A proudly born and raised Cantabrian, Gary Rennie was a career banker for 30 years before stepping into the world of insurance.
Four years after the Canterbury earthquakes in 2011, Gary’s first insurance role saw him helping with event claims for 18 months, before joining IAG as a business development manager in Canterbury.
“With a fresh set of eyes, I was able to understand what was most important to customers during this tumultuous time – and that was getting their claim(s) finalised. It was satisfying to achieve positive outcomes for people and allow them to move forward with their lives.”
Over the last nine years, Gary has worn many different hats in the insurance industry, and has found his calling in risk reduction and community engagement.
Looking ahead
As event and activation manager for NZI, Gary is always planning and preparing for future community events.
“It takes three months of preparation and planning before an event takes place. The work week starts with a team meeting to create a plan of action for what needs to be done, which includes everything from connecting with food suppliers to creating event site-plans.”
With the success of NZI’s risk reduction events, Gary’s calendar is jam-packed, seeing him attend an event across Aotearoa New Zealand every few weeks.
"Customer and broker feedback at our risk reduction events is always positive," says Gary.
“The majority of attendees tell us they take some action as a result of speaking with us, therefore protecting themselves and their assets. Another great measure of success is industry leaders endorsing and advocating what we are doing.”
A country lad at heart
Outside of work, Gary and his wife Rachel have lived on a 40-acre lifestyle block in Loburn, North Christchurch for 22 years. They chose a lifestyle block to accommodate their horse-riding hobby, but ended up on a bigger property than planned. Along with their two horses, the extra room is home to 28 grazing cattle, nine chickens, a cat, and a dog. Living the country lifestyle, Gary says there’s always something to do; from fixing a fence to taking care of their cattle, or jumping on the tractor.
“What I love about where I live is that it requires hands-on, practical work to keep things running, which is what I love about my role at NZI too. It’s an incredible feeling getting to help people in practical ways, by being on the ground and talking to communities about how to prevent the unexpected from happening to them.”
Gary says their property was a great place to raise their children, who all had ponies to ride and the freedom that comes with living rurally. Gary and Rachel are proud parents to three children: Lachy (20), Gabi (22), and Liam (25).
Driven to make our roads a safer place
One of the many ways Gary supports communities is through NZI’s Truckie Rest Zones.
NZI’s research reveals that fatigue and distraction are two major causes of road accidents in New Zealand. Gary explains that for many of New Zealand’s truck drivers, normal sleep rhythms are disrupted by shift work, placing them at risk during long or overnight hauls.
“Our research and anecdotal evidence suggests many truckies just keep going when really, they need to pull-over and take a break.
“Our roads and the need for freight to keep moving is only going to get busier so we wanted to find a way to encourage owners and drivers of heavy vehicle fleets to ensure their drivers have their breaks," says Gary.
The events, which are free for all truckies, offer some well-earned time out, complete with a complementary barista-made coffee, a BBQ meal, healthy snacks, and a free health assessment.
“We’re not working to improve driver safety in isolation either, it’s a real community effort. We partner with the NZ Police Commercial Motor Safety Team, Hato Hone St Johns, local councils, and Waka Kotahi to give truckies a well-rounded view on fatigue prevention, health and wellness, as well as safety measures that can be implemented.”
A simple idea comes to fruition
Gary plays an integral role in the Truckie Rest Zone events, which were born from a simple idea, and are now making a positive difference in the transport community.
Through his three years working in risk reduction, he’s found the best way to connect with people is to get out into the community; building trust, rapport, and showing that there are people out there who want to help.
Gary says the best parts of the job are seeing the smiles on people’s faces as they take a break, and being able to share what NZI has gleaned through years of experience across the transport industry.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about getting drivers home safely.”
A proud moment
Taking his own advice, Gary makes sure he has time in his schedule to unwind, and loves following both local and international sports. He was thrilled for New Zealand to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup last year, particularly as his daughter Gabi represented New Zealand as a Football Fern.
“There have been so many surreal moments watching her career play out over the past decade, and seeing her represent New Zealand was definitely up there.”
He says another highlight was travelling as a family to watch Gabi play in the Under 17s World Cup in Uruguay in 2018.
“New Zealand came third; it was the first time we had made it out of pool play and onto the podium. That record still stands for the under 17s – both men’s and women’s.”
Gary says he is incredibly proud of all his kids going to work each day and doing what they love. Gabi as a professional football player, and Liam and Lachy are both in broadcast journalism.
“It’s important to follow your passions; I’m lucky to have found mine which is getting out and about in the community and making our customer's world a safer place.”
Michel Stirk, NZI’s fleet risk manager and Gary Rennie at an NZI Truckie Rest Stop
Gary with his family at the FIFA Women's World Cup supporting his daughter Gabi
