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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Naomi Ballantyne honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award

Naomi Ballantyne, chair of The Adviser Platform, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Financial Advice New Zealand Conference.

Naomi Ballantyne, chair of The Adviser Platform (TAP), was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Financial Advice New Zealand (FANZ) Conference.

Financial Advice NZ said

“Her commitment to making financial advice accessible to more New Zealanders is evident in her continued efforts towards driving the importance of advice and innovation…Her tireless advocacy for the importance of financial advice is sure to inspire the new generation of advisers, leaders and entrepreneurs to walk in the path she has carved.”

Naomi’s career in the life insurance industry spans more than 40 years and includes founding two insurance companies, advocating for making financial advice more accessible for all New Zealanders, and spearheading initiatives aimed at supporting advisers through technology-driven solutions.

At TAP, Naomi has worked on embedding fintech solutions to streamline compliance and administrative processes, freeing up members to have more time to focus on clients; shares her invaluable expertise through TAP’s Insider Insights series; leads initiatives designed to empower and inspire female advisers; and is a regular presence at TAP events and conferences.

Ballantyne will lead TAPs inaugural Women in Advice event being held in July in Auckland, a full day event to empower, connect, and inspire female advisers and staff within the TAP community.

 

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Fidelity Life announce incoming Board Chair

Fidelity Life has announced that Scott Pickering will take up the reins as chair of its Board of Directors, effective 1 January 2025.

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Possible changes to probate threshold

The Ministry of Justice are currently consulting on a proposal to raise the threshold for distributing someone’s assets after death without the need for probate or letters of administration.

The Ministry of Justice are currently consulting on a proposal to raise the threshold for distributing someone’s assets after death without the need for probate or letters of administration. The probate threshold of $15,000 (per asset) was last updated in 2009 and is set in the Administration (Prescribed Amounts) Regulations 2009. KiwiSaver was only in its infancy the last time the threshold was updated, and it has not been adjusted for inflation since.

The Ministry are seeking feedback on: how many payments are made without the need for probate; data on the average size of assets people hold when they die; how easy or difficult the current situation is to navigate when deciding whether to pay out; if there are any situations where account above $15,000 are unclaimed; what an appropriate new threshold would be.

Members of the FSC can contact the FSC if they want to contribute to the FSC’s submission.

 

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