agreed Loss of Earnings and Indemnity Loss of Earnings.

  • They have made changes to Trauma Cover and Moderate Trauma Cover for clients who have suffered an out of hospital cardiac arrest. They have removed obsolete medical requirements, and added current diagnostic tools used by medical staff to confirm a cardiac arrest has occurred. The wording has been updated to allow for new and future diagnostic tools.

  • They have updated Trauma, Moderate Trauma and Severe Trauma Cover wordings to let clients know that Partners Life will notify them when they can exercise their Life Cover or Deferred Trauma Cover buy-back options.

Any beneficial enhancements to policy wordings are automatically applied to existing in-force policies under the Guaranteed Upgrade of Future Benefits feature.

In addition to the product changes, Partners Life have reviewed premiums, in light of increased volume and cost of medical claims. Premiums for Private Medical Cover including Specialists and Tests Option will increase by 18% and the policy fee will increase from $58.08 to $64.13 per annum, both from 22nd April 2025.

 

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