Best Insurance Brokers in Australia and New Zealand | Elite Brokers
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Blue chip operators
In Australia and New Zealand’s competitive industry, IB’s Elite Brokers of 2025 have outperformed their peers across key criteria, earning a place among the top 30.
These prestigious rankings were assessed based on:
To determine the annual list, the IB team objectively ranked the best-performing insurance brokers, not just those with the biggest portfolios or the most clients.
From 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, the best insurance brokers have collectively achieved:
• 15,711: total number of policies personally written
• $59.2 billion: total revenue personally generated
• $61,502: average revenue per policy
• 221.65%: average client growth
• $416,036: average revenue generated from new clients
According to IBISWorld, Australia’s insurance broking industry is a $21.3 billion market, with 5,488 firms employing 21,914 professionals. The sector has seen 7.7% annual growth over the past five years, fuelled by rising demand for brokers who can steer through increasing insurance costs and evolving regulations.
Highlighting more detailed trends is the Insurance Brokers Code Compliance Committee’s (IBCCC) Annual Report 2023–24.
Of the brokers who subscribe to the code, there has been a rise in clients and branches in the mid-categories of brokerages with 21–30 and 31–50 and full-time brokers/employees.
New Zealand’s insurance brokerage industry generates $3.0 billion in annual revenue, with 2,488 firms employing 8,500 professionals. While industry growth has slowed to 1.3% yearly, brokers remain essential, particularly in commercial insurance.
As larger firms continue to expand their reach in both countries, the best insurance brokers find ways to stay competitive through technology, personalised service and strong client relationships.
According to PwC’s first installment in The Future of Insurance in Australia series, 2025 and Beyond, five trends are impacting the future of insurance:
a widening trust gap in an uncertain world
rapidly evolving customer needs and preferences
an increasingly digital and AI-driven world
climate risk and a focus on sustainability
convergence, collaboration and competition
A February 2025 Insurance Council of New Zealand report examined the industry’s response to two catastrophic North Island weather events – the Auckland anniversary weekend floods and Cyclone Gabrielle in early 2023 – finding:
118,000-plus private insurance claims filed
total insurance claim value was $3.8 billion, including $1.8 billion in house claims, $267 million in contents claims, $215 million in motor claims and $1.5 billion in business claims
91% of claims resolved within 12 months
96% of claims resolved within 16 months
treasury estimate of economic cost between $9 billion and $14.5 billion
The best insurance brokers set the standard for service and trust
Three of IB’s Elite Brokers of 2025 have consistently earned industry recognition.
When Eamon O’Connor founded O’Connor Warren Insurance Brokers in 2013, he made a vow to treat all clients with the same care and attention. He takes pride in instilling that personalised, service-focused approach in his team of over a dozen.
“When I started alone, I believed every client, small, medium or large, deserved to be cared for and thought about,” he says. “If I could get my team to think the same way, in theory, that should be successful. And that theory has turned into reality. We’ve built an extremely efficient operation that is entirely client focused.”
“Clients want action, real support and someone who listens. They know insurance is costly, but when competitors go silent, they call us. Our reputation is built on prompt action, first-class advice and results”
Eamon O’ConnorO’Connor Warren Insurance Brokers
For Lauren Spice, founding Morgan Insurance Brokers in Brisbane, Australia, was a path she paved for herself since becoming a broker at just 17. She worked her way up in various roles and companies, gaining hands-on experience managing a book of business and running day-to-day operations.
“I kept hitting ceilings and capping out on how far I could go,” she says. “I wanted more responsibility, bigger clients and a larger book. I knew I wanted to do my own thing and build my brand.”
She launched her brokerage around the same time she had her first child.
“From there, everything snowballed quickly,” she says. “The business took off and hasn’t slowed down since.”
“We do a lot of everything; we’re not specific to one type of insurance, which helps us adapt quickly to market changes”
Lauren SpiceMorgan Insurance Brokers
National Insurance Brokers founder Abbie Wilson is dedicated to her Horsham, Wimmera community and the clients she now serves across Australia.
Her passion for protecting what matters most to her clients, especially in times of crisis, drives her to go above and beyond, ensuring they receive quality coverage and personalised support when they need it most.
“We all need someone in our corner,” she says. “When it comes to insurance, whether for farmers, small businesses or even mums and dads, if they don’t have us, who do they have?”
She has seen firsthand the impact of the region’s natural disasters, such as bushfires and floods and is committed to helping clients recover and rebuild.
“As brokers, we have to do a better job sharing good stories. I’m working on that by creating positive stories to help shift the narrative”
Abbie WilsonNational Insurance Brokers
What does winning look like for the Elite Brokers?
While every insurance broker on this year’s prestigious list has achieved outstanding success, the strategies vary widely.
O’Connor, who ranked No. 1, has been propelled to the top of IB’s Elite Broker list through his commitment to hard work and the exceptional team he’s assembled.
Ranking as the top broker in New Zealand and Australia is the result of many pivotal factors, including:
client awareness and proactive service: O’Connor and his team are attuned to client concerns, proactively addressing issues before they escalate and understanding every touchpoint in a client’s insurance journey.
resolving issues at all costs: a strict, non-negotiable approach to customer satisfaction. If a client is unhappy, the team works tirelessly to turn things around.
open-plan leadership: as principal, O’Connor remains involved with day-to-day operations, offering quick guidance and advice and fostering collaboration and transparency.
building a high-performing team: employees are trained to operate at the highest level, to become “match fit” as top-tier professionals.
referral-driven growth: a client-first approach drives organic growth. Satisfied customers become advocates who generate consistent referrals.
“I’ve got a great team of people in our business,” O’Connor says. “We trust them. We’ve got a great culture. They can deal with all aspects of the business. We operate in a flat structure, with our staff considered some of the market’s top performers. We’re quite different in that regard.”
Spice, who ranked No. 11, has driven her success with a forward-thinking approach and innovative strategies, including:
future-oriented thinking: emphasising setting goals based on where she wants to be, not just where she is, and proactively reaching that next level.
calculated risk-taking: believing growth requires taking risks, she doesn’t wait for the “perfect” time to move forward.
scalability: implementing systems and processes that support long-term growth, ensuring they can handle future expansion.
strategic staffing: hiring and structuring her team with future growth in mind, ensuring the business has the right people in place before demand increases.
“Thinking forward is the biggest thing. If you have that mindset, you set a goal and figure out how to achieve it,” Spice says. “If you don’t build with the future in mind, you’ll always play catch-up.”
Wilson, who ranked No. 29, has not stopped advocating for her clients. She remains committed to standing up for her community, particularly as industry challenges and natural disasters put brokers to the test.
Approaches that set her apart include:
resilience and perseverance: committed to pushing forward, emphasising that giving up is not an option.
client-first philosophy: she ensures clients receive results, reinforcing their appreciation of the expertise and support.
strong sense of responsibility: sees brokers as a support system, recognising that many clients would have nowhere to turn without them.
community focus: she positions herself as more than a broker and someone who is invested in the wellbeing of her clients.
“As things change and we face more challenges and disasters, our value as brokers is continually tested – and it has been tested repeatedly,” Wilson says. “Many of us are mentally and emotionally exhausted, but we must keep going. We still have to run our businesses. If we slow down or stop, nothing gets achieved. Clients won’t get the results they deserve or what they’ve paid for.”
Even for the best insurance brokers, it’s not always smooth sailing every year. From economic pressures, shifts in client expectations or personal hurdles, staying at the top takes resilience, adaptability and commitment.
O’Connor points out that in New Zealand in 2023, his clients experienced many natural disasters, such as the Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle.
“The New Zealand insurance market suffered around $4.5 billion in losses, which is a huge amount for a small country,” he says. “Everyone was impacted somehow, whether it was personal or business. Our focus was on looking after clients in their toughest time that extended beyond a traditional broking role.”
Beyond that, he and his team had to manage a difficult insurance market, similar to what happens after major disasters worldwide. After those local catastrophes in early 2023, New Zealand saw a major shift to a hard market, with premiums rising exponentially, and a strong economic downturn hit the country.
“It’s been tough with rising costs, struggling businesses and ongoing challenges from these disasters,” O’Connor says. “The difference between us and our competitors, and the reason we’ve been so successful, is that since the 2023 disasters, we’ve been consistent and maintained our high standards. People just want to be cared for. They want service. They want someone who listens, understands and supports them.”
For Spice, staffing has been the biggest challenge to ensure she has the best team to accommodate growth.
“We overstaff intentionally to ensure we can service clients well and facilitate future growth,” she says. “We don’t want to turn away clients or referrals. We want to ensure every lead is touched, serviced and nurtured. For us, it’s about balancing smart hiring while making sure we maintain a high standard of service.”
With insurers facing increasing pressure from climate risks and sustainability concerns, which is one of PwC’s five key trends for 2025, Wilson has made it her mission to advocate for rural clients. She believes accessibility and affordability must remain a priority, particularly in disaster-prone regions.
Wilson’s boots-on-the-ground philosophy tested her mettle during the local bushfires in western Victoria in the high-fire-risk Grampians region in the summer of 2024. Communicating with claims and finding the right people who truly understood the situation was challenging.
She says, “It often felt like I had to educate the claims teams on how policies should respond and how vulnerable clients should be treated. That aspect was ignored at first, making the process even harder. I kept going and didn’t stop until the right result was delivered.”
Wilson has continued working on the affordability and availability of insurance, not only in the Grampians region but across Australia. She believes it is also a global issue in certain areas, with reinsurance playing a major role. While the reinsurance market is beyond her scope, she thinks it’s crucial to adapt and find other ways to make insurance accessible and affordable.
“Right now, we’re heavily involved in advocacy work on this issue,” she says. “There’s been a lot of discussion, especially as we head into the federal election. This is an ongoing process; there are no overnight solutions. Even if we find answers, implementing them will take time.”
Cracking the Elite Brokers’ code
The three winners share their advice to give those aiming to follow in their footsteps and earn a place on next year’s Elite Brokers list.
To excel at the highest level, O’Connor says, “The biggest thing is making sure you’ve left no stone unturned with your clients. The goal is to ensure they are happy or at least satisfied following a challenging claim. It’s not always possible to get a perfect result, but as long as you have communicated well throughout the process and they understand you’ve exhausted all avenues in your professional capacity, then they remain confident in you as their broker.
To stand out in a competitive field, Spice says, “Take calculated risks. Staying comfortable means you’re not pushing boundaries or hitting the next growth phase.”
As digitalisation continues to reshape the market, with brokers investing heavily in automation and AI to streamline operations, Spice remains ahead of the curve.
“Investing in the right systems has been crucial in saving time and increasing efficiency,” she says, aligning with PwC’s prediction that tech and AI will play a defining role in the industry’s future.
“As a director and senior broker, my time is best spent selling and talking to clients, not getting bogged down in administration. If you can free up your time, you grow faster. That means putting processes in place so you’re not stuck dragging emails, filing or doing tasks someone else could do better. I don’t need to handle social media, payroll or bookkeeping; there are people who can do it better. Letting go of those tasks allowed me to scale quickly.”
To be at the top of the game, Wilson says, “Don’t be scared to speak up on matters you’re passionate about and advocate for the issues that matter to you.
“For me, that means speaking up for farmers and working to find solutions for rural and regional communities in those high-risk areas. Don’t shy away from stepping forward because you might surprise yourself with the talent you’ve been keeping inside. Put yourself in the spotlight so that people know you’re there, that you’re capable and that you can help find solutions. We don’t know what we don’t know, but one thing is certain: insurance needs humans, and our clients need that human touch.”
Industry trends and shifts on Elite Broker’s 2025 radar
In early 2025, New Zealand witnessed a shift from a hard market to a soft market.
“Your competition is starting to take a closer look at the New Zealand market, and I’m talking about insurers here,” O’Connor says. “In a softening insurance market, rates have become more competitive. Insurers have made money over the past year following several unprofitable years and are now in a stronger position.”
He asserts that if brokers are not adequately covering the market, they could get caught out. Insurers are actively quoting, and completing a thorough broking job is essential to ensure the best terms are achieved.
“This market shift is happening fast,” he says. “We’re moving very quickly into a competitive market, and being aware of the opportunities is key.”
Spice notes that pricing has stabilised, and renewal increases on commercial accounts have tapered off.
“We’ve also seen a wave of mergers and acquisitions, both among underwriting agencies and brokerages,” she says. “Chase Underwriting has been snapping up a lot of players, and we’ve seen similar moves with Australian specialty underwriters Epsilon, Wellington Underwriting and Aster merging. It’s the big players either competing with the competition or becoming the competition.”
Cyber insurance take-up has skyrocketed in Australia, a product Spice has pushed for years.
“I’m not sure if it’s because brokers are better educated on how to sell it or because the pricing is more competitive, but underwriting is smoother, there are fewer questions, and more businesses are recognising its importance.”
Within Wilson’s clientele, premium increases have plateaued slightly, but challenges remain, especially in agriculture.
“Finding the right solutions is difficult with limited options, and it would be great to see more insurers enter this space,” she says. “However, farm and crop insurance requires specialised expertise, and not every company is equipped to provide that. So, it will be an uphill battle.”
Right now, one of her biggest concerns is claims service.
“To put it diplomatically, there’s a noticeable lack of experience and talent in claims departments, which is causing a lot of undue stress for clients,” she says. “Addressing this issue isn’t easy, and it’s part of a broader industry-wide and even global talent gap. We all have a role to play in fixing it.”
She points to a need to identify the most urgent talent gaps and consider developing new educational pathways to encourage potential entrants to the industry.
Elite Brokers 2025
Andrew Pook
InsuredNZ
Austin Rosie
Omnisure
Bradley Tonkin
Spring Loans
Cameron Tait
McLardy McShane
Chris Ash
Affiliated Insurance Brokers (Auckland)
Clint Kim
REDYSURE
Craig Fretwell
CeeJaze Management and Consulting
Craig Graham
Business Insurance Consulting
Dion Owens
Marsh
Edward McCarthy
Bellrock
Geoff Youngs
CANEGROWERS Australia
Grant Signal
Marsh
Jamie Stumpo
AIC Insurance Brokers
Kate Greaves
Goldsworthy General Insurance Services
Kelsey Spencer
National Credit Insurance (Brokers)
Kerri Kohler-Saunders
Marsh
Laarnie Tagalog
Peak Financial Services
Lauren Spice
Morgan Insurance Brokers
Matthew Bates
Bell Partners Insurance
Meena Wahi
Amplisure
Murray Johnson
Johnson Insurance Brokers
Nathan Barker
Cactus
Nicole Wang
REDYSURE
Niki Jiang
REDYSURE
Prudence Chang
National Credit Insurance (Brokers)
Sally Wu
REDYSURE
Zoe Evans
Gallagher
Elite Brokers 2025 – Listing in order
2. Clint Kim
REDYSURE
3. Bradley Tonkin
Spring Loans
4. (tie) Edward McCarthy
Bellrock
4. (tie) Niki Jiang
REDYSURE
7. (tie) Laarnie Tagalog
Peak Financial Services
7. (tie) Kerri Kohler-Saunders
Marsh
9. Austin Rosie
Omnisure
10. Andrew Pook
InsuredNZ
11. Lauren Spice
Morgan Insurance Brokers
12. Nicole Wang
REDYSURE
13. Kelsey Spencer
National Credit Insurance (Brokers)
14. (tie) Prudence Chang
National Credit Insurance (Brokers)
14. (tie) Zoe Evans
Gallagher
16. Jamie Stumpo
AIC Insurance Brokers
17. Murray Johnson
Johnson Insurance Broker
18. Matthew Bates
Bell Partners Insurance
19. Chris Ash
Affiliated Insurance Brokers (Auckland)
20. (tie) Craig Fretwell
CeeJaze Management and Consulting
20. (tie) Sally Wu
REDYSURE
22. (tie) Nathan Barker
Cactus
22. (tie) Craig Graham
Business Insurance Consulting
24. Dion Owens
Marsh
25. Cameron Tait
McLardy McShane
26. Grant Signal
Marsh
27. Geoff Youngs
CANEGROWERS Australia
28. Meena Wahi
Amplisure
30. Kate Greaves
Goldsworthy General Insurance Services
