The Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) has announced the recipients of its 2025 New Zealand Insurance Industry Awards following a ceremony held at Cordis, Auckland. The event brought together more than 450 insurance sector participants for the presentation.
The awards program distributed recognition across general insurance, broking, claims, life insurance, underwriting, and related service functions. AA Insurance received the General Insurance Company of the Year designation, marking the organisation’s second award of the evening after also winning Excellence in Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
In the broking segment, three separate awards were presented. Blanket Advice was named Small to Medium Broking Company of the Year, Marsh New Zealand received Large Broking Company of the Year honours, and Insurance Advisernet New Zealand was selected as Broker Network of the Year.
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The underwriting and claims categories recognised Delta Insurance and AMI Insurance, respectively. In life insurance operations, Partners Life secured the company-level award. The insurtech category identified Folio as the start-up recipient. McLarens was selected in the professional services category, with IVAA Claims recognised as a service provider to the sector.
Two individual awards were presented during the ceremony. James Fleet, serving as executive manager (now head of strategy & performance since June 2024) at Fidelity Life, received the Young Insurance Professional of the Year award. Jimmy Higgins, CEO of Suncorp New Zealand, was selected for the Insurance Leader of the Year category.
The awards program maintained 13 submission categories with evaluation criteria focused on customer standards, conduct requirements, and consumer protections. An independent judging panel reviewed all nominations and determined the award recipients.
Commenting on this year’s winners, Katrina Shanks, CEO of ANZIIF, said: “[The] awards recognise the leaders shaping the future of our industry with innovation, professionalism, and purpose. Your achievements deliver exceptional outcomes for customers and communities and raise the standard for all of us. Congratulations to every winner and finalist for strengthening a more trusted and progressive insurance sector.”
The awards program has operated on an annual basis for 14 years. The 2024 edition presented awards to Marsh New Zealand and Insurance Advisernet in broking categories, with AMI and AA Insurance recognised in general insurance and claims operations. Asteron Life, Simfuni, Tower, and IAG received recognition in life insurance, insurtech, and governance categories, respectively. Individual honourees in 2024 included Jake Carter and lifetime recognition recipients John Archer and Mike Austin.
