Latest news with #PartnersLife
Scoop
4 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Turning Average Into Empowered: New Research Highlights The Need For New Zealanders To Upskill Their Financial Education
Auckland, New Zealand [9th August 2025]: A new national report card on financial literacy is shining a light on the opportunity for New Zealanders to boost their financial confidence. The latest research from Partners Life shows that most New Zealanders see themselves as 'average' with money. However, there's potential to save hundreds of dollars each year by making simple and small changes to how people manage their money. But this isn't about pointing blame or handing out a failed report card, it's about powering up. That's why Partners Life, in partnership with Banqer, is once again giving adult New Zealanders the chance to gain free access to the Money Month Challenge. It's a practical, enjoyable, and empowering initiative designed to help people boost their financial wellbeing and set themselves up for a stronger future by being money wise. Key research findings found: • Room To Grow: Only 23% of New Zealanders rate their financial knowledge as 'excellent'. • Real Money On The Table: In just the last year, nearly 1 in 3 New Zealanders (30%) lost $200 or more to avoidable fees, accidental purchases or forgotten subscriptions. For most households these everyday slip ups are costing real money. • Monthly Expenses Adding Up: Over half of New Zealanders (59%) say keeping up with monthly expenses is tough, and 44% have used credit or Buy Now, Pay Later services at least some of the time to help make ends meet. • Health Impacts: Over half of New Zealanders (54%) have lost sleep or experienced stress worrying about money, and 39% say financial stress is affecting their relationships with friends and whānau. • Lessons Learned the Hard Way: For 58% of New Zealanders, the main source of financial education has come from making mistakes. • Education Gap: While close to 84% of New Zealanders recognise the importance of financial literacy and budgeting - especially in today's continued cost-of-living crisis – most (76%) have never had the benefit of any professional financial literacy training. The research underscores the importance of improving financial education for New Zealand adults. Building on the success of the past three years' Money Month Challenges, Partners Life and Banqer are excited to join forces again to offer a free, two week online financial literacy experience this August. Kate Dron, Chief Customer Solutions Officer of Partners Life, says: "At Partners Life, we're passionate about seeing every New Zealander take charge of their financial journey. Our latest research highlights just how much potential there is for everyday New Zealanders to grow their financial confidence. That's why we're proud to be bringing back the Money Month Challenge for the third year – providing practical tools and support so people can confidently tackle financial decisions and set themselves up for long-term success'. 'We're committed to helping New Zealanders move beyond simply getting by, with the goal to empower everyone in our community with the know-how to build resilience, make smart money choices and thrive in any economic climate.' she adds. The free Money Month Challenge begins on August 18 and is open to all New Zealand adults and marks the third year Partners Life and Banqer have brought this valuable initiative to the community. Banqer, known for its innovative financial literacy programmes in schools, is equally excited to expand its impact by bringing the Money Month Challenge to Kiwi adults once again. Simon Brown, CEO of Banqer, says 'Financial literacy forms the cornerstone of lifelong wellbeing and should be within reach of everyone, not just younger generations. While our programmes have supported hundreds of thousands of Kiwi kids in building strong money skills, many adults still haven't had the chance to deepen theirs'. 'That's why we're proud to join forces with Partners Life again to bring back the Money Month Challenge for its third year. This initiative offers a valuable space for adults across New Zealand to grow their financial confidence, try out new strategies, learn something new, and build a secure foundation for themselves and their families futures'. All participants of the Money Month Challenge will gain and experience practical financial knowledge, develop new money management skills and bridge any existing gaps in financial understanding. Covering topics like earnings, budgeting, debt management, investing and risk management, the experience has been designed to empower New Zealanders with the tools they need to achieve financial confidence and success. New Zealanders can sign up to the Money Month Challenge at month. About the research The results come from a Partners Life-commissioned survey of n=1,018 nationally representative respondents who live in New Zealand, aged 18 years and over, conducted in July 2025 by Pureprofile. About Partners Life Partners Life, established as a small start-up in 2011, is now one of the largest life and health insurance companies in New Zealand. Partners Life insures more than 340,000 lives, over $653.6 million in annual premiums inforce and employs over 400 staQ across New Zealand (as of 31 March 2025). In September 2022 Partners Life completed the acquisition of the BNZ Life insurance business from BNZ's Australian parent company NAB. In 2022, Partners Life became a member of one of the world's leading life insurers, Dai-ichi Life Group. Partners Life has an A (Excellent) financial strength rating from A.M. Best, an approved RBNZ rating agency (with eQective date 23 January 2025). For the latest Best's Credit Rating, please visit About Banqer Banqer, championed by Kiwibank, is the leader in classroom-based financial education, empowering teachers to deliver engaging, real-world learning experiences that prepare students to thrive financially. Through interactive simulations, Banqer equips young people with the skills and confidence to manage money, make informed choices, and reach their full potential beyond the classroom. To date, more than 650,000 students across Australasia have built brighter financial futures with Banqer. Partners Life is a long-standing support partner of Banqer High, helping to bring high-quality financial education to secondary schools across Aotearoa. As experts in personal risk insurance, their guidance ensures students learn best practice, grounded in real-world relevance. This partnership is built on a shared belief that all young people deserve the opportunity to grow their financial confidence through meaningful, engaging learning experiences.
Scoop
10-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
The 2025 NBR Rich List: Listers Crack $100 Billion, NBR Launches First Women's List
09 June New Zealand's leading wealth creators are now collectively worth more than $100 billion, the 2025 NBR Rich List reveals. The latest NBR Rich List, published today, profiles 119 Kiwi individuals and families who are building enterprises, growing the country's fortunes, creating jobs, and giving back. That includes a dozen Newcomers to the 2025 Rich List, collectively worth $4.3b. The addition of those Newcomers, as well as growth among some of the country's wealthiest, has pushed the total valuation of this year's Rich List to $102.1b, up from $95.55b last year. The Newcomers include names like Jamie Beaton – who becomes a Rich Lister after the company he co-founded, Crimson Education, was valued at more than $1b in a capital raise last November – alongside several families who have been operating and building enormously successful businesses for decades. Two women also feature in our Newcomers this year, becoming the only two women to feature on the Rich List in their own right since 2019. They are Anna Mowbray, who has moved on from Zuru to build a wide-ranging portfolio of investments, and Lucy Liu, a New Zealand citizen whose company was valued at more than $10b in a capital raise just last month. Their success has been the catalyst for a new feature we've introduced as part of this year's coverage: the Women's List. Zuru founders Nick and Mat Mowbray, meanwhile, retain the top spot with a $20b valuation. Overall, New Zealand now also has 18 billionaires, up from 16 last year. 'The country's Rich Listers together employ thousands of people and generate billions of dollars of economic activity,' NBR Rich List editor Hamish McNicol says. 'The Rich List celebrates those individuals and families, telling in-depth stories of how they have built their enterprises, how they are tackling global economic volatility, and what they are investing back into their communities.' The Women's List The 2025 Rich List also sees the launch of the inaugural Women's List, which is a series of interviews and profiles with 14 of the country's leading, and most successful, businesswomen. We are not publishing assessments of their net worth, although generally estimate them to each be worth between at least $20m and $100m (Mowbray and Liu excluding). Each have built businesses which collectively have employed thousands and contributed greatly to the domestic economy: they are true wealth creators worthy of recognition and celebration alongside the Rich List. They also have different perspectives and each tell a story we believe invaluable to those looking for the keys to business success. That list includes the likes of Naomi Ballantyne, who built life insurer Partners Life into what she says is the country's first female-business to sell for $1b. There's also Carmen Vicelich, the founder of Valocity, a fintech that streamlines property valuation and real estate processes and is now used in more than 3500 cities around the world. 'We've got lots of families and couples on the Rich List but this year we have two female Newcomers in Anna Mowbray and Lucy Liu,' McNicol says. 'They, along with some encouragement from local women in business, prompted us to consider what we could do as part of our coverage to highlight the success of our leading businesswomen.' 'They've each built large and impressive businesses and share fascinating insights into the unique challenges they have faced in doing so.' Elevating NZ Inc The overall theme of the 2025 NBR Rich List, meanwhile, is Elevating NZ Inc. We asked each of the Rich Listers what one thing we could do to make New Zealand a better place for doing business. Several key themes emerged from the many responses we got. Overall, there is optimism about New Zealand's place in the world, particularly in the context of an increasingly volatile global environment. 'Opening the country up to more foreign investment and drastically improving the education system were the most common areas cited for change,' McNicol says. 'But there were some other really interesting ideas in there as well, particularly around things like tax and regulation.' 'They have no shortage of ideas.'
Scoop
04-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Avanti Finance Welcomes New Group CFO, Brad Lang
Avanti Finance is pleased to announce the appointment of Brad Lang as our new Group Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. Brad brings over two decades of strategic and financial leadership experience to Avanti. He joins the company following 12 years at Partners Life, where he held senior leadership roles across finance and strategy. Most recently he served as Chief Strategy Officer, playing a key role in the company's growth and strategic transformation. Brad's career began at BDO New Zealand, and he later moved to the UK, where he spent nearly a decade in the UK financial services sector building and leading high-performing finance teams. Throughout his career, Brad has successfully led capital raising initiatives and managed complex corporate acquisitions, demonstrating a strong track record in driving financial transformation and strategic growth. 'We're thrilled to welcome Brad to the Avanti team,' said Fred Ohlsson, Group CEO of Avanti Finance. 'His broad experience and strategic thinking will be invaluable as we continue to drive innovation and growth within our company'. Brad is passionate about leading high-performing teams and thrives in fast-paced, dynamic environments – making him a perfect fit for Avanti Finance. Proudly locally founded and owned, Avanti Finance is an award-winning specialist lender that has helped New Zealanders achieve their financial goals for over 35 years. We provide a broad range of tailored lending solutions - including property, auto, personal, and business loans – through our trusted network of introducers. As a progressive and introducer-centric business, we're built to back people, move lending forward, and deliver the best possible outcome for both our introducers and their clients.
National Business Review
29-04-2025
- Business
- National Business Review
Partners Life appoints chief people officer
Partners Life is pleased to announce that Helen Meade has been appointed as the company's new chief people officer, joining Partners Life in April 2025. Prior to Partners Life, Meade's most recent role was chief people officer at Les Mills International, where she led the global people and culture team. Meade has more than 20 years of expertise in human resources, transformation, and communications, which she has gained across various significant organisations including IAG, Auckland Council, and global giants Pfizer, GSK, and 3M in London and Sydney. Meade brings a wealth of experience in people, culture, communications, and transformation across a broad range of sectors including insurance, wellness/health, technology, and FMCG. Meade said: 'I'm excited to be joining Partners Life – an organisation with a clear and authentic commitment to innovation and customer care. These are values that deeply resonate with me. I'm excited to be working alongside a talented team to shape the future of insurance and contribute to Partners Life's vital purpose of building a brighter and more secure future for all New Zealanders.' Meade holds a BSc (Hons) degree in psychology from the University of East London and is currently studying for a master of technological futures degree. Partners Life chief executive Michael Weston said 'I'm delighted about Helen joining our executive team. She's a dynamic leader with a proven track record of attracting, developing, and retaining great people and teams – who are our most important asset and competitive advantage.' This is supplied content and not commissioned or paid for by NBR.
