ADVERTISING FEATURE
Chocolate factory buttons up business success When the February earthquake struck, Richfields Chocolate found itself with a factory full of liquefaction and extensive damage, right in the middle of peak seasonal production – Easter egg time! You would be forgiven for thinking
physical repair moved quickly with RNP
that the shake sent liquid chocolate
Homes expertly managing the multiple
everywhere to form exotic choc-tops
contractors required.
on the equipment.
“It was vitally important for our business
On the contrary, the power was cut and
to get up and running again as quickly
chocolate set rock-solid in the huge vats
as possible – so we all banded together,
requiring jack-hammers to remove it. All
immediately cleaned up the liquefaction,
the equipment had to be steam cleaned,
fixed the place up, worked around it and
and add to that six electricians working
just got the job done,” says Richard.
Sweet deal
non-stop for a week to repair electrical
“Despite being closed for three weeks,
Richfields’ broker Dennis Sanders says he was delighted with the outcome
damage to blown motors and fuse boxes, the scale of the clean up becomes clear.
100% of our Easter orders were delivered, 99% on time, thanks to
Richfields Chocolate’s Chief Executive
everyone at Richfields and the efforts of
Richard Simpson and his team faced these
NZI, Hawkins and RNP Homes.”
tasks and many more once the factory
The factory is now operating as normal
was declared safe by structural engineers.
after a full repair and Richard speaks highly
This is when NZI got involved. According
of NZI’s process and people involved.
to Richard their swiftness and attention
“NZI’s comprehensive policy cover allowed
to detail in settling issues for Richfields
us the freedom and reassurance we needed
was outstanding.
to complete the repair of the factory as
From the moment Richfields’ broker
swiftly and as efficiently as we did.
Dennis Sanders of FMR Risk handed the
“In fact, our company has just had its
company’s file to Hawkins (NZI’s project
best month trading in over two years.
manager) the job ran like clockwork. The
I think that speaks for itself...”
Dennis, a senior broker at FMR Risk, has worked with Richfields Chocolate for more than 10 years, providing insurance advice and policies underwritten by NZI. Seeing his client happy with the repairs and stock losses paid for by Richfields’ NZI cover is what it’s all about for Dennis, who is loathe to take any of the credit for the deal himself. “It’s a two-way street, a consultative process. The personal relationships are very important too,” says Dennis. “Richfields is a proactive business and they’re a pleasure to work with”.
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ADVERTISING FEATURE
Contained style
What do you do when a natural disaster devastates your family business? If you’re Pat and Margaret Quinn, you think inside the box – stylishly of course!
NZI customers, Pat and Margaret Quinn, know all about challenges. After all, you don’t develop an iconic business like Quinns without a lot of hard work. Unfortunately, as the couple found out, even iconic business status doesn’t protect you from Mother Nature, when on February 22 this year, their store in Merivale fell victim to the devastating Canterbury earthquake. The familiar store frontage that had stood on Papanui Rd for nearly four decades crumbled, and Quinns was laid bare for all to see. Although heartbroken, the Quinns weren’t about to cave in. While others may have opted for easier ways out of such a mess, they knew the only way was forward and with their insurer NZI acting quickly, they were soon making plans for the future. Says Pat, “We never considered anything other than starting over, maybe it’s the St Bede’s boy in me, you just keep going... and thank heavens for our NZI policy; it gave us the freedom to do just that.” Performing the stocktake to settle the claim was a mission in itself. “It was pretty much a process of elimination. We knew what stock we had, and the physical stocktakes revealed a quantity and value of stock in the dangerous, inaccessible areas of the building,” says Pat.
“It took time to get it all sorted, but we persevered and NZI never wavered in their support,” he adds.
noise and resulting chaos will live long in their memories.
“They quickly settled the stock claim in full, and our plant and equipment claim is already partially paid too. I can’t say enough good things about them.”
But they’re a resilient bunch and progressively all were focused on getting this legendary business up and running to a point where they’d be set to go on that March 7 target date.
Like NZI, the loyalty and dedication of Quinns’ staff to get back on track was just as enthusiastic.
And who was behind the inspired genius of using glass-fronted shipping containers as a storefront?
For them, the events of February 22 had been a terrifying ordeal. Their store tumbled about them and the
Pat is the first to acknowledge that all the credit belongs with Margaret.
“We never considered anything other than starting over, maybe it’s the St Bede’s boy in me, you just keep going...”
A canny buyer with a sharp eye for a trend, it comes as no surprise that Margaret was behind the idea of using the shipping containers as temporary showroom windows and in doing so creating a very novel main road frontage! So Quinns of Merivale, while bowed a little initially, has not been beaten. Builders and contractors completed remedial work and Quinns opened again with Merivale Mall on March 7, only two weeks after the earthquake. Quinns has ridden the rollercoaster and surged out the other end with NZI playing a big part in that. Having been with NZI for around 40 years Pat and Margaret would be the first to agree, it’s a relationship easily worth its weight in gold.
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Blending past & present
Most Cantabrians associate the 22 February quake with the largest devastation, but for the Greendale community the forerunner was the magnitude 7.1 in September the previous year.
The historic home Nesslea, in the Greendale district and handy to that September fault line, was built in 1922. A timber structure with a pebbled roughcast finish, it was a local landmark with its three huge chimneys dominating its near 30-degree roofline. Nesslea is owned by long-time NZI customers, Leonore and Errol Ashby who were inside in September when the chimneys toppled through the house causing massive damage.
“Given their weight and size, they just fell through the floor and pulled everything down with them. We just clung to each other as a chimney came smashing through the wall towards us,” says Errol.
Leonore and Errol say it was the support
“Our home was destroyed, but we weren’t about to cry over spilt milk,” says Leonore.
In consultation with NZI, the Ashbys have
“We got in touch with our broker, Graham McStay (PGG Wrightson – Aon), and with NZI we started working out our next steps.”
fixtures from Nesslea to incorporate into
From the beginning, Leonore and Errol have been determined to salvage as much of Nesslea’s history as possible. In keeping with its age, Nesslea brimmed with timber panelling, leadlight windows and grand staircases. In addition, the Ashbys had amassed a collection of local historical items into a personal museum that overseas tourists could view during their farm show visit.
of their team: Graham McStay, NZI’s Lisa Workman, Hawkins and others, “who were the ongoing spur we needed to get a slice of Canterbury history back on its feet”.
been able to salvage heritage fittings and their new home designed by their architect Ray Hawthorne. And builder Gary Frost is the one knitting the old and new together into an exciting blend of past and present. So things are progressing well for the Ashbys and they expect to be in their “new home” in February or March of next year. The Ashbys would also like to acknowledge the support of Roger Scammell, other rebuild experts, the local service groups, NZ Red Cross, The Salvation Army and their local rural community.
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ADVERTISING FEATURE
Backing Canterbury’s recovery As a company, NZI is 100 per cent committed to the Canterbury region. We are aware there has been some frustration over ongoing insurance and we are doing all we can to provide innovative solutions to any issues that may hold up the rebuilding process. NZI can offer contents insurance policies to those tradespeople employed or contracted by member organisations of the BusinessNZ Building and Infrastructure Committee who are moving to Canterbury to help with the rebuild. We are also prepared to consider writing new business for both new and existing customers with tools and mobile plant (portable business assets), who are working in the area as part of the rebuild programme.
NZI recognised as ‘Insurer of the Year’
Oliver Kreis works for NZI helping customers settle their personal and businessrelated insurance claims. Most people would assume that Oliver’s job consists of receiving documents and then arranging payment, but in fact he coordinates a wide range of internal and external experts to get the best outcome for his customers. Here’s what Oliver achieves in a typical day at work:
TIME A CTI V ITY 0830 - 0900
Sort through emails and arrange priority tasks for the day
0900 - 1000
Work through the engineer’s report received for the Johnson’s* claim. Send onto loss adjuster to price repairs
1000 - 1015
Talk with lawyer acting on behalf of overseas-based customer. Identify what needs to be done by customer and NZI. Add action points to list
1015 - 1100
Start on the Smith’s* claim. Quickly realise that their policy requires a non-standard approach. Arrange independent valuation and contact the Smiths to explain next steps
1100 - 1145
Meet with a technical expert to discuss a case where the proposed settlement needs expert policy interpretation
1145 – 1200
Mrs Jones* calls and wants to know if she can arrange work on her house. Chat with her about what her policy covers and what NZI could authorise for her
1200 – 1300
Lunch
1300 – 1400
Action demolition orders
1400 – 1600
Settle business interruption claims; update other customers on the status of their business interruption payments
1600 – 1715
Work through claims on desk, and contact their brokers to let them know what is happening
1715 – 1730
Update action list, ready for tomorrow
* The customer names in this article are fictitious. Any similarity to any current claimant or claims is coincidental.
NZI was awarded the title of ‘Insurer of the Year’ at the recent IBANZ General Insurance Industry Awards. This award recognises excellence in three broad areas: image and reputation; products, services and business support; and prices and costs. Executive General Manager, Karl Armstrong says: “To be recognised for our contribution in what’s been the most challenging year the industry and our customers have experienced, is truly humbling.” As well as this, NZI Claims was awarded ‘Claims Team of the Year’ for its Canterbury earthquake claims response. Thank you to our broker partners and customers – it’s great to be part of a winning team.
Not wanting to brag, but we won our trophy without Henry’s help. Being voted ‘Insurer of the Year’ at the IBANZ General Insurance Industry Awards is very humbling. Not just because the recognition comes from our valued broker partners. Or that it acknowledges excellence across the board. But because it comes in the midst of perhaps the most challenging year the industry and our customers have ever experienced. So thank you. It’s great to be part of a winning team.
NZ5649 10/11 AVE
A D ay- i n -t h e - l i f e : NZI claims handler
WINNER 2011
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