nib expands into international visitor market

Under the alliance, nib underwrites Uni-Care’s international student products while Uni-Care will manage all claims, sales and product distribution.

nib chief executive Rob Hennin said the partnership would further expand nib’s capabilities in the international visitors market.

“We’re seeing more and more people travel to New Zealand, whether it’s for study, work or leisure. Latest figures show more than 110,000 people came to our shores to study making international education the country’s fourth largest export industry,” Hennin said.

“This represents a fantastic opportunity for us to grow our business by tapping into the international students and workers travel insurance market, which complements our core health insurance business.”

Hennin said Uni-Care already had a strong presence in the market and the partnership with a positive strep.

“We’ve been searching for the right opportunity for some time and believe this partnership is a great fit."

Under the deal, nib also manages Uni-Care’s emergency assistance function through its travel insurance business. This means students will continue to have cover when in travelling between their country of origin, plus for short visits to Australia, some Pacific Islands, Bali and Lombok.

John Chandler of Uni-Care said the company was thrilled to be joining forces with nib in the provision of visitor travel insurance.

“After going to market in search of a new underwriting partner we are pleased to announce a new partnership with nib for our Uni-Care travel products. nib’s capabilities and expertise provided the perfect fit for Uni-Care and we’re confident the new alliance strengthens our offering in the international travel market and most importantly adds value to our customers."