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.

Kelly O Kelly O

Fidelity Life announce the recipients of its 2024 Career connect scholarships

Fidelity Life has announced the seven recipients of its 2024 Career connect scholarships. The adviser training scholarships, worth up to $5,000 each, are awarded to new-to-the-industry applicants from underrepresented groups in the financial services sector.

Fidelity Life has announced the seven recipients of its 2024 Career connect scholarships. The adviser training scholarships, worth up to $5,000 each, are awarded to new-to-the-industry applicants from underrepresented groups in the financial services sector.

 

Pounamu scholarship – for an outstanding Māori applicant: Awhina Scott - Awhina is dedicated to improving the financial (and overall) wellbeing of Māori communities through better access to quality financial advice.

 

Kōwhai scholarship – for an exceptional Pasifika applicant: Jenny Silva - Jenny is passionate about empowering others to make informed financial decisions and contributing to the future financial stability of individuals and families within Pasifika communities.

 

Rural scholarship brought to you by FMG: Grace McIntyre - Coming from a rural community herself, Grace is passionate about raising awareness of the importance of advice and insurance in safeguarding rural livelihoods.

 

Women in Finance scholarship brought to you by Kaplan Professional: Anna Devereux - With a background in finance, Anna understands the need for people to receive advice from someone they trust. She looks forward to helping more New Zealanders achieve financial literacy and security.

 

Paua scholarship – for applicants who demonstrate excellence: Marna Breetzke - Marna is passionate about helping others and looks forward to being able to educate more New Zealanders on the importance of financial advice.

 

Toe Toe scholarship – for outstanding young applicants: Sydnee Taylor – Sydnee's background in the health and fitness industry ignited her passion for enhancing others' wellbeing and building strong relationships. She hopes to now leverage these skills to help others make informed financial decisions, resulting in financial wellbeing and security.

 

Rangi Po scholarship – for underrepresented identities in our industry: Taylah Marr – Passionate about supporting others, Taylah wants to help more New Zealanders get ahead financially and gain peace of mind over their financial futures.

 
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Kelly O Kelly O

The FSC appoints a new CEO

The Financial Services Council has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer, Kirk Hope.

The Financial Services Council (FSC) has appointed  a new Chief Executive Officer, Kirk Hope. Hope is currently Chief Executive of BusinessNZ and will start his new role at the FSC effective 18 September 2024.

FSC Board Chair Rob Flannagan says

“Mr Hope is a proven leader with a deep understanding of financial services, the business landscape, and the challenges facing many New Zealanders.

His expertise and experience in regulatory affairs, policy and advocacy will provide strong stewardship as we continue to deliver value for our members and advance our strategic priorities to grow the financial confidence and wellbeing of New Zealanders.”

 

More daily news:

Sharp increase in Covid-19 cases

The pre-election health promises the budget has failed to deliver

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nib looks to improve services to Māori

nib is looking to improve services to Māori communities by learning from indigenous health providers in other countries.

nib is looking to improve services to Māori communities by learning from indigenous health providers in other countries. Leadership from nib and Iwi partners involved in the Toi Ora project have recently returned from a study tour to Canada. Those involved met with Canada’s First Nations Health Authority, Pacific Blue Cross, First Nations Tax Commission (FNTC) and Squamish Nation to get insights into how these organisations deliver services to First Nations people in Canada and how these lessons could be applied in New Zealand.

Sarah McBride, nib NZ’s Head of Iwi Initiatives, said learnings included better ways to use existing funding, the importance of using health-related statistics and relevant previous cases to support new projects, and co-creation with local partners.

 

More daily news:

Overseas Investment Office expect to make decision on the sale of Asteron Life to Resolution Life by July

Potential CoFI change gives FMA power of onsite inspection without warning

Partners Life to launch new Underwriting Workbench

Michael Weston speaks about his plans for Partners Life

nib release their top five health claims for April

The FMA has highlighted the authorised body system as a potential problem area

Financial Advice NZ publish Budget 2024 Summary - Adviser to Client Resource

Entries open for Insurance Business’ 5-Star Insurance Innovators awards

MAS is looking for a Head of Private Wealth

Westpac confirms operational readiness to collaborate with approved third parties on delivering open banking solutions

Budget 2024 includes new health investments

Professor Lester Levy has been appointed as a member and Chair of the Board of Health New Zealand

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Doreen Dutt Doreen Dutt

New Research Deep Dive Session introduced

Join Quotemonster’s research team as we meet up online and have a discussion on a research topic.

Join Quotemonster’s research team as we meet up online and have a discussion on a research topic – our focus in this meeting is Comprehensive Trauma, other types of trauma will be discussed at a later time.  

In this session, we will explain our trauma rating, any changes that have been made to these products in the last quarter and some research reviews we have in progress. This is Q&A style and while we have prepared an agenda, the aim is for advisers to come along and ‘ask us anything’ about trauma, provide claims or general feedback on the topic.

Our goal is to focus on a specific research topic each time we meet, show advisers where they can find related infographics or resources that can then be shared to clients, and to have a sneak peek into the QPR database.

Prerequisites: This session is for advisers who already have a basic understanding of our research methodology and would like to deepen their knowledge, we highly recommend attending our Introduction to Quotemonster prior to joining our Research Deep Dive.    

If you would like to attend our first session scheduled on Thursday, 13 June 2024 11:30 am-12:30 pm, please email us info@quotemonster.co.nz and we will send you a calendar invite. Furthermore, if there is a topic you would like us to prioritise, please submit your request to the above mentioned email.

We look forward to seeing you there!

 


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Momentum Life streamline quality assurance processes using AI

Momentum Life has adopted an AI-powered compliance and quality assurance tool, QBOT (Quality Bot). QBOT transcribes call recordings from Momentum Life’s contact centre, almost in real-time, saving on expensive and time-consuming call reviews. QBOT also identifies and flags calls for further review.  Employees can easily access results, monitor call compliance and focus efforts on calls and agents that need support.

 Implementation of the tool has allowed Momentum Life to handle increasing workloads without expanding its workforce and is freeing up staff to focus on other aspects of quality assurance and risk management.

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Our Product Rating Map

A quick overview of the Quotemonster Product Rating Map and how it can help you resolve error messages.

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Doreen Dutt Doreen Dutt

Quality Product Research: Research Advisory Board – Northern

We recently held our first Research Advisory Board meeting of the year with our Northern Representatives and as usual returned to Quotemonster HQ with a pack of valuable feedback.

We recently held our first Research Advisory Board meeting of the year with our Northern Representatives and as usual returned to Quotemonster HQ with a pack of valuable feedback. 

Board members: Anand Srinivasan, Allan Gillbanks and Katrina Church

Independent Chair: Tony Dench

Insurer Observers: Connor Ryan (Fidelity Life) and Kirsten Raynor (Asteron Life)

QPR Representatives: Russell Hutchinson, Doreen Dutt and Sara Alani

The research advisory board reviewed the following topics:

·         Income and Mortgage Protection Weighting Review

·         Business Insurance - Key Person Rating

·         The Addition of Legacy Research to our Standard Quote Flow

·         A handful of research reviews we have accumulated based on adviser feedback

The feedback from our Research Advisory Board meetings has overall been very valuable to our Research team and allows us to strengthen our research ratings when we gain an insight into the adviser perspective.

We look forward to visiting our Central and Southern teams later this year.  

For more information on our Research Advisory board please click here.

 
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Kelly O Kelly O

Southern Cross Health Insurance CMO talks about biggest challenges and opportunities

Southern Cross Health Insurance Chief Marketing Officer Regan Savage has been interviewed by Campaign Asia about the biggest challenges and opportunities they’re facing and where they're investing marketing budgets this year.

Southern Cross Health Insurance Chief Marketing Officer Regan Savage has been interviewed by Campaign Asia about the biggest challenges and opportunities they’re facing and where they're investing marketing budgets this year.

Savage calls out high inflation, the cost-of-living crisis and proving the value of premiums even when people aren’t claiming as the three biggest marketing challenges right now. In terms of opportunities, Savage mentions investing in newer, more capable communications platforms, how they are proactively offering members options to manage premiums as their needs change, and looking for opportunities to utilise AI to automate repetitive tasks.

 

More daily news:

Pinnacle Life are looking for a Head of Finance

The new Fidelity Life E-App is up and running

mySolutions webinar 'The Thousandth Client' 5 June

Southern Cross recognised at the 2024 Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand awards

Jon-Paul Hale says it's time to review how commission is paid when clients move to a new adviser

The Brand Experience Gap Study found insurers were among worst performers in NZ

Financial Advice NZ webinar 'Post Budget Webinar - Economic and Consumer Impacts 5 Jun

MBIE acknowledge financial institutions likely need to comply with current COFI legislation until around 2026

MAS is calling for nominations for the role of Practitioner Trustee of MAS Members’ Trust

Bell Gully summarise the Customer and Product Data Bill that has been introduced to Parliament

New Zealand is 485 GPs short, with this number expected to grow

Zurich develops AI systems to streamline life insurance applications

UniMed give followers a chance to win a double pass to the Crusaders game this Friday

MAS publish their latest Member-exclusive quarterly magazine, OnMAS

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Asteron Life appoints new Chief Underwriter

Kathie Tutty has been named the new Chief Underwriter at Asteron Life.

Kathie Tutty has been named the new Chief Underwriter at Asteron Life. Tutty is currently the Underwriting Manager and Principal Underwriter at Asteron Life and will start her new role on May 31.

Grant Willis, Executive General Manager Life, said

“Kathie’s promotion to the role of chief underwriter and member of the life leadership team recognises her passion and ambition for our business and her desire to take our underwriting performance and strategy to the next level.”

 

More daily news:

Bronwyn Kirwan interviews Niall McConville, Fidelity Life's new Chief Insurance Officer

MAS Investment Schemes Administration Manager changes ownership and name to MUFG Pension & Market Services

MAS reaches $2.5b investment funds under management

Tom Pasley recommends that advisers looking to retire, sell, merge or close up shop get run-off insurance

The Monetary Policy Committee keep the Official Cash Rate at 5.50%

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Doreen Dutt Doreen Dutt

Website upgrades: what you need to know

Our IT Development team have been working hard to improve the services that we offer our advisers as well as improving user experience.

Our IT Development team have been working hard to improve the services that we offer our advisers as well as improving user experience.

If you’ve noticed we’re running a bit slower than usual, please refresh your page and scroll down to ensure that you’re on our latest version – QUOTE ENGINE V.3.0 B1 | QPR V.15.8 | WEB V.4.6.0

Here are the changes that we’ve made:

General updates:

- All users with an active account, whether on Free, Researchmonster or Advicemonster can access the Policy Archives. Click here to view a short video showcasing this function.

- A few more handy tips and hints in the Personal and Business Product and Provider Settings.

Two factor authentication (2FA):

- Users can now submit the six-digit authentication code by hitting ‘Enter’ on their keyboard, previously you could only click ‘NEXT.’

Researchmonster updates:

- The Compare Premium chart now shows the total premium and adjusts when you click the colour key to remove a benefit. If you do decide to remove a benefit entirely, don’t forget to head back to the benefit details, unselect and re-crunch to reflect this in your PDF research report.

- In our Standalone Head to Head, the default benefit period has been updated for Income Protection comparisons, the default is now To Age 65.

Advicemonster updates:

- Advicemonster users have two options to view their Business Product and Provider Settings, access this via the main menu or the tool icon to the left of your account name.  

- The default benefit period for Business Income Protection comparisons has been updated 2 Years. Many insurers offer a limited selection of products in their business insurance suite, our team have created an infographic that highlights the selections you’ll need to make to include certain products in your comparison.

Training sessions:

We are hosting online training sessions on Researchmonster and Advicemonster on a regular basis and invite you and your team to join us if you’re interested in learning more about these new features. Our next sessions will be: 

Quotemonster training - Wednesday, 5 June 2024 10:00 am-11:00 am
In this session, we will demonstrate the basic functions of our website, along with some handy tips and tricks along the way.

Demystifying Advicemonster - Thursday, 6 June 2024 10:00 am-11:00 am

In this session Aneel Ravji, our AdviceTech Lead, will demonstrate how to use our needs analysis and statement of advice (SOA) tools.

Business Risk Research and SOAs - Thursday, 6 June 2024 11:30 am-12:30 pm

In this session, Aneel will demonstrate how to use our business risk pricing, research, and SOA functionality.

If you would like to join either of these sessions, please email your request to info@quotemonster.co.nz

Happy Crunching!

 
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