Panel Discussions
#icnzconference2026
Panel 1: Future of Insurance
The future of insurance will be shaped as much by how we reduce and manage risk as by how we price it. The changing climate is increasing the frequency and severity of natural hazards, placing growing pressure on insurance affordability and availability for households, businesses, and communities.
This panel focuses on the role of long‑term investment in resilience by governments, councils, communities, and the private sector to reduce risk, protect communities, and keep insurance accessible. It follows straight after the Minister of Finance and the discussion provides an opportunity to reflect on national priorities and explore how sustained, coordinated action on resilience can support economic stability and consumer protection over the long term.
Click on the speaker photo to view their bio.
Panellist TBC
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Panellist TBC
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Panel 2: Underinsurance
This session presents New Zealand's first evidence-based research into residential property insurance levels and underinsurance.
The groundbreaking report, produced collaboratively by the Insurance Council of New Zealand and Cotality NZ (CoreLogic) with contributions from ICNZ members, replaces anecdotal evidence with accurate national data.
Expected to reveal significant underinsurance among homeowners, the findings will establish a baseline for tracking trends and empowering New Zealanders to protect their properties effectively.
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Panellist TBC
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Panellist TBC
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Panellist TBC
Panellist TBC
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Panel 3: Future of Risk
This panel explores how infrastructure investment, governance and long-term planning determine New Zealand's future insurability amid climate change and ageing assets.
Drawing on lessons from the 2023 Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle, which revealed infrastructure vulnerabilities that increased losses, the discussion will examine how inadequate stormwater systems, deteriorating flood protection and high-risk development affect reinsurer appetite.
The panel will examine the challenge of long-term decision-making, where infrastructure choices made today will shape insurability for decades to come, and explore how to better align incentives between developers, councils, infrastructure providers and insurers to ensure New Zealand's insurance market remains sustainable and accessible across the country's diverse risk landscape.
Click on the speaker photo to view their bio.
Richard Hills
Councillor
Auckland City Council
Paul Johnston
Chief Executive Officer
Tower Insurance
Director of Finance
+ Insurance Sector
Tonkin + Taylor
James Russell
Panellist TBC
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