The financial services sector is a significant contributor to New Zealand’s economy, yet its scale, impact and potential are not always visible. To help elevate that contribution and strengthen its advocacy platform, the Financial Services Council (FSC) developed its inaugural State of the Sector Report, bringing together the latest available industry, regulatory and consumer data to provide a snapshot of New Zealand’s financial and insurance services sector.
The report gave FSC a strong evidence base. It showed financial and insurance services generated approximately $16.1 billion in GDP (2025), making it the seventh largest of 15 major industries in New Zealand by GDP contribution. It also showed the sector’s wider role in New Zealand’s financial system, spanning managed funds, KiwiSaver, health and life insurance.
Anthem shaped an earned media strategy that made the sector’s economic contribution more visible to media and key stakeholders. We developed bespoke pitches across the report’s strongest themes, including the size of the sector, productivity performance, growth opportunities, insurance access and policy advocacy.
FSC’s annual sector event, Outlook 2026, became the key launch moment for the report in February. Anthem secured the Prime Minister’s attendance, helping position Outlook as the first premier event of the year for the financial services sector and reinforcing the sector’s role as an active participant in New Zealand’s economic future.
On launch day, FSC Chief Executive Kirk Hope opened TVNZ Breakfast, and the report and event led 1News at Six – both firsts for FSC. The media strategy delivered 14 pieces of coverage across national and sector media, with further coverage from BusinessDesk, NZ Herald, RNZ, Newstalk ZB and Stuff mastheads.
The launch elevated FSC’s advocacy agenda into national conversations on economic growth, productivity, retirement savings, capital markets, policy reform and insurance access, showing how a focused media strategy can turn complex sector data and an industry event into a story with national relevance and influence.
