Lockton, the world's largest privately owned insurance brokerage, has opened an office in Queenstown, marking its fourth location in New Zealand and its first foothold in the Southern Lakes region. The office will be led by general manager Mark Hyland, a Queenstown local with decades of experience in commercial insurance and aviation risk.
The move adds to Lockton's existing New Zealand network of Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch offices, four and a half years after the brokerage first entered the market. For a firm that has steadily built out its national footprint since 2021, the Queenstown opening signals a deliberate push into a South Island market long dominated by tourism, construction and a fast-diversifying local economy.
Craig Buckle (pictured), CEO of Lockton New Zealand, framed the expansion as part of a broader growth strategy.
"I'm delighted to announce this expansion of our South Island presence, which supports our strategic growth ambitions," he said. Buckle added that the firm's New Zealand operation has made a meaningful impact delivering tailored insurance and risk advisory services to clients since it was established and that the Queenstown office would allow it to build on that momentum.
Queenstown's insurance market has historically been serviced out of larger centres such as Christchurch, leaving a gap for brokers seeking a genuine local presence in the Southern Lakes. Hyland's appointment addresses that directly - as a Queenstown local, he brings both regional credibility and technical depth in commercial and aviation risk, two lines of business closely tied to the district's tourism-driven economy and its reliance on air access.
"I'm excited to be leading Lockton's newest branch and bringing the world's largest privately owned insurance broker to the Southern Lakes region," Hyland said. "Queenstown is an incredibly dynamic market, and we're building a strong local team with the expertise to meet the needs of businesses here."
For brokers and business clients in the region, a physical Lockton presence changes the equation from remote servicing to on-the-ground advisory support - a distinction that matters in a specialist risk environment covering everything from hospitality and construction to aviation. Hyland was direct about the significance of the new premises. "Opening our office at 36 Shotover Street is an important milestone for us," he said, adding that it would allow Lockton to build stronger local relationships while connecting clients to the firm's global expertise and resources.
That combination of a local presence backed by global scale is consistent with how Lockton has approached its wider New Zealand build-out. The brokerage set out in 2021 to fill a gap in the New Zealand corporate space by raising the bar on service provided to clients, and has since expanded its client base and headcount across the country. More recently, Lockton's New Zealand leadership has pointed to the ongoing insurability challenges created by climate change, particularly in the domestic market, as a significant issue for the industry - a pressure point that a South Island office, closer to clients exposed to alpine and severe weather risk, may be better placed to manage.
Insurance broking in New Zealand operates under a regulated advice regime, with brokers required to hold or operate under a full Financial Advice Provider licence issued by the Financial Markets Authority. As competition among corporate brokers intensifies in regional centres, that regulatory backdrop shapes how firms like Lockton position new offices – service quality and technical advice, rather than price alone, are increasingly the differentiator.
Buckle said he was looking forward to the Queenstown team's impact locally. "I'm excited to see the positive impact the Queenstown team will make to the local community and beyond," he said.
The opening follows Lockton's steady New Zealand growth, detailed in Insurance Business New Zealand's coverage of Lockton commencing operations in New Zealand back in 2021, its update on Lockton New Zealand marking two years in the local market and a more recent look at how Lockton and Steadfast are performing in the New Zealand broking market. Whether the Queenstown office becomes a springboard for further South Island growth will likely depend on how quickly the local team can convert Lockton's global resources into business wins in a tightly contested regional market.
