Engage 2024: Growth for good.
Engage – Growth for good: our launchpad for 19 new initiatives.
We held our annual Engage conference last week with the theme 'Growth for good', and we're confident our attending advisers have come away excited and inspired. We announced 19 new initiatives.
Here’s a rundown of everything we just launched at Engage 2024 and what you can expect from us.
But first, check out some of the highlights from what was truly an Engage like no other.
A New Zealand market first.
We're leading the way in the New Zealand life insurance space with our discount for material exclusions.
New product enhancements.
We’ve listened to your feedback and researched the market to bring more enhancements to our existing lump sum covers and introduce a new Specific injury cover. These enhancements give us a leading product range for life insurance in New Zealand.
2. Enhancing our lump sum covers.
We’re excited to announce our cover enhancements, designed to provide more choice and greater accessibility across all life stages - New life, through life, and end of life.
New life. We’re extending benefits to young families and the new lives they welcome through our trauma and life cover range. Entry eligibility for our Inbuilt child’s trauma benefit will reduce from 2-years old to 3-months old, and we are introducing an additional benefit for child’s trauma introducing a new inbuilt benefit for newborns diagnosed with specific conditions at birth. |
Through life. We have reviewed the market and made adjustments to our condition definitions to provide greater clarity. We have also introduced terminal illness as a defined condition across our range of Trauma covers. |
End of life. Our bereavement benefit is increasing from $15,000 to $25,000, and the child’s funeral benefit limit is increasing from $3,500 to $15,000. Our new grief counselling benefit offers $2,500 in addition to the sum insured. We’re also making it easier to access our financial planning benefit. |
3. New specific injury cover.
Customers have more accessibility and choice with a simple low-cost option. Specific injury cover pays out a lump sum for any of the 30 defined injuries listed under the cover.
These announcements further enhance our Platinum Plus, Platinum Plus Level & Mortgage Protector products, positioning us as a market leader with one of New Zealand’s most comprehensive life insurance offerings.
Coming November-2024.
Sign up below for training for our new product enhancements and E-App share functionality.
Making business easier.
You asked. We listened. Now we’re delivering better functionality for your E-App.
5. Prioritised support: Meet the Grow Together programme.
The Grow together programme is designed to provide prioritised support across key areas such as new business, underwriting, and existing business. Advisers in the programme can expect to benefit from dedicated support resources, exclusive benefits, and access to a wide range of support tools and professional development opportunities. This initiative aims to help you better serve your clients and promote long-term retention.
Coming in February-2025 by invite only.
6. Reducing complexity. Simplified underwriting journey.
For Life & Trauma covers, we’re introducing a simplified digital application process that saves time and reduces complexity for most customers applying for Life and Trauma covers, making it easier and faster to get essential protection in place. We’re committed to deliver this by the end of the year.
Coming later in 2024.
Power to your professional development.
We’re continuing to raise our game bringing you more professional development opportunities. We want to build the world’s best risk advisers, you.
7. Adviser edge study tour.
As part of our Adviser edge programme, we’re offering an exclusive overseas, Adviser study tour.
By invitation only, this is a programme where a select group of advisers will embark on an immersive offshore experience, learning directly from top Australian business schools and global experts in financial services.
This tour will equip advisers with cutting-edge strategies and insights, helping them stay ahead in the ever-evolving financial landscape and deliver enhanced outcomes for their clients.
Coming in 2025.
8. Practice manager masterclasses.
Continuing from our Practice manager summit earlier this year, this programme is designed to equip personal assistants and admin staff with the skills and knowledge needed to streamline adviser operations, allowing advisers to focus on what they do best—delivering great protection to New Zealanders.
Register for the Masterclass here.
Registrations are now open for all our Adviser edge programmes. To find out more about Advice masters, Professional pathways and Career connect, click below.
9. Platinum sponsors of MDRT.
We’re proud to be Platinum sponsors of the MDRT (Million Dollar Round Table), furthering our commitment to supporting adviser growth and excellence through access to world-class resources and development opportunities. As part of our sponsorship, we’ll give you access to MDRT’s renowned training and learning materials, providing invaluable tools and insights to help you elevate your practice and achieve greater success.
We're investing in the Adviser channel.
To help us deliver great service and build even greater relationships we’re continuing to invest in our adviser channel.
10. Join the Adviser council.
We’re inviting advisers to express their interest in joining our Adviser council, a key platform for sharing insights and influencing the future direction of our business and the industry.
The council, made up of 10 advisers, meets quarterly with our leadership team to discuss industry updates, share market trends, and provides valuable, objective feedback on our initiatives.
Expressions of interest for 2025-2026 members are now closed. Thanks to all of you who registered to be a part of the Adviser council for 2025-2026.
There's more...
11. Expanding adviser support roles: We’re creating new roles, including a National Partnership Manager for mid-sized and corporate firms, as well as an Auckland Business Manager and a Desk-Based Business Manager, to provide more tailored support and drive closer engagement. |
12. Increasing resources in retention team: New roles and resources to help keep protection in place for customers and reinforce the value of protection. |
13. Enhanced renewal communications: Refreshed communications to help improve retention. |
14. Adviser relationship survey.
To better understand market perceptions and enhance our engagement, we’re launching a bi-annual Adviser relationship survey. This initiative will provide key insights into our advisers' experiences and expectations and where we need to improve. If you haven’t done so already, we would encourage you to let us know your thoughts so please check your inbox and fill in the survey. |
Group solutions.
Supporting advisers working in Group, we’ve got 3 new solutions coming from early 2025.
15. Group IQ: quarterly industry insight with Group IQ, a quarterly digital communication with the latest industry news, statistics, and client stories. Stay informed and connected with key trends that impact your business. |
16. Group HQ: exclusive onsite experience through Group HQ, an annual onsite conference for the top 30 group advisers. This event offers tailored content, expert speakers, and networking opportunities to help you excel. |
17. Group solution for small businesses: launching a new group solution designed for small businesses, providing enhanced tools and technology for a smoother experience and better outcomes. |
Like you, we’re a New Zealand owned and operated business. We care deeply about our people, you, our adviser community, our customers, our wider community and the prosperity of New Zealand and its people.
We want to Grow together with you. Because when you choose us to grow your business that money will stay here supporting New Zealanders.
To help you share our NZ story to customers:
- 18. We’ve created a brochure.
- 19. And we’ve refreshed copy for your SOA to include our New Zealand growth story.
Keep an eye out for this coming soon.
We’re dedicated to listening and action.
We hope you’re as excited about all our announcements as we are. We are on a journey to grow and that means growing with you. And it means doing better by you and strengthening our relationships, improving our ease of business and providing fit for purpose products and initiatives that really matter. Not just to you, but your customers, your colleagues and also to New Zealand communities.
We’re always listening to your feedback, please keep telling us what we are doing right, and where you want us to lift and improve.
Let’s grow together.
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