GoodReturns.co.nz - Insurance News

Life cover benefits can be at risk of terminal illness

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 13:18:00 +1300

[Opinion] Life cover benefits designed to support surviving family members on the death of a client can be at risk if they are used ‘early’ to fund terminal illness, perhaps even to the point where the family is left with too little, resulting in a failure of the insurance to perform its purpose.

nib back in profit and recovering

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 13:56:00 +1300

Health insurer nib says its New Zealand subsidiary is back in profit and its recovery continues at pace.

Advisers question whether churn still an issue

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 09:33:00 +1300

Advisers say the Financial Markets Authority is right to take action on any cases where policies are being replaced irresponsibly – but it’s unlikely to be widespread.

Fidelity Life is refreshing the structure of its Adviser Council

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 07:20:00 +1300

The refresh is designed to ensure the council remains future focused and responsive to rapidly changing customer expectations, technology shifts, regulatory developments and broader market dynamics.

Southern Cross CEO steps down

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 12:03:00 +1300

After 10 years in the role Southern Cross's Chief Executive is stepping down.

Client reviews – what is expected of advisers?

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:03:00 +1300

[Opinion] A complaint against an adviser who did not know his client had two life policies has led to some discussion on the importance of regular reviews.

Lessons for life insurers from 1918

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 08:04:00 +1300

A researcher who published a paper on the US life insurance industry in the 1918 flu pandemic says there are some messages that are relevant to the situation currently facing the New Zealand life insurance industry.

ICIB Brokerweb picks up Chch-based advice firm

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 08:56:00 +1300

ICIB scales up; Christchurch-based Chris Boon scales down.

Adviser complaint a reminder of importance of reviews

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:41:00 +1300

A complaint against an adviser who did not know a client had two life insurance policies is being called a good reminder of the importance of annual reviews.

Fidelity v Partners: Who pays out the most in claims?

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 06:17:00 +1300

In this article we compare Fidelity Life and Partners Life claims payouts to see how they compare.

Southern Cross is updating its life insurance offering

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 09:55:00 +1300

Southern Cross Life Insurance launches new life and living product.

Partners Life grabs Chubb's COO

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 11:34:00 +1300

Chubb's chief operating officer moves to competitor Partners Life.

MDRT Academy tightens criteria after first NZ year

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 06:11:00 +1300

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.

Removing FBT on insurance would cut premiums, FSC says

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 16:03:00 +1300

The FSC is calling for changes to Fringe Benefit Tax rules, arguing the current settings discourage businesses from offering health and life insurance to employees.

Life expectancy should be bigger news than it is

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 06:19:00 +1300

What makes a difference in life expectancy?

AIA launches cheaper trauma product aimed at cost-pressed customers

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 11:30:00 +1300

The new trauma product costs 60-70% less for most customers, but only covers severe conditions.

Another FAP licence taken away

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 09:46:00 +1300

An adviser collected over $37,000 in upfront commissions obtained through misleading clients, while others overpaid for two same or similar policies.

Partners Life named top life insurer

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 18:37:00 +1300

Partners Life, Blanket Advice, Folio and Insurance Advisernet New Zealand were among the major winners at the ANZIIF insurance awards last week.

[Steve Wright] Why advisers must read policy wordings - Part One

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 19:16:00 +1300

[Opinion]: What wording might be lurking the policy you recommend? AKA why advisers must read policy wording. Part one.

Another FAP licence taken away

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 09:53:00 +1300

An adviser collected over $37,000 in upfront commissions obtained through misleading clients, while others overpaid for two same or similar policies.

Rising costs require fresh thinking, AIA NZ CEO says

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 07:23:00 +1300

Nick Stanhope has met with various Ministers throughout the year and says the conversations have been promising.

Asteron Life gets ratings boost

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 17:57:00 +1300

Backing from Japan’s largest life insurer has given Asteron a stronger claims paying rating in Australia and New Zealand.

Mixed reviews from advisers on FMA regulation

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 06:00:00 +1300

Advisers are generally confident in the regulatory environment, but want clearer real-world examples and less regulatory burden on simpler transactions

Growth in FAPs and FAs sustained over the last 18 months

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:03:00 +1300

Russell Hutchinson runs the ruler over financial adviser numbers and reports there has been some good growth in numbers.

MDRT membership now open for 2026

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 11:27:00 +1300

Membership applications for the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) are now open for 2026. Renewals, Academy members and first-time applicants are all welcome to apply.

Life and health: a tale of two sectors

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 16:34:00 +1300

The Reserve Bank’s Financial Stability Report shows life and health insurance going in wildly different directions on profitability and premiums.

Fidelity adds cancer support, digital tools for advisers

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 14:32:00 +1300

Fidelity Life has introduced free online Wills for new Life cover customers, expanded cancer support services, and improved its E-App features following adviser feedback

39-minute processing, 95% claims paid, 164 new advisers trained

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 12:43:00 +1300

Partners Life CEO took advisers through some key performance stats at the insurer’s recent roadshow

Wholesale changes to Partners’s offering

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 09:56:00 +1300

This week Partners Life roles out a whole new life insurance offering to address changing market conditions.

Kiwi MDRT members outpace their global peers

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 11:53:00 +1300

Kiwi MDRT advisers are growing at 17%, faster than the global average. Here's what the latest MDRT data reveals.

Co-payment decision wasn’t made lightly, nib CEO says

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 06:08:00 +1300

Skye Daniels says a structural shift in claims required a different approach.

Adviser to Adviser advice: Managing those damn emails

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 17:35:00 +1300

Introducing Nicki Kane. Nicki is starting a new monthly practice management column we've called Adviser to Adviser Advice. In her first piece she provides practice ideas to manage emails and inboxes.

Why this ex-insurer leads with health, not life

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 17:17:00 +1300

Ex-nib adviser manager started his own business 12 months ago, and says life insurance is a “fairly dull opening” for most clients

Medical insurance with guaranteed policy wording: the only suitable option?

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 18:40:00 +1300

[OPINION] nib have just demonstrated a consequence of the absence of guaranteed policy wording, unilaterally removing and altering benefits to the significant detriment of a great many policyholders. One could now be forgiven for wondering ‘what’s next’!

nib drops bombshell changes to policies

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 16:23:00 +1300

Advisers say this is the biggest impact they’ve seen on clients in decades.

More claims, more often - Southern Cross releases results

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 07:16:00 +1300

Southern Cross paid out a record 3.8 million claims in the 2025 financial year - up by 16% on FY24 - according to results released today.

First Parent Boost insurance product launched

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 20:04:00 +1300

nib first to market with policy for people using the Government's new Parent Boost visa.

Kiwi adviser shares take on US mega-conference

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 20:36:00 +1300

First-time MDRT conference attendee, Lewis Price-Milne, sits down with GRTV to share his experience.

Another ex-AIA exec starts new advice business

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 06:08:00 +1300

Anna Schubert, formerly the head of IFA and Group at AIA NZ has started her own advice business - the second former AIA head to strike out on their own this year.

Opinion: How much trauma cover is enough?

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 19:43:00 +1300

Trauma Cover Part Two: Are we thinking things through or just doing what we have always done? A riposte.