A Balancing Act: The Risks of Reducing Insurance for Australia’s Fossil Fuel Sector Amid ESG Pressures

Australia has set an ambitious target of achieving 82% renewable energy by 2030. However, with this goal unlikely to be met, reliance on fossil fuels is expected to remain significant for longer than initially planned. At the same time, insurers are reducing their underwriting exposure to coal and fossil fuel projects while expanding capacity for […]

2024/25 WK Turning Point Competition: Winner Announced

Congratulations to Derek Martin, Head of APA Claims at Munich Re on winning the WK Turning Point Competition for 2024/25! The 2024/25 competition challenged the insurance industry’s most creative and progressive thinkers to develop a white paper through the lens of an insurance ‘turning point’ market issue in the Property, Energy & Infrastructure sector. Derek impressed the […]

Future Proof ‘25: Insurance and risk insights across Asia-Pacific

The future of insurance and risk in Asia-Pacific is here, and rapidly evolving. Are you ready? In a world marked by rapid technological advancement, innovation, evolving regulatory demands and increasing complexity across multiple risk sectors, Future Proof ’25 examines the diverse forces reshaping insurance and business landscapes. This report highlights emerging trends and critical challenges […]

New Zealand Insurance Market Trends Update 2025: The key developments shaping the industry in Aotearoa

In a rapidly changing landscape, staying informed is essential to navigating the complexities of New Zealand’s insurance market. That’s why we’ve released our New Zealand Insurance Market Trends Update 2025 – a comprehensive analysis of the key developments shaping the industry in Aotearoa. Packed with valuable insights, the report delves into emerging legal trends, evolving […]

Proposed changes to Victoria’s building regulatory system are likely to increase consumer protections – but what will it mean for builders, relevant building surveyors and design professionals?

By: Sarah Metcalfe, Andrew Brennan and Nick Lux At a glance The release of the Victorian Building Authority’s (VBA) independently commissioned report ‘Victorian Building Authority – The Case for Transformation’1 in October 2024 (VBA Report) provided the background to important reforms to the Victorian building regulatory regime recently announced by the Victorian Minister for Planning2 […]

Wotton Kearney expands its property, construction, and employment practices in Christchurch with new appointments

Wotton Kearney is pleased to announce the appointments of Sam Hider, senior associate, and Ramses Hunt, associate, both based in our Christchurch | Ōtautahi office. This exciting development will help to strengthen our property, construction, and employment practices and to better service the growing needs of our clients in the South Island.  Sam Hider, Senior […]

Finalists announced in Wotton Kearney’s Turning Point competition

Wotton Kearney is delighted to announce the five finalists of the 2024/25 W+K Turning Point competition. The 2024/25 competition, which was launched in July, threw out a challenge to the insurance industry’s most creative and progressive thinkers to outline their idea for a white paper that explores and leads the next generation of ideas in […]

Federal Court makes significant Opal Tower liability policy ruling

WSP Structures Pty Ltd v Liberty Mutual Insurance Company t/as Liberty Specialty Markets [2023] FCA 1157 At a glance On 28 September 2023, the Federal Court of Australia found a liability policy covered a sub-contracting engineer and opened up double insurance claims. The case involved claims against WSP, the structural engineer for Sydney’s Opal Tower […]

Get to know Shane Swinerd, new partner and property, material damage and business interruption specialist

Tell us about your journey to becoming a partner at W+K I came over from DLA Piper New Zealand in Feb 2022 alongside Peter Leman, Caroline Laband, Misha Heneghan and the team. It was so exciting and refreshing coming to W+K together and feeling so welcome by everyone here (and reuniting with so many old colleagues […]

The future of cladding claims

The NSW Government’s framework to address high-risk combustible cladding remains a live issue plagued by confusion around the application of the product ban on combustible Aluminium Composite Panels (ACPs). The NSW Auditor General’s recent report found that uncertainty persists around compliance and how councils have interpreted the product ban. This has resulted in costly and […]