QBE LIABILITY, one of the largest specialist liability underwriters in New Zealand, places emphasis on technical excellence, product innovation and long term relationships.

In an increasingly litigious society our team of multi-skilled professionals prides itself on working with insurance advisors to truly understand a client's business. In this way we can help identify a client's full legal liability exposure and, if necessary, underwrite a tailored solution that helps cover their exposures.

Whether emanating from common law or statute, we cover the exposures of the largest corporation through to the smallest business or non-profit organisation, at a price that's realistic and sustainable. Areas of cover include:

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Product Range

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As New Zealand’s foremost professional indemnity (PI) insurer, QBE Liability has the ability to underwrite almost any professional risk. This includes the highly specialised areas of Medical Malpractice and I.T.

In common law, any professional person, whether they charge a fee or not, owes a duty of care to anybody who relies on their service or advice. Should such reliance result in any loss that person may be able to sue for ‘negligence’ to recover their loss.

Every year the courts see more people suing and both awards of damages and legal defence costs increasing. Already mandatory for some professions, professional indemnity insurance is protection that a professional should have when operating a business.

Professional Indemnity

Supplementary Questionnaires:

  • Accountants
  • Architects, Engineers & Surveyors
  • Barrister & Solicitors
  • Design & Consult
  • Fidelity & Dishonesty
  • Financial Planners
  • Insurance Brokers
  • Marketing Agencies
  • Patent & Trademark Attorneys
  • Project Managers
  • Real Estate Agents
  • Single Project Design & Consult
  • Building Certifiers

Medical Malpractice Insurance

Medical Malpractice can help protect individuals and/or organisations operating in the Health Care industry against loss arising from allegations of negligence and can cover defence costs and any settlements or awards of damages.

Supplementary Questionnaires:

  • Health Professionals
  • Private Care Facilities
  • Hospitals

IT Liability Insurance

I.T. Liability provides dovetailed insurance for those working across the broad spectrum of information technology by integrating cover for your professional and general liability exposures.

Supplementary Questionnaires:

  • Tele/Data Communication Services
  • Hardware

As a leading directors & officers' liability insurer QBE New Zealand recognises that in a society increasingly willing to seek compensation through litigation from company directors and officers.

Whether in a company, association or charity role, directors, officers and trustees carry a heavy burden of responsibility. They can be held personally liable not only for their own mistakes but also for the mistakes of others in their company or organisation.

Personal assets, the family home, and even the children's University fund can all be at stake. Without the appropriate personal liability insurance there is simply too much to lose. Talk to your insurance advisor about arranging protection with QBE.

Directors & Officers' Liability Insurance

Supplementary Questionnaire:

  • North American Exposure

Association Liability Insurance

Association Liability provides cover to those working in community or industry associations and charities who can be held personally liable for mistakes made whilst they are in office.

Trustees' Liability Insurance

Trustees' Liability provides cover for trustees who can be made personally liable for the debts of that trust and for penalties awarded against it.

Director's Personal Liability Insurance

This personal 'Directors & Officers' cover is ideal for individuals who sit on more than one company board, providing independent and consistent cover across all their professional duties

All businesses have a legal liability to customers, suppliers and the general public. If during the course of your business you, your employees or your products cause an injury to, or damage the property of, a 'third party' you may be held liable. Both the legal defence costs, and any awards of damages ordered by court, can be substantial.

The approach of QBE New Zealand's general liability product, which combines public and product liability covers, means that a great range of events are covered. With its clear wording and many automatic extensions, QBE New Zealand's general liability insurance policy can be tailored to suit almost any business.

General Liability Insurance

  • Accident Contamination & Product Tampering

Supplementary Questionnaires:

  • Hazardous Substances
  • North American Exports
  • Overseas Operations
  • Product Recall Expenses
  • Project Liability

Each year in New Zealand, new Acts of Parliament are passed, and many more pieces of existing legislation are updated and modified. Keeping abreast of continually changing legislation is a challenge in itself and failing to do so can bring severe penalties against businesses (as well as the individual officers or employees) who fail to comply.

QBE's statutory liability product is designed to pay for the heavy legal costs involved in defending an unintentional breach of law. If you are found guilty it can even pay fines outside of exemplary damages.

Statutory & Employers Liability

Supplementary Questionnaires:

  • Adventure Tourism
  • Aviation
  • Marine

Employers must ensure they provide a safe, non-hazardous and largely stress-free working environment for their employees.

Usually, if an employee is injured at work, ACC steps in, but there are occasions when ACC cannot help. For example, when the harm is caused over a long period or the injury is a mental injury such as nervous shock or fright.

In these cases the injured employee retains the right to sue, and the resulting legal defence costs, plus any settlements or awards of damage, can be very costly.

QBE New Zealand employers' liability product can help plug this gap in ACC coverage, and its purchase helps ensure an integrated suite of business liability insurance.

Statutory & Employers Liability

Sometimes the precise cover you need might not be catered for within our standard product range. In this case our more specialised covers may be required, or our team of highly knowledgeable and experienced Liability underwriters, can tailor a wording to suit your special needs.

Seedsmen's Liability Insurance

A specialist 'errors & omissions' policy insures seedsmen against alleged negligence with regard to the research and development, production, sale and supply of seeds.

Employment Disputes Insurance

Employment Disputes Insurance can help protect a company against claims by current, former or prospective employees alleging such things as breach of employment contract, constructive dismissal, harassment or discrimination.

Exemplary Damages Insurance

Exemplary Damages Insurance can pay for 'exemplary' awards that a court may order you to pay following what it considers to be a severe breach of your common law 'duty of care'.

Defamation Insurance

  • Book Publishers
  • Newspapers, Magazines & Trade Journals

  • Television or Radio Stations

Invaluable for those involved in publishing or broadcasting Defamation Insurance can cover defence costs and any necessary settlements or awards of damages following allegations of libel or slander.

Bailees Liability

A specialist product designed to protect the legal liability of those who store property on behalf of others. This could include, refrigerated storage companies, removal companies, freight forwarders and produce warehouses. The policy provides a wide cover which offers protection for “direct physical loss or damage” to the property of others.

Fidelity

A product which protects against “actual loss of money, securities or other property that has been illicitly taken from, and belonging to, the Insured.” The cover is only triggered when such loss is caused by an Employee, and as such is of particular value to businesses which are high cash carrying or hold attractive stock.

Fidelity & Computer Crime

A Fidelity product (theft of money/stock by employees) specifically extended to include losses caused by “the dishonest input, alteration or deletion of any data” from any computer system. In today's commercial market, with reliance upon money and securities being transferred through data exchange, this cover is becoming increasingly important.


Legal Defence for Sports & Events

This specialist policy is designed to meet the needs of sporting bodies and event organisers. The policy covers defence costs in respect of criminal prosecutions (including most traffic) and subsequent civil actions.

 

 

For clients with whom we look after a portfolio of business we are able to write some of the market's most specialised and rarely available covers such as Product Recall, Private Legal Aid, Legal Expenses, Liability Consequential Loss and Prospectus Liability.

Contact your adviser and, together, we will help you ensure you get the cover you really need.

   Legend