Update on Fidelity Life Adviser Initiatives

With registrations now open for Fidelity Life’s Engage events in October and strong early interest shown by advisers, the insurer has released a summary of initiatives it has undertaken since Engage 2024.

Bronwyn Kirwan, Fidelity’s Chief Commercial Officer, told Riskinfo the insurer has made meaningful progress “… with a clear focus on delivering practical, adviser-centric improvements.”

She says that from product innovation to digital enhancements and professional development “…we’re investing in the future of advice in New Zealand.”

Kirwan initially points toward product enhancements which together “… position our life insurance product range among the top three in New Zealand at #2 Specific injury, #3 Life product and #3 Trauma, according to Quotemonster, July 2025.”

Other enhancements include:

• A NZ market-first premium discount for defined exclusions on trauma covers. This ensures customers only pay for the risks their policy covers. If an exclusion is removed in the future, the discount will adjust accordingly to reflect their ability to claim for the condition.
• New specific injury cover, providing a low-cost lump sum payment for 30 defined injuries.
• Product enhancements across Platinum Plus, Platinum Plus Level, and Mortgage Protector, that offer more choice and improved coverage across all life stages. Updates include:
  • Expanded trauma cover for newborns and children
  • Clearer condition definitions
  • The inclusion of terminal illness as a defined condition in Trauma covers
  • Increased bereavement and child’s funeral benefits
  • New grief counselling support

It has also recently released adviser factsheets in response to adviser feedback, so advisers can have an overview of the eight most popular covers to support client conversations.

Making Business Easier

Kirwan also highlighted that the insurer is working to make business easier for advisers.

“Since the launch of our new and improved E-App in May 2024, we’ve had phenomenal feedback and have delivered five enhancements since then.”

She notes continuous improvements to the E-App include “…the much sought after ‘share’ feature. This streamlines the process to sign up new customers by enabling advisers to send customers a link to complete all or part of their application.” It keeps advisers informed of progress.

Kirwan says advisers have responded positively to the new E-app and enhancements and it’s seen:

• A significant increase in E-App ease of use scores
• More advisers turning to E-App to submit an application
• More advisers – 94%* – saying the company is easy to do business with as of April 2025
• 9,134 applications submitted via E-App since its launch
• The E-App share function used over 1,700 times in the last six months

…We’ve invested in the adviser channel, creating more resources and continuing to uplift our capability within our distribution team…

In her summary Kirwan says the company is also offering more support to advisers.

“We’ve invested in the adviser channel, creating more resources and continuing to uplift our capability within our distribution team.”

She also highlights support to advisers working in the group space, noting the firm has introduced a quarterly newsletter and will be hosting the first dedicated group adviser event later this year.

Practice Manager Masterclasses

“We’ll also be bringing back the practice manager masterclasses following its success last year,” says Kirwan. It will launch later this year and aims to improve workflow and productivity for support staff within advice businesses enabling advisers to focus on customers.

Another initiative is Adviser edge – a professional development programme for advisers with three programmes tailored to meet the needs of advisers at different experience levels. In May, Fidelity Life announced its biggest Career connect cohort to date, welcoming 30 new people into the advice industry.

Kirwan says these initiatives collectively reinforce “…Fidelity Life’s commitment to protecting New Zealanders and supporting the advisers who serve them.”

“It’s great to see our efforts paying off. We’ve seen adviser satisfaction rise, with NPS now at +63 and our ease of doing business score hitting an all-time high.”

And, despite economic pressures, she says customer retention remains among the strongest among life insurers. As of March 2025, its lapse rate sits at 13.4%, compared to the 15.1% market average.

*Based on the 6-month rolling score from Fidelity’s listening programme.