AIA Healthier, Longer, Better Lives Summit empowers advisers to achieve the best outcomes for themselves and their clients

AIA NZ held its annual Healthier, Longer Better Lives Summit on 4 July. Formerly known as the Peak Performance Summit, the conference provides an opportunity for AIA NZ to update its advisers on trends in the industry, empowering them to achieve the best outcomes for their clients, their businesses, society, and themselves.

The summit featured an expert line-up of guest speakers, each supporting the overarching message that when you make changes towards living a healthier, longer, better life, you can see growth and heath for yourself, your clients, your business and the society you live in.

Sharron Botica, AIA NZ Chief Partnership Distribution Officer, says it's important to provide advisers with the tools and insights they need to further support their clients, helping change lives and strengthen the health of the nation.

“The insurance industry has navigated many challenges over recent years, with regulatory changes driving industry adaption, and economic conditions creating a tough environment for New Zealanders,” says Sharron.

“Through it all, our adviser community have been on the front lines, supporting clients and providing life-changing advice to thousands of New Zealanders every year.

“At AIA, our purpose is to help people live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives – this not only applies to our clients, but our advisers too.

“As New Zealand’s largest life insurer, our comprehensive claims data provides us with valuable insights into population health. Looking ahead, we’re committed to sharing more of these insights with advisers.”

Attendees heard from a range of inspiring speakers, aligning with AIA NZ’s Healthier, Longer, Better Lives theme.

The summit was led by ‘The Changing Lives Panel’, where AIA NZ Chief Executive Officer, Nick Stanhope, alongside AIA NZ Head of Aligned Advice Jack Newman, and advisers Leelee Stone and Katrina Church discussed what Healthier, Longer Better Lives means to them, and the crucial role advisers play in the industry.

David Letele, a community leader, health advocate and former professional boxer, led the ‘For Society’ session, where he discussed the health burden in society and the important role that preventative health plays in relieving this burden.

Following David was Raelene Castle, Group Chief Executive at Sport New Zealand and High Performance Sport New Zealand, who led the ‘For Business’ session, sharing her practical and unique methods for achieving growth.

Craig Deats, Global Sales and Distribution Executive at Vitality Global, ran the ‘For Clients’ session where he spoke about AIA Vitality, a science-backed health and wellbeing programme, and how it is delivering value for advisers. Not only does it provide a unique point of difference alongside AIA products, but it enables advisers to have meaningful conversations with clients about their health and wellbeing status, ensuring they can recommend the best cover suited to individual needs. This session was followed by an AIA Vitality Q&A, where Craig shared insights on the global programme and engaged with attendees.

The event wrapped up with an inspiring Q&A session with Dame Valerie Adams, a shotput World Champion, Olympian and AIA Vitality ambassador, who discussed the ‘For Myself’ pillar and what that meant to her.

Feedback from the summit has been incredibly positive.

"Our mission is to make Aotearoa New Zealand one of the healthiest and best protected nations in the world – we have never underestimated the important role that advisers play in helping us achieve this,” says Sharron.

“It was such a rewarding experience hosting more than 200 advisers in Auckland. We’re positive that we’ve given attendees the inspiration and tools they need to start thriving and continue changing lives.”