Getting insurance in front of clients has never been harder, according to one Auckland broker, who says economic pressure is pushing cover down the priority list for small and medium businesses across New Zealand.
Speaking to Insurance Business at the NZUAC Expo in Auckland, Illan Wisenberg (pictured), commercial broker at Penberthy Insurance Brokers, said the core of the problem isn't product or price - it's simply getting a seat across the table.
"Why do you have a broker if you just want to do things over email?" Wisenberg said, arguing that face-to-face contact remains essential even as clients lean harder on digital tools and AI to manage their businesses.
For Wisenberg, whose book leans towards larger SMEs across commercial, general and financial lines, that lack of face time carries real consequences. Clients distracted by cash flow pressures can let renewals slip, leaving gaps in business interruption or facility cover that only surface when a claim is declined.
Wisenberg, who has worked in insurance for more than two decades, said the current squeeze on client attention outstrips anything he saw even during the pandemic.
"I'd say it's probably one of the worst so far," he said.
He added that the brief post-COVID return to in-person meetings has now faded. "I think the prioritisation of time has just gone out the window a little bit at the moment," Wisenberg said.
For brokers navigating a market where clients are stretched thin, the message from the NZUAC Expo floor was clear: insurance still needs a human conversation — even when nobody has the time for one.
