NZI takes out insurance award

Consumers looked for reliability and longevity in particular from their insurance companies this year, besides the ever-present focus on value for money, chief executive of insurance broker association IBANZ Gary Young says.

As Insurer of the year, NZI led in all categories covered by the IBANZ awards, which were announced at a ceremony in Auckland last night.

This is the second year in a row NZI, a division of New Zealand’s largest general insurer, IAG, has taken out the title.

Michael Sargent, a 40-year veteran of the industry, won the Broker of the Year title. He is a Senior Account Director with Willis in Auckland.

The Best Innovation win went to iNavigator for a resource that had significantly changed the way brokers research products, Mr Young said.

Insurance Investigator of the Year was Paul Hurrell, who works in corporate fraud and security risk management for IAG.

Paul Weir of Aon was the recipient of a special award recognising contribution to the industry, the Outstanding Broker Achievement. He has been in the insurance industry since 1965 and a broker since 1982.

Other winners were Enterprise Recruitment for best support services to the industry, Hamilton professional Richard Murphy as Young Professional Loss Adjuster, John Chandler as Young Professional Insurer and Annabel Thomas as Young Professional Broker.