The Insurance Brokers Association of New Zealand (IBANZ) has made a special award to NZI’s claims team for an outstanding performance in response to the Canterbury earthquakes.

The insurer was also named Insurer of the Year at the annual General Insurance Industry Awards gala night in Auckland last week, and Matt Chandler-Wall of NZI Auckland was named Insurer Professional of the Year.

IBANZ President Nick Cressey says the association decided to make the special award “to recognise claims teams who made an extraordinary effort” to respond to the Christchurch events, particularly the devastating February 22 earthquake.

Mr Cressey told insuranceNEWS.com.au many of the Canterbury-based award recipients spoke at the awards night about the business, emotional, personal and financial toll of the earthquakes, and how commitment to clients meant many insurance staff were often not home at nights and weekends, while their own homes were often among those damaged.

Broker of the Year was Greg Greenwood of Rothbury in Christchurch.

The Emerging Professional Broker of the Year award was won by Sean Long of Willis in Auckland, and the Emerging Professional Insurer of the Year is Hayley O’Neill of Lumley in Auckland.

The Broking Office of the Year award went to Crombie Lockwood’s Wellington branch, while a member of the branch, Myles Noble, was named Claims Professional of the Year.

Gillian Stretch of Cunningham Lindsey in Christchurch won the Loss Adjuster/Assessor of the Year award, with claims management consultancy Stream Group NZ being awarded the Innovation of the Year.

Stream Group, which entered the New Zealand market last year through the acquisition of Freemans NZ and now has offices in the country’s three main cities, impressed the independent judges with the delivery of its streamlined claims management process.

Lawyers DLA Phillips Fox received the award for Support Services to the Industry.