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.

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Resolving quote errors

This video will take you through how to resolve the most common error messages on your quotes.

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Naomi Ballantyne joins The Adviser Platform Board

TAP Group has announced the appointment of Naomi Ballantyne as an independent director.

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Legal and regulatory update for the life and health insurance sector

Office of the Privacy Commissioner asks for submissions on guidance; RBNZ activates DTI restrictions; FMA holds webinars on how to apply for a COFI licence and how to submit FAP regulatory returns; FMA publish findings from monitoring FAPs; The Accident Compensation (Interest on Instalment Plans) Amendment Bill was introduced to Parliament; APRA emphasise importance of data backups; CEO of the External Reporting Board resigns; COFR release latest Quarterly Statement; RBNZ releases dates for Monetary Policy Statement publication; Commerce Commission files criminal charges against Kiwibank

22 May 2024 -  The Office of the Privacy Commissioner asks for submissions on new guidance, Poupou Matatapu – doing privacy well. https://privacy.org.nz/news/consultations/poupou-matatapu/

28 May 2024 - The Reserve Bank of New Zealand - has confirmed the activation of Debt-to-Income (DTI) restrictions and loosening of Loan-to-Value Ratio (LVR) restrictions. https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/hub/news/2024/05/reserve-bank-activates-debt-to-income-restrictions

30 May 2024 - The Financial Markets Authority is holding a webinar on how to apply for a CoFI licence at 11am on 5 June. To attend, email cofi@fma.govt.nz

30 May 2024 - The Financial Markets Authority publish findings from the FMA’s supervision activities and monitoring of Class 1 and 2 licensed financial advice providers.  https://www.fma.govt.nz/news/all-releases/media-releases/fap-monitoring-insights-report/

30 May 2024 - The Financial Markets Authority is holding a series of online sessions to help Financial Advice Providers submit their FAP regulatory returns.

Session 1 - Friday 14 June 2024 at 9am
Session 2 - Monday 24 June at 2pm
Session 3 - Monday 08 July at 10am
Session 4 - Tuesday 16 July at 10am

30 May 2024 - The Accident Compensation (Interest on Instalment Plans) Amendment Bill was introduced to Parliament https://bills.parliament.nz/v/6/00103c69-0b28-4ad1-a702-08dc80370942?Tab=history

3 Jun 2024 - The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has written to all APRA-regulated entities emphasising the critical role of data backups in cyber resilience. The letter details the common issues observed in backup practices that could hinder system restoration during an incident. APRA expects regulated entities to review their backup arrangements and address any identified gaps promptly. https://www.apra.gov.au/news-and-publications/apra-clarifies-expectations-on-cyber-security-and-adequacy-of-backups

4 Jun 2024 - The Chief Executive of the External Reporting Board (XRB), April Mackenzie, has resigned. https://www.xrb.govt.nz/news/latest-news/

7 Jun 2024 - The Council of Financial Regulators release their Quarterly Statement for June 2024. Kris Faafoi joined the meeting to discuss the insurance sector’s priorities, risks, and challenges. The conversation covered three priority areas: 1) insurance affordability; 2) resilience; and 3) the regulatory environment. https://www.cofr.govt.nz/news-and-publications/quarterly-statement-by-cofr-june-2024.html

11 Jun 2024 - The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has released the dates for publication of its quarterly Monetary Policy Statement, Monetary Policy Review decisions and the 6-monthly Financial Stability Report. The new dates cover the period from August 2025 to July 2026. https://www.rbnz.govt.nz/hub/news/2024/06/monetary-policy-announcement-and-financial-stability-report-dates-for-late-2025-and-2026

11 Jun 2024 - The Commerce Commission has filed criminal charges against Kiwibank Limited (Kiwibank), alleging systemic breaches of the Fair Trading Act. The breaches relate to issues that resulted in more than $7 million being incorrectly charged to over 36,000 customers for fees and interest rates in relation to home loans, credit cards and overdrafts, over a period of several years. https://comcom.govt.nz/news-and-media/media-releases/2024/kiwibank-faces-criminal-charges-following-issues-that-caused-over-$7m-in-overcharges

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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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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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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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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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