New Zealand Society of Actuaries

2025 General Insurance Forum: From Perils to Preparedness: Leadership, Risk and Resilience

Date: Thursday 27 November, 8.30am-4.30pm, followed by networking drinks
Venue: Mövenpick Hotel, 8 Customs Street East, Auckland

Forum Introduction

As New Zealand grapples with the increasing complexity of natural hazard risk, climate volatility, cyber threats, and rising cost pressures, the general insurance sector faces critical decisions at boardroom, operational, and regulatory levels.

The NZSA 2025 General Insurance Forum brings together insurance leaders, actuaries, risk professionals, government agencies, and strategic advisors to examine the most pressing challenges and emerging innovations shaping the industry. This year’s forum offers a boardroom-level perspective on emerging risks, in-depth sessions on climate and cyber insurance, and diverse stakeholder views on solvency, disclosure, and the evolving financial response to disasters.

From strategic decision-making and capital management to risk modelling and sustainability reporting, this forum is designed to foster meaningful dialogue, share cross-sector insights, and support better outcomes for the sector and the communities it serves. This is your opportunity to connect, learn, and lead.

Who Should Attend?

• General insurance actuaries and pricing specialists
• Risk and capital modelling professionals
• Reinsurers and catastrophe modellers
• Insurance company directors and executives
• Government regulators and policy advisors
• Climate risk and disaster finance experts

Join Us

The NZSA 2025 General Insurance Forum is where strategic insight meets actuarial expertise. Don’t miss the opportunity to engage with leaders, challenge assumptions, and contribute to the future of general insurance in New Zealand.

Programme (subject to change)

Morning Session: Strategic Direction and Systemic Risk

8:30 AM – Registration and networking team and coffee 

9:00 AM – Welcome and Opening Remarks
Greg Bird, NZSA Vice President

Setting the scene: the growing complexity of risk—climate volatility, cyber threats, and cost pressures—and the critical decisions facing the general insurance sector.

9:10 AM – View from the Boardroom: Emerging Issues for General Insurers
Panel Discussion hosted by Scott Lewis, NZSA Council and Immediate Past President

Directors: Mary-Jane Daly and Craig Stobo
A candid conversation with senior insurance leaders and directors about the shifting general insurance landscape.

Topics include:

• Key boardroom decisions in the face of climate, cyber, and cost volatility
• Evolving stakeholder expectations
• How actuaries can shape strategic direction and improve foresight

10:30 AM – Morning Tea

11:00 AM – Voice of the Actuary : What’s on the Minds of Actuaries? Driving Change Through Data and Influence
Jenny Parker, Partner – Compliance, Risk, Legal & Actuarial, Convergence
Discover what today’s actuaries are really thinking. Drawing on fresh survey results and behavioural insights, this session explores how actuaries are shaping strategic decisions, guiding organisations through uncertainty, and using their unique skillsets to influence change in an increasingly complex world.

11:15 AM – Unpacking IFRS 17: What It Means for Public Sector Entities
Richard Korte, Head of Performance and Analytics and Roshane Samarasekera, Senior Actuary, ACC
IFRS 17 is often discussed in the context of private insurers—but what about the public sector? Join this eye-opening session as representatives from ACC share their behind-the-scenes experiences navigating one of the most significant accounting standard changes in a generation. Discover the unexpected challenges, lessons learned, and real-world impacts of IFRS 17 on public entities that are rarely part of the mainstream conversation.

12:00 PM – Networking Lunch – Sponsored by Finity 

Afternoon Session: Affordability, Accessibility, Resilience, and the Actuarial Response

1:00 PM – Beyond Natural Perils: Buyouts and the Future of Risk Reduction
Kris Faafoi, Chief Executive, ICNZ
Exploring managed retreat, property buyouts, and community-level resilience planning. How insurers, regulators, and local government can co-design fair and effective solutions.

1:45 PM – Disaster Risk Financing and the Future of Resilience Funding
Nico Pondard, PCRIC, World Bank
A fascinating and personal session on innovative disaster risk financing strategies, including public-private partnerships, resilience bonds, and sovereign insurance pools.

2:15 PM – Where Are Climate Disclosures Headed? Insights from the XRB and Industry Experts
Dr Amelia Sharman, Director Sustainability Reporting, XRB and NZSA XRB Climate Related Disclosures Working Group
Get the latest from the External Reporting Board (XRB) on the future direction of mandatory climate-related disclosures under the Aotearoa New Zealand Climate Standards. Then, join a discussion exploring the real-world challenges of implementation, what’s expected of insurers, and how actuaries can drive robust, future-focused climate reporting.

3:00 PM – Afternoon Tea

3:15 PM – Medical Claims Inflation: Where to Next?
Anagha Pasche, Convenor NZSA Health Committee
An expert discussion on the drivers of medical claims inflation—from treatment costs and frequency trends to demographic change and technological advancements. Includes insurer, reinsurer and public sector perspectives.

3:50 PM – Cyber Insurance Deep Dive: Risk, Modelling and Market Pressures
Win-Li Toh, Principal, Taylor Fry
A comprehensive look at cyber risk exposure, underwriting challenges, claims trends, and how insurers are rethinking pricing and accumulation risk in an increasingly digital world.

4:25 PM – Closing Remarks
NZSA General Insurance Committee

4:30 PM – Networking Drinks

 

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