Future-Ready Advice: Adapting for a Changing World

The IFAA National Conference was held in the stunning alpine setting of Queenstown from 29–31 October, bringing together 80 members, sponsors and business partners for three days of connection, learning and collaboration.

With the theme “Future-Ready Advice: Adapting for a Changing World”, this year’s conference focused on helping advisers explore new ways of thinking, embrace industry change, and ensure their advice businesses remain resilient and future-focused.

A Collegial, Forward-Looking Atmosphere

As always, the conference delivered on IFAA’s core values of comradery, professional development and meaningful industry connection. The atmosphere throughout the event was collegial and forward-looking, with excellent engagement across all sessions and plenty of opportunity for advisers to connect with peers and product partners in a relaxed and convivial environment.

Stand-Out Speakers & Sessions

The conference program featured an outstanding line-up of speakers and panel discussions, including:

• Nick Farr-Jones, whose keynote was exceptionally well received
• A highly engaging Panel Discussion on Claims, Complaints and Professional Indemnity, featuring the Financial Markets Authority, Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman and Rothbury Insurance Brokers
• A powerful personal presentation from Matt Pickering, reminding us that “it’s not what happens to you, but what you do about it.”

The content this year strongly reflected the pace of change in our industry and reinforced the importance of adaptability, strong governance, client-first thinking and professional resilience.

An Experience to Remember

A distinctive feature of the Queenstown conference was the opportunity for shared experiences outside the conference room. Delegates enjoyed:

• A group gin-distilling experience, which proved to be a highlight and a great way to connect
• Once again, a hugely popular “Amazing Race” event kindly hosted by Chubb Life, adding fun, teamwork and friendly competition to the programme

These experiences played a key role in strengthening professional relationships in a relaxed and enjoyable setting.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

We extend our sincere thanks to all our valued sponsors for their ongoing support of IFAA and our members. In particular, we acknowledge Asteron Life as our Platinum Sponsor for 2025.

We also thank our other generous sponsors and partners:
Chubb Life, Partners Life, Generate, Fidelity Life, nib and AIA.

Looking Ahead to 2026

The IFAA National Conference continues to be a highlight of our annual calendar, and feedback from members has once again been overwhelmingly positive. We also received some excellent suggestions for our 2026 conference, which we are already busy planning.

Interested in joining us at IFAA?

If you’d like to learn more about IFAA or register your interest in attending a future IFAA event, we’d love to hear from you. We are always open to extending an invitation to prospective members to experience what our community is all about.

👉 Register your interest here and we’ll be in touch.