A wide range of speakers gave the 340 participants at the Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) conference in Auckland last week plenty to think about.

“It was a highly successful conference,” CEO Tim Grafton told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“It was our largest yet, and the biggest insurance conference in New Zealand by a significant margin.”

Keynote speaker Alastair Newton, expert on international geo-political issues and their impact on financial markets, gave an overview of the US-China dynamic under the Trump administration.

“He pointed out that while the focus is on North Korea, we mustn’t take our eye off the ball with Iran,” Mr Grafton said.

“You don’t often get that level of insight on these issues in New Zealand.”

Guy Carpenter CEO Asia Pacific Tony Gallagher spoke about the uncertain and changing world of capital and the role it will play in changing the types of products available to manage risks.

A session on insurtech featured KPMG’s Steve Graham and Andrew Stead from IAG’s Firemark Lab, with an overview of international developments from Munich Re MD Australia and New Zealand Ralph Ronnenberg.

Resilience in the face of volatility was the theme for the afternoon, with Wellington City’s Chief Resilience Officer Mike Mendonca explaining that arguably New Zealand’s most earthquake-exposed city is also its most resilient.

The conference ended with a panel of industry leaders – IAG EGM Consumer New Zealand Kevin Hughes, QBE GM New Zealand Bill Donovan, FMG’s Chris Black and Mr Ronnenberg.