In FY23 we lent a helping hand to those in need and celebrated the diversity of our communities.
Our NZI Truckie Rest Zones help heavy vehicle fleet drivers stay safe on the road.
Over the past year, NZI has held Truckie Rest Zone events in both Te Ika-a-Māui and Te Waipounamu (the North and South Islands) to help support heavy fleet drivers recharge and refresh before the next leg of their journey. The well received rest stop events are part of NZI’s Fleet Fit programme, and are a proactive way to bring attention to, and minimise, driver fatigue which is a major cause of road accidents.
Between the three events held in Te Tai Tokerau Northland, Taupō-nui-a-Tia, and Waitaha North Canterbury, 310 drivers pulled their rigs into the Rest Zone events for complimentary barista coffees and refreshments. Our NZI Fleet Risk Managers and Fleet Fit partners were also there to talk to truckies about the risks of fatigue and distraction, highlighting the importance of proper rest, keeping hydrated, good nutrition, and establishing good habits, for their long drives.
The NZI Truckie Rest Zone events are a collaboration with the New Zealand Police, Road Safety Coordinators from local councils, Hato Hone St John, Fit for Duty, Kiwi Harvest, and Satisfy Food Rescue, with strong support from Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Authority.
Understanding our baseline with Te ara ki tua (the pathway forward).
At IAG, we recognise the importance of cultural competency and the role it plays in promoting an inclusive, equitable and positive work environment for all our kaimahi (employees).
To help us navigate our cultural journey, our people participated in Te ara ki tua (the pathway forward), a Māori cultural competency survey. This helped us to measure how well our people understand, and feel able to engage in, Te Ao Māori (the Māori world) and allowed us to identify areas where further uplift is needed.
Māori and non-Māori wānanga (discussion sessions) were held pre-survey and during to help us better understand our people’s lived experiences both within and external to IAG.
Our approach to embracing Te Ao Māori at IAG, extends beyond Aotearoa New Zealand. This is why we chose to extend the survey and wānanga invites to include our kaimahi (employees) in Australia, as we know we have Māori kaimahi based there too.
What’s next? We’ll be using insights from our survey and wānanga to develop our Te Ao Māori capability in an effort to create a culturally confident workplace where everyone has the opportunity to participate in Te Ao Māori.
Supporting Māori and Pacific tertiary students to corporate employment pathways.
IAG is committed to improving the employment representation and career development opportunities for tāngata whenua and other ethnicities across Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia.
Through our TupuToa partnership, we provided two tertiary students with a 12-week paid-internship at IAG. One intern said that the experience “…gave me a lot to think about in terms of my future job prospects. My perspective of the corporate world has changed for the better as I’ve been exposed to so many different skills and professions. It’s opened up my mind to consider learning other things and not having to settle for one skillset over time.”
TupuToa gives us greater access to the emerging talent of young Māori and Pacific students/graduates across Aotearoa New Zealand. The partnership challenges us to think differently about how inclusive we are as an organisation, to ensure an equitable experience is guaranteed for our current and future employees.
In addition to TupuToa, NZI has continued its 15-year relationship as a scholarship partner with First Foundation, which focuses on giving young rangatahi (youth) a brighter future. In December 2022, we welcomed back our First Foundation interns into teams across IAG.
Promoting technology pathways to grow female and youth participation.
We’ve been focused on building awareness of the career possibilities in technology, to inspire interest from more female rangatahi (youth), and encourage them to consider it as a viable career path.
Through our relationship with technology learning centres SCRATCHPAD, State Insurance sponsored four workshops with low-decile schools across Aotearoa New Zealand to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education to 80 kōhine (young girls) and promote a career in this field.
Also in FY23, we donated 40 laptops to a low decile kura (school) in Tāmaki-Makaurau Auckland, for the purpose of providing necessary technology to those who may not have had access otherwise.
In partnership with The Get Group, we offered The IAG Workplace Experience where high school students joined us at an IAG office over a three day period, gaining exposure to careers in technology through a corporate environment and receiving up to 20 credits towards their NCEA qualification. We held two cohorts in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington in FY23, and will extend this to Tāmaki-Makaurau Auckland in FY24.
Helping communities together.
AMI and Habitat for Humanity New Zealand have been working together for a second year, to improve the living conditions of Kiwi whānau in housing need.
One initiative this year was the Aotearoa Housing Survey. This externally commissioned poll highlighted the housing issues people are facing across the motu (country), particularly in relation to warmth, dryness and safety. The survey results helped Habitat provide practical tips on how New Zealanders can make their homes warmer, drier and safer.
In addition, since July 2022, our people have rolled up their sleeves, and clocked up more than 1,000 hours volunteering for Habitat programmes in their communities. Aotearoa New Zealand thrives on the spirit of volunteerism, and we are proud of our people who give their time and energy, to make a positive difference.
We helped the New Zealand Red Cross provide support to communities impacted by the North Island floods and Cyclone Gabrielle, and to continue their ongoing community programmes. We donated a total of $36,000, by matching our staff donations 2:1.
We received the Excellence in Workplace Diversity and Inclusion at the 10th New Zealand Insurance Industry (ANZIIF) Awards, acknowledging our gender affirmation guidelines and our Māori Strategy (He Rautaki Māori).
NZI ran a successful employee food-donation drive for City Missions around Aotearoa New Zealand, delivering much needed items for families in need.
We donated to Auckland City Mission’s Home Ground building (a sustainable centre for community services) in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
In FY23 we continued to support the insurance needs of our customers and the economic resilience of Aotearoa New Zealand.