Workplace absence is costing the New Zealand economy $4.17 billion a year. The annual cost per employee reached $1,319 in 2024, with the average number of sick days rising to 6.7 – up more than 20% from 5.5 in 2022, according to the Southern Cross Health Insurance and BusinessNZ Workplace Wellness Report 2025. Against that backdrop, research points to a specific, identifiable driver that most group insurance schemes are not yet structured to address: menopause. For brokers placing group risk and employee benefits, the data describes both an unpriced exposure and a concrete advisory opportunity at a time when the sector is under active regulatory pressure to demonstrate its relevance to underserved groups.
The most comprehensive New Zealand dataset on this issue is the NZIER report The Silent Transition, commissioned by Global Women from surveys of more than 1,000 New Zealand women and 500 employers conducted in 2023. Three-quarters of women who experienced menopause symptoms reported that those symptoms affected their work – equivalent to approximately 64% of all women surveyed. Most felt that symptoms caused them to work 20% to 30% below their best, with nearly one in four saying their ability to work had been cut by at least half.
The communication gap is the figure most directly relevant to scheme design: only 11% of women had discussed menopause or perimenopause with their manager. That means employers buying group schemes are largely unaware of the scale of the problem inside their own workforce – and are therefore unlikely to be raising it with their broker. One data point requires clarification. AIA NZ’s press release cites 22% of women as having spoken to their manager. The NZIER primary source clarifies that the 22% figure refers to women who discussed symptoms and their work impact with their GP, not with their manager. The correct manager figure from the primary research is 11%. In total, 42% of women experiencing symptoms took one or more actions resulting in a loss of economic productivity – quitting, changing jobs, reducing hours, or taking time off. For a broker advising a client with significant female headcount aged 40 to 60, that figure represents a retention and income protection risk that is not currently being priced into most scheme conversations.
AIA New Zealand released an expanded version of its Menopause Support Toolkit on August 10, timed to coincide with Tend Women’s Health Week. First published in 2021, the updated version includes a wellbeing framework drawn from Te Whare Tapa Whā, expanded symptom management guidance, and – most relevant for scheme design – EAP-integrated menopause specialist access and EAP Rongoā Māori Support.
AIA NZ is not alone. Menopause and Wellness, a New Zealand specialist clinic, is currently partnered with Vitae, Habit Health EAP, TELUS, OCP, and Workplace Support to provide employees with menopause services at no personal cost through their employer’s EAP scheme. Vitae, one of New Zealand’s longest-established EAP providers, added menopause support to its service offering in 2025. In August 2026, Workplace Support EAP hosted a webinar with Menopause and Wellness clinical director Monica Barnes on menopause symptoms and evidence-based workplace approaches – a live signal that EAP providers are actively promoting this capability to employers right now. The infrastructure exists across multiple providers. The question for brokers is whether the schemes they are placing are structured to include it.
Brynlea Hunter-Morpeth, AIA NZ’s chief people officer, framed the issue in terms of workforce economics. “Women in their 40s and 50s are often at the height of their careers. They’re leading teams, mentoring colleagues, building expertise, and making significant contributions to their organisations. At a time when many industries are focused on attracting and retaining experienced talent, employers can’t afford to overlook menopause as a workplace issue,” Hunter-Morpeth said.
The cost environment reinforces the argument. Aon’s 2026 Global Medical Trend Rates Report forecasts New Zealand employee medical plan costs will rise a further 18% in 2026, well above the Asia-Pacific average of 11.3% and the global average of 9.8%. When premiums are rising at that pace, clients expect demonstrable value from scheme design. Preventive benefit components – including EAP-integrated menopause support – are a cost-effective part of that answer. Hunter-Morpeth also connected the issue to broader national discussions. “Nationally there’s a lot of discourse about productivity and future proofing our workforce, and the challenges that may be pushing experienced women out, or preventing them from performing at their best, need to be part of that conversation,” she said.
There is a secondary reason brokers should pay attention. The FMA’s Access to Financial Advice Review, published in March 2026 following a review conducted from July to December 2025, found that 28% of New Zealanders accessed financial advice in the past 12 months – meaning nearly three in four went without it. The review identified Māori, Pasifika communities, and lower socio-economic groups as significantly underrepresented among those receiving advice and found that many consumers reported uncertainty about what financial advice is, how to access it, and how much it costs. For brokers, the regulatory direction is clear: the FMA is actively examining whether advice is reaching people who need it, and group scheme design is one practical channel through which that gap can be narrowed.
People over 50 now make up more than a third of the New Zealand workforce and represent the fastest-growing worker demographic. The scheme review question is therefore straightforward: does the EAP component of this group scheme include menopause specialist access, and if not, at what marginal cost could it? The AIA NZ Menopause Support Toolkit is publicly available on the AIA NZ website.
