In FY21 we continued to support the insurance needs of our customers and the economic resilience of New Zealand.
We continued to protect over $700b worth of New Zealanders' assets.
Since writing our first policy in 1859 on a schooner called 'Kiwi', we have been dedicated to helping protect New Zealand's homes and businesses. In FY21 we were proud to do this for over 1.7 million New Zealanders and $700b of their assets.
But New Zealand is a risky place, and disaster and misfortune struck often during the year. This meant we were able to pay $1.6b in resolving our customers' 466,000 claims, helping them to get back on their feet and taking on life's opportunities.
We made sure that customers experiencing vulnerability had access to specialist support.
In response to COVID-19 we established a specialist Customer Care Team to help our customers deal with the financial hardship caused by lockdowns, while still keeping the things they value insured.
This team is now a permanent part of our support for customers who have extra needs, including financial hardship, learning difficulties, mental health issues and accessibility challenges.
In FY21 our Customer Care Team helped over 2,500 customers experiencing vulnerability in a range of ways including changes to payment plans, assistance with excess payments and general claims and service support.
We opened our second Repairhub site in Christchurch with customer experience and sustainability in mind.
This year we proudly opened our new vehicle repair facility in Hornby, Christchurch, building on the success of our first facility in East Tamaki, Auckland.
Our customers tell us that they want quicker high-quality repairs, more communication, and a great customer experience. They are also telling us that we’re getting it right, with our East Tamaki Repairhub achieving a net promoter score (NPS) of 88 out of 100.
Our Repairhub sites are also targeting sustainable outcomes by using the water collected from the roof for our carwash, and then recycling 95% of the water used, and reducing the amount of plastic going to landfill by repairing rather than replacing plastic items like bumpers.
We are helping customers, through State's Tally online calculator, get a better idea of how much their belongings are worth.
In 2019, the average New Zealand three bedroom house had over $100,000 worth of items in it (at replacement value) - with over $20,000 worth found in the home’s wardrobe. However, State’s research showed nearly half of New Zealanders believed they didn’t have enough items to be worth insuring.
‘Tally’ is State’s simple, online visual calculator that helps people get a better idea of how much their belongings are worth. Tally aims to educate New Zealanders on how much and how quickly little things add up so they can make a more informed decision about their insurance needs.
We are helping our older customers to have the tools and support they need to navigate an increasingly digital world.
With the financial services sector’s shift to digital platforms – including a nationwide move to phase out cheques - AMI and SeniorNet are working together to build older AMI customers’ online confidence, including building their ability to manage their insurance needs online.
There are over 60 SeniorNet Learning Centres around New Zealand, with classes on a range of digital-related topics. These include the use of software, digital services and a range of technologies from iPads to personal computers, all of which give AMI customers the necessary access, skills and tools to be able to navigate the digital world.
We were part of the Aotearoa Circle’s Sustainable Finance Forum which released its roadmap for building a sustainable financial system in November 2020 and we are a supporter of the Centre for Sustainable Finance.
We released the State Mistake Report to raise awareness of some of the more common home, contents and car claims and encourage New Zealanders to prevent mistakes from happening in the first place.
We changed our policies to give greater protection to parents and caregivers whose vehicles are stolen and unrecovered or involved in accidents by covering the cost of a new child car seat if it is needed and sustainably disposing of the damaged parts.
In FY21 we worked to reduce our impact on the climate and the climate's impact on New Zealand.