NZI and Ag Guard Partner to Strengthen Rural Insurance Offerings
NZI has confirmed an exclusive partnership with Australian rural underwriting agency Ag Guard, set to take effect in mid-2025. This collaboration aims to enhance NZI’s rural product suite in the New Zealand broker market by integrating advanced tools, agricultural knowledge, and bespoke cover into its rural insurance offerings.
Garry Taylor, Executive General Manager at NZI, emphasized that this partnership reflects the company’s commitment to providing effective insurance solutions for New Zealand’s farmers and rural businesses. The collaboration will enable NZI to leverage Ag Guard’s specialized agricultural risk management expertise, developed since Ag Guard’s inception in 2013.
Alex Cohn, co-founder of Ag Guard, expressed enthusiasm about bringing their technology-enabled insurance solutions to New Zealand. The partnership will allow new customers to access Ag Guard products through NZI’s broker channels starting mid-2025. Existing NZI rural policyholders will be transitioned to Ag Guard’s offerings upon policy renewal after the launch.
The announcement comes as rural wildfire risk is gaining attention. Recent research led by University of Canterbury students, supported by Fire and Emergency New Zealand, examined how vegetation patterns influence wildfire behavior in Canterbury. The study found that pine hedgerows were particularly combustible, while certain native species showed lower flammability. Increasing the distance between hedgerows and rural buildings was identified as a potential risk-reduction measure.
Grant Pearce from Fire and Emergency New Zealand highlighted the value of student-led research projects in introducing new methodologies to risk management. The organization continues to advise landowners to manage vegetation and choose low-flammability species when landscaping around rural properties, especially in dry climates like Canterbury.
This development in rural insurance comes as the agricultural sector faces evolving risks, with NZI and Ag Guard poised to provide more comprehensive and tailored insurance solutions to New Zealand’s rural communities.
