Partners Life
Partners Life is a New Zealand insurance company offering life and health insurance products.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Partners Life is a New Zealand-based insurance company focused on life and health insurance. The business began in 2011 as a start-up supported by the international reinsurer SCOR, entering a market that includes traditional insurers, bank-owned insurance businesses, advisers, and specialist underwriting providers. Its name and operating model position it as a partner-oriented insurer serving customers through the New Zealand insurance distribution system. The company expanded from its initial start-up phase into a significant participant in the New Zealand life-insurance sector. Its offering is associated with personal protection needs, including life insurance and health-related cover. The available reference material does not provide a complete product catalogue, detailed policy specifications, or a definitive account of its distribution channels, so those details are not stated here. Partners Life has nevertheless been recognised both for business development and for workplace culture: it received Best Emerging Business and Excellence in Strategy and Planning at the 2012 Westpac Auckland North Business Awards, and it obtained Rainbow Tick certification in 2018 for its LGBTI-inclusive culture. In 2020, Partners Life announced an agreement to purchase BNZ Life, the life-insurance subsidiary of the Bank of New Zealand. The transaction was subject to approval by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, making it an important strategic development but not, on the available material alone, confirmation of an unconditional or completed transfer. In October 2021, the company marked its tenth year in business with a rebranding, refreshing its market identity after a decade of operation. On 12 August 2022, Dai-ichi Life Holdings, a Japanese international life-insurance group, announced an agreement to acquire all shares in Partners Group Holdings Limited, the parent company of Partners Life Limited. The announcement was subject to regulatory approvals. The reference material does not establish the final completion date or provide sufficient detail about the resulting ownership structure, so the transaction is recorded as an announced acquisition rather than presented as definitively completed. Partners Life is therefore best described as an active New Zealand insurance brand with a history of start-up growth, strategic expansion, brand development, and interest from a global life-insurance group.
History
Partners Life was established in New Zealand in 2011 as a small start-up. Its early development was supported by SCOR, a global reinsurance specialist, giving the new insurer backing from an established participant in the insurance industry. The company entered the New Zealand market with a focus on life and health insurance and subsequently developed into a recognised domestic insurance business. Early external recognition came in 2012, when Partners Life received two honours at the Westpac Auckland North Business Awards: Best Emerging Business and Excellence in Strategy and Planning. These awards reflected the company’s position as a growing enterprise and its emphasis on structured expansion. In 2018, it received Rainbow Tick certification, recognising an LGBTI-inclusive workplace culture. The certification formed part of the company’s public record as an employer as well as an insurer. The business pursued strategic expansion in 2020 by announcing the purchase of BNZ Life, the life-insurance subsidiary of the Bank of New Zealand. Because the proposed acquisition required Reserve Bank of New Zealand approval, the announcement represented a planned transaction rather than a conclusively completed change of ownership on the evidence available here. The proposed deal nevertheless illustrated Partners Life’s ambition to broaden its position in the New Zealand life-insurance market. In October 2021, Partners Life rebranded to commemorate its first decade in business. The rebrand was a notable identity and market-positioning milestone, following ten years of development from a supported start-up into an established New Zealand insurer. A further ownership development was announced on 12 August 2022. Dai-ichi Life Holdings, a global life-insurance group, announced an agreement to acquire 100 percent of the shares in Partners Group Holdings Limited, the parent company of Partners Life Limited. Regulatory approval was required. The available reference material does not confirm the final closing of the transaction, the precise post-transaction governance arrangements, or whether the BNZ Life acquisition was ultimately completed. Accordingly, Partners Life’s documented history is clearest on its founding, early recognition, workplace certification, proposed BNZ Life purchase, tenth-anniversary rebrand, and announced proposed acquisition by Dai-ichi Life Holdings.
- 2022
Dai-ichi Life Holdings announces proposed acquisition
[1]Dai-ichi Life Holdings announces an agreement to acquire the shares of Partners Group Holdings Limited, subject to regulatory approval.
- 2021
Tenth-anniversary rebrand
[1]The company launches a rebranding in October as it celebrates ten years in business.
- 2020
Proposed acquisition of BNZ Life
[1]Partners Life announces the purchase of BNZ Life, subject to Reserve Bank of New Zealand approval.
- 2018
Rainbow Tick certification
[1]Partners Life receives Rainbow Tick certification for its LGBTI-inclusive culture.
- 2012
Business awards recognition
[1]The company receives Best Emerging Business and Excellence in Strategy and Planning at the Westpac Auckland North Business Awards.
- 2011
Partners Life begins operations
[1]Partners Life starts as a New Zealand insurance start-up supported by reinsurer SCOR.
Products and positioning
A New Zealand specialist insurer focused on life and health protection, operating within the local insurance market and supported in its early development by reinsurer SCOR.
Insurance
Life insurance
Partners Life’s core business includes life-insurance protection for customers in New Zealand. The available reference material identifies the category but does not provide enough detail to list individual policy names, benefit structures, eligibility rules, or distribution arrangements.
Insurance
Health insurance
Health insurance is part of Partners Life’s stated insurance scope. Specific products, coverage terms, and policy variants are not detailed in the supplied reference material.
Brand decisions
2022
Proposed acquisition by Dai-ichi Life HoldingsM&ABackground
Dai-ichi Life Holdings sought to expand its international life-insurance interests through Partners Group Holdings Limited, the parent company of Partners Life Limited.
Action taken
Dai-ichi Life Holdings announced an agreement to acquire 100 percent of the parent company’s shares, subject to regulatory approvals.
Aftermath
The supplied reference material does not confirm completion of the transaction or the final ownership and governance arrangements.
2021
Tenth-anniversary rebrandingStrategyBackground
Partners Life reached ten years of operation and used the anniversary as an opportunity to refresh its brand identity.
Action taken
The company launched a rebranding in October 2021.
Aftermath
The available sources do not quantify the commercial impact of the rebrand.
2020
Agreement to purchase BNZ LifeM&ABackground
Partners Life sought to expand its presence in New Zealand life insurance through the proposed purchase of BNZ Life, the Bank of New Zealand’s life-insurance subsidiary.
Action taken
The company announced the proposed acquisition, subject to approval by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
Aftermath
The supplied material does not establish whether the transaction received final approval or was completed.
Recent events
NAB agrees to sell BNZ Life to Partners Life[2]
Reported:
National Australia Bank agreed to sell its New Zealand life insurance business, BNZ Life, to Partners Life for NZ$290 million. The sale remained subject to regulatory and other approvals, with completion expected in late 2021.
Partners Life appoints Shelley Ruha as independent director[3]
Reported:
Partners Life Group Holdings appointed Shelley Ruha as an independent director of Partners Life Limited, effective May 14, 2020.
Sources3 sources
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