MDRT Academy tightens criteria after first NZ year
Rick Willis says smaller groups with seasoned mentors and stricter selection criteria will help the programme achieve better results, with 60-70 mentees expected in 2026.
Thursday, December 18th 2025, 6:11AM
by Ksenia Stepanova
MDRT Academy is tightening its selection criteria for 2026 after 15 of its 50 mentees became full MDRT members in its first year.
Rick Willis, partner and senior adviser at Sprout Financial Services, runs the academy locally.
The programme had its first New Zealand run in 2025, and aims to help young advisers work towards MDRT membership. It conducts monthly sessions on various topics - notably including soft selling skills, which Willis says tends to be absent from most adviser training programmes.
Willis says that while the trial run was a success, a November review identified some pain points with how the programme operated. These included unclear roles for business development managers and poor attendance tracking.
"It's not what we were expecting,” Willis said, commenting on the relatively low progression number from mentee to MDRT member.
“That's what we reviewed in November - what worked, what didn't work, and did we achieve what we set out to do? If not, why not?"
Several things will be changing going into 2026. BDMs now have specific criteria for selecting mentees: advisers must have one to five years in business, not already be MDRT qualified, and be either salaried or self-employed. They also need to be coachable, have the right attitude, and have support from their financial advice providers.
Willis says MDRT head office is looking closely at the New Zealand operation, and is looking to implement some of its learnings overseas. These will potentially include smaller groups paired with experienced MDRT members as mentors.
"It's easier to have good conversations with all of the mentees in the group, which is harder when you have 20+ people on a call," Willis says.
Trainer HQ will provide guidance and materials for mentees to review before each monthly meeting, and BDMs now have clear role descriptions.
Willis expects 60 to 70 mentees in the 2026 intake.
"One of our pillars for MDRT's strategic plan in New Zealand is growth, and what better way to do that than to bring in new advisers?"
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