Popular service

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 405, 24 September 1991, Page 15

Popular service

An insurance broker service is particularly helpful to people in places like the Waimarino where insurance companies are hard to reach, so its not surprising that the services provided by High Country Brokers is growing in popularity. The man up-front for the company, a subsidiary of Wanganui Insurance Brokers Limited, is ex-local boy Thomas Bowater. "We aim to meet the needs of the insured by looking for the best that the insurers can provide," said Thomas. He said they first look at the needs of the person seeking insurance and then look to insurance companies to see if those needs can be met by their policies. . The broker's service costs nothing to the insured, with the insurance company providing commission to the brokers to cover their costs. As well as helping customers to find a policy to fit their needs, High Country Brokers can save in premiums too. Example premiums given by Thomas include a farmer paying $2600 in 1990-91 but just $2286 in 91/92 (a 13.5 per cent saving).

PROFILE An engineer paying $9800 is this year paying $8065 (a 21.5 per cent saving), an individual's combined house an contents policy last year costing $689 is now $580 th rough High Country Brokers; a builder is now paying $3294, down from $3805 and a market gardener is paying $2978, 15.5 per cent down from the $3438 of last year. Insurance offered includes the full range: individual house and contents, motor vehicles, travel insurance, superannuation, life insurance, farm, business, etc. Clients include engineers, market gardeners, farmers, garages, retailers, builders, bush contractors, schools, and private individuals. "Our service is rural orientated and farming features very strong in our list of clients," said Thomas. "So we're up with the changes in policies that affect rural people especially." "People can be flummoxed with the changes that insurance companies

make. There are new policies all the time, there are new premiums and new excesses." "There are cases where premiums and excesses are changing mid-way through a policy," said Thomas. "We monitor people's policies to ensure that doesn't happen without them knowing about it." "With us, you don't just get an automatic bill at the end of the year for your premium. We contact you to check to see if there needs to be any changes in the policy." Thomas Bowater was born and bred in Raetihi, with his parents still living here. So although he lives in Wanganui the ties to the area are strong, both through work and family. He was educated at Raetihi Primary and Wanganui Boys College. He has worked for the Ministry of Transport in Tokoroa in traffic education, dealing with teachers and pupils as well as community groups. He's been back in this part of the country for about four years.

His interests include triathlons and he is to compete in the Mountains to the Sea event next month and has recently completed the Wanganui Gut Buster. He has also run in the Around the Mountains Relay, which is organised by the Army. High Country Brokers' service extends beyond arranging insurance and takes in looking at people's risk and helping prepare claims. Thomas said he helps people assess their

risk and advises on ways to minimize it. He said this is important these days with insurance companies now taking the line that unless people have taken reasonable precautions to safeguard their property there is a chance that the claim may not be met. "The onus is well and truly put back onto people to make sure they safeguard their property," he said. "Again, we can help people work out what steps they should take to do that."