Vero Insurance New Zealand, in response to the widespread damage caused by the Auckland flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle, has been enhancing its workforce capabilities through training additional staff to become assessors for EQCover claims under the Earthquake Commission (EQC) Act, in collaboration with Toka Tū Ake EQC.
To conduct assessments under the EQC Act, assessors must meet specific qualifications as outlined by Toka Tū Ake EQC. This upskilling enables Vero to leverage expertise from various sectors within the company, thereby enhancing support for New Zealanders impacted by natural disasters.
David Drillien, head of disaster response at Vero, said that the objective is to extend this training opportunity to employees at both Vero and Morgan Project Services.
“The Auckland and Northland flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle earlier this year brought on a larger volume of claims than we had ever worked through at one time before. As these events become more common, having more people with the skills to assess the Toka Tū Ake EQC component of claims is beneficial for both our business and our customers,” Drillien said.
Jamie Burnett, NDRA delivery manager at Morgan Project Services, said that the training program equips Vero with greater scalability to handle future weather events. This training initiative aligns with the Natural Disaster Response Agreement (NDRA), initiated in 2020. The NDRA, involving several private insurers and EQC Toka Tū Ake, aims to streamline the claims process for customers, offering a single point of contact and reducing administrative complexities.
“As we have been upskilling more people, we’re getting better at facilitating the training each time, so have been able to improve on our processes for future employees completing the course,” Burnett said.
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