Life insurers feature prominently in the list of finalists for the 2026 FSC Awards, with the council saying the awards recognise the people, teams and organisations “…raising the bar across New Zealand’s financial services sector”.
The finalists are:
Contribution to Community Award
- Booster Foundation: Partnered with Ngā Tanagata Microfinance in 2022 to build a free online education and support programme ‘My Money Kete’ which provides free, accessible financial education, mentoring, tools and community support designed to help people build long-term financial resilience, targeting beneficiaries and low-income NZers
- nib New Zealand: nib New Zealand is recognised for its commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of Pacific RSE workers, a vital yet often under-served workforce in New Zealand’s horticulture and viticulture sectors
- Raizor – Insurance for Good: Since launching in 2020, Insurance for Good has raised more than $568,000 for charities, with $350,000 donated in the past two years alone.
Emerging Trailblazer Award
- Amy Cavanaugh: Head of Transformation, Public Trust
- Michelle Doyle: Head of Solutions, Fidelity Life
- Monique Ravening: Head of New Business and Underwriting, Chubb Life Insurance New Zealand
- Raffi Rassam: Claims Operations Manager – Strategy & Stakeholder Engagement, Fidelity Life
- Vincent Colombié: Head of Conduct, Risk & Assurance, Fidelity Life
Excellence in ESG Award
- AIA New Zealand: AIA NZ is committed to reducing its environmental footprint and embedding sustainability across its operations
- Public Trust: Public Trust’s purpose is to empower New Zealanders to build and protect their legacies
- Sharesies: Sharesies goal is that more parents kick start their kid’s retirement/first home savings journey by encouraging parents to sign their kids up to KiwiSaver and start contributing to their KiwiSaver accounts
Innovation of the Year Award
- Fidelity Life: Fidelity Life’s 3D Tool is global-first, data driven innovation, designed to improve how life insurers manage long term disability claims assessed as non-recoverable or permanent – cases that would typically remain open and passively managed until benefit expiry
- Partners Life: Quote for Alteration platform – a fully digital tool created to revolutionise how advisers handle changes to in force insurance policies
- Public Trust: Public Trust’s new digital system for KiwiSaver early withdrawal applications represents a significant step-change in how financial hardship and serious illness withdrawals are managed in New Zealand
- Simfuni: Simfuni’s Claims Workbench is a modern claims operations platform designed to help life insurers manage claims in a more connected, configurable, and operationally intelligent way
Excellence in Wellbeing & Inclusion Award
- AIA New Zealand: Accessibility is a key segment of AIA’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) strategy, alongside Māori and Pasifika, LGBTTQIAP+, Gender, and Age.
- Southern Cross Medical Care Society: gatHER, Southern Cross’ women’s network, was founded in March 2025 under that wider DE&I umbrella.
Team of the Year Award
- Asteron Life – Claims Team
- Fidelity Life – Claims Team
- Partners Life – Medical Claims Team
- Simfuni – Transformation Team
- Westpac – Financial Wellbeing and Inclusion Team
The FSC Chair’s Award and Workplace Savings Award recognise exceptional leadership and lasting contributions to New Zealand’s financial services sector. Recipients will be announced on the night of the FSC Awards Dinner.
FSC CEO Kirk Hope says the awards are about celebrating the people and organisations making a real difference for New Zealanders.
“Every finalist has challenged themselves to do things better, whether that’s through innovation, leadership, customer outcomes or community impact. Together, they showcase a sector that’s continually evolving and committed to helping New Zealanders build stronger financial futures.”
The winners will be announced at the FSC Awards Dinner on August 13, held as part of FSC26 Amplify.