When Kim Wight talks about renewable energy, she’s not just talking about wind farms and solar panels. She’s talking about business resilience, evolving risk profiles, and the opportunities created when companies begin to see energy as a strategic asset rather than simply a cost of doing business.
As NZI's newly appointed Principal, Renewables, Kim is helping shape how NZI approaches one of the most significant shifts facing businesses in Aotearoa New Zealand today: the transition to cleaner and more resilient energy sources.
"My job is to make sure NZI is ready for what's next," she explains. "The energy transition is creating new opportunities for businesses, but it's also changing their risk profiles."
No two days look the same for Kim. One day she's talking with specialist renewable energy underwriters overseas; the next she's meeting New Zealand businesses exploring their energy transition plans. In between, she works with NZI teams to better understand emerging technologies and the risks that come with them.
A career built through curiosity
Like many people in insurance, Kim didn't set out to join the industry. Originally trained as a lawyer, she began her career in litigation before an opportunity to join Lumley, which later became part of NZI, set her on a different path.
“I kind of fell into insurance, but then I made a deliberate decision to stay,” she laughs.
What followed was what Kim jokingly describes as a "career by secondment" as she moved between claims, relationship management and major customer roles, building a broad understanding of the commercial insurance industry along the way.
Those experiences ultimately positioned her for the renewables role when NZI's growing sustainability focus and responsibility for underwriting the energy transition began to take shape.
Why the conversation is changing
One of the biggest shifts Kim has observed is the way renewable energy has moved from a niche topic to a mainstream business discussion.
“I think renewables used to be seen as a fringe conversation,” she reflects. “What I really love is seeing energy use becoming a part of everyday business discussions and decision-making.”
She believes businesses are increasingly viewing energy through a strategic lens, seeking greater resilience, cost certainty and long-term competitiveness.
“Energy is becoming a strategic business asset,” she says. “We're seeing a real shift where businesses are moving away from simply being energy consumers to energy generators.”
Kim says New Zealand is reaching a point where businesses no longer need to choose between sustainability and economics.
“Businesses are investing in renewable energy solutions that are helping reduce emissions while also lowering operating costs and improving energy resilience.
"Businesses are not only talking about it through a sustainability lens,” she observes. “They're talking about it through a commercial lens and how they can actually reduce costs and maintain a competitive edge."
For many businesses, energy decisions are becoming business decisions, influencing everything from operating costs and resilience through to future growth and investment planning.
What brokers should be watching
For brokers, Kim believes the opportunity lies in recognising how energy transition decisions can reshape a customer's risk profile.
While an organisation’s core operations may remain unchanged, the addition of technologies such as rooftop solar and battery storage can introduce new considerations from an insurance perspective.
"The energy transition isn't just about new technology; it's about understanding how those investments can change a customer's risk profile and making sure they're set up for success from the start," says Kim.
Kim encourages brokers to look beyond individual technologies and instead focus on the broader trend of electrification and how clients are approaching it.
She also advocates bringing an insurance lens into projects as early as possible.
“Design decisions, product decisions, contractor reputation, risk mitigation measures, all those things can make a real difference,” she says.
Engaging risk engineers and insurers early allows customers to make better-informed decisions before construction or installation begins.
“If NZI is engaged early on, we've got our risk engineering team to apply that risk lens,” Kim explains. “It's a fully informed decision.”
Food, family and finding balance
Away from work, Kim's favourite way to recharge is simple: spending time with the people closest to her.
Having grown up in a family where food and music were a central part of life, she still gravitates towards gathering friends and family around a table.
“If there's an opportunity to get together with friends or family over delicious food and try and solve the world's problems or just have a laugh, I'm there. That's my idea of a good time.”
Alongside good company, Kim is an enthusiastic podcast listener whose interests range widely.
“I often oscillate between pop culture podcasts, and then I go really deep. Right now, that’s listening to one about AI.”
When life gets busy, Kim’s preferred reset is a walk outdoors with her dog and family.
