Two themes run through this year’s conference – climate change implications for insurers and consumer trust and confidence in our sector.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called Climate Change the nuclear-free issue for her generation. The Government is embarking on major changes to address the challenges ahead. The insurance sector globally and locally faces significant risks and opportunities, so we will explore in some depth what these are. Hon. Kris Faafoi, Minister for Civil Defence and Commerce and Consumer Affairs will open the conference.

For any Government, the complexity and cost of reducing climate change risk through adaptation is immense.

• Rowan Douglas, CEO Capital Science and Policy Practice at Willis Towers Watson will provide a global perspective on what is happening about financing the challenge.
• Sarah Barker, special counsel with Minter Ellison in Melbourne and a member of the Technical Working Group of the International Climate Disclosure Standards Board will take us on a journey that covers the implications for litigation, liability and insurance.
• Dr Robert-Muir Wood, RMS Chief Research Officer, will give us insights on his company’s modelling work and its contribution to the development of resilience dividends and other innovative finance to fund resilience.

These international perspectives will be accompanied by on the ground New Zealand insights.

• Dr Rob Bell, Principal Scientist at NIWA, will talk about the latest research on the impact of sea-level rise and extreme weather events incorporating storm-tide inundation model.
• Marty Grenfell, CEO of the Tauranga City Council will give a case study of how a council has had to make tough decisions in Matatā and Edgecumbe.

After a panel discussion involving some of our speakers and the chief executives of Allianz New Zealand, Marc Guppy, and Tower’s Richard Harding, CEO of market research company UMR, David Talbot, will present research on public perceptions of climate change and trust and confidence in our sector. This will bridge our two themes for the day before the lunch break.

After lunch, we’ll talk about trust, which is so fundamental for a sector whose credibility hinges on the delivery of a promise.

• That promise and the industry’s customer service will be looked at by Pip Marlow, CEO of Suncorp Group’s Customer Marketplace.
• She will be followed by the CE of ACC Scott Pickering who will provide insights on the work underway to turn his organisation’s reputation around.
• With the increasing ubiquity of the Internet of Things we have asked Cassie Roma of the Warehouse Group to tell us what it takes to gain and maintain trust in the world of online interactions.
• Well known legal commentator and Partner with Keegan Alexander, Crossley Gates, will give his insights on some of the key legal issues that impact customer trust in insurers in light of a major review of insurance law.

Our final speaker is Privacy Commissioner John Edwards, who will examine insurers increasing use of personal information and the emergence of Artificial Intelligence to consider the implications for the consumer and how insurers should be thinking about their obligations to consumers.