The Underwriting Agencies Council (UAC) is confident its expansion in New Zealand will continue to gather momentum next year.

It comes after the council hosted a combined agency stand at the Insurance Brokers Association of New Zealand (IBANZ) conference in Auckland.

UAC will hold its own expo in Auckland on February 16 as part of its strategic push into the country.

Since September last year the council has grown its New Zealand membership from three to 15 agencies.

Director Kurt Nilsen says the take-up has exceeded expectations.

Mr Nilsen, who is National Marketing and Development Manager with Specialist Underwriting Agencies, attended the IBANZ Forum on October 2-3.

He told insuranceNEWS.com.au the combined agency stand – sponsored by UAC strategic partner Lloyd’s – made it more affordable for exhibitors to participate.

Six agencies were represented: Catlin, Delta Insurance, Dual Australia, 5Star Underwriting, NM Insurance and Rosser Underwriting.

Next year’s UAC expo in Auckland has been timed to coincide with the visit of Lloyd’s Chairman John Nelson.

Lloyd’s General Representative for Australia Adrian Humphreys says the UAC stand at the IBANZ Forum attracted great interest from brokers, and Lloyd’s welcomes the council’s planned expo.

“We’re a broker-led business,” Mr Humphreys told insuranceNEWS.com.au. “We always welcome the opportunity to talk to brokers, listen to them first-hand, learn what’s happening in the market, discuss any problems they might have and work on solutions together. You can’t beat meeting people in person.”

Mr Humphreys says Lloyd’s is “very supportive” of UAC’s move into New Zealand.

“It’s a logical and exciting step. The agency market in New Zealand is growing exponentially.”