Newly branded New Zealand insurer Vero has been named NZ’s General Insurer of the Year by brokers. Members of the Corporation of Insurance Brokers of New Zealand (CIBNZ) and the Independent Insurance Brokers Association (IIBA) were meeting in Fiji for their annual conference, now being held under the uniting banner of the Insurance Brokers Association of New Zealand.

Vero CEO Roger Bell used the conference to launch Vero onto the NZ market. In a conference panel session later, he said that having an Australian parent (Promina) rather than a British parent (Royal & SunAlliance in London) has “enormous advantages”.

With all but one of the top five insurers being Australian-controlled, Vero – the second-largest player in the NZ market – is radically changing its approach to business and brokers, Mr Bell said. “This award is a wonderful way to start a new era.”