Western Pacific Insurance Limited (Western Pacific) is a New Zealand based insurance company with its head office in Queenstown and with a regional office in Auckland.

There are two underlying principles to Western Pacific’s operations:-

Although Western Pacific itself is a newcomer to the Australasian insurance scene, the principal partners behind the company have over twenty years of history in the industry in Asia and Australia. They brought to the company a portfolio of business from their Brokerages and network of business contacts that has helped Western Pacific get established with the kind of re-insurance arrangements and a level of business activity that would normally be associated with a company of some years standing.

Western Pacific is based in New Zealand because the directors believe that there is a significant opening in New Zealand for the lines of business it specialises in, which will complement the business it already has access to in Australia and Asia. Furthermore the ownership of the company is underwritten by New Zealand as well as Australian businessmen and, it is anticipated that, a substantial amount of the present and ongoing capital requirements for the company will come from New Zealand.

It is an essential part of the Western Pacific business strategy that it has operations spread over a region that includes New Zealand, Australia and Asia because, in the long run, that kind of coverage is essential to give Western Pacific the depth and spread of business that is desirable for a speciality company like Western Pacific.

Western Pacific has commenced business and is registered as a New Zealand Insurance Company. As such, it is subject to the New Zealand system of financial supervision for general insurer’s in New Zealand. In addition to lodging annual audited financial results with the New Zealand Department of Inland Revenue, Western Pacific is required – by virtue of Section 16 (1) Second Schedule of the Insurance Company’s Deposit Act 1953, to lodge annual audited financial accounts with the New Zealand Department of Economic Development.

In accordance with the provisions of the Insurance Company’s Deposit Act 1953, Western Pacific has lodged a deposit of $500,000.00 with the Public Trustee in New Zealand as security for policy holders, which sum is available to settle contracts of insurance along with all other normal recovery avenues against the company.

The initial start up was in Australia and Asia taking on and dealing with the established line of business that Dominion Underwriting, Entertainment Insurance Brokers (HK) Limited and Western Pacific Asia Limited has built up over a number of years in those regions. The fact that this business in Australia and Asia is already well established with an operational track record provides Western Pacific with a strong base from which it can develop and grow.

In New Zealand, Western Pacific has commenced taking enquiries from Brokers, which Jeff McNally (the Director in charged of underwriting) is currently handling from the Auckland office. However, this is a temporary measure, the directors are in discussion with the Brokers operating in New Zealand with a view to developing a Master Broker relationship similar to Dominion Underwriting relationship. The directors also plan to outsource claims management in New Zealand in the same way it has with Robert Scally and Associates in Australia and Asia.

Graham Smolenski, a trained lawyer and barrister, has a background in business start up; company management, corporate governance and strategic planning; corporate financing and property development.

He graduated from Otago University in 1973 and after initial practice in Dunedin and Auckland he went overseas. Additional studies saw the completion of two years Post Graduate work at Melbourne University, Australia, specialising in resource management and local government law/administration. On finishing his studies in 1977 he stayed on at Melbourne University for a further two years lecturing in these courses.

His law career has seen a focus on commercial and corporate law/local government and resource management law in both New Zealand and Australia. In Australia he became a solicitor with Mallesons in Melbourne then, after reading for the bar, became a barrister specialising in these areas. He practiced as a barrister in Australia and New Zealand until 1986 when he gave up formal legal practice to pursue a career in business in his own right. However, he continues to act as a consultant with the law firm of Berry & Co in his specialist areas.

The change in 1986 to business saw Graham working with a Hong Kong based Private Equity investment and Development Company - specialising in business analysis, strategic planning, corporate structuring and analysing investment opportunities - over a period of five years. He was founder and CEO for 12 years of the award winning Millbrook Golf and Country Club resort development in Queenstown (which hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Retreat in 1995 and the US Presidential visit in 1999). Before that he was responsible for the development of the Nugget Point Hotel (Queenstown), also the winner of a number of tourism awards.

Graham continues to be based in Queenstown. Since 2000 he has operated as a Private Equity investor through his investment company G L Smolenski Investments Limited. By virtue of this business activity he and his family interests are involved in the following enterprises, (inter alia):-

• Southern Alpine Recreation Limited, the owner of Coronet Peak, Remarkables and Mount Hutt ski areas. Shareholder and Vice Chairman.
  
• Southern Lakes Laundries Limited, a Queenstown based industrial laundry. Shareholder and Director.
  
• BAS Properties Limited, an Auckland factory owning company. Shareholder and Director.
  
• BAS Manufacturing Limited, (incorporating Bruce A Short Limited), an Auckland based engineering company specialising in contracting and road transport equipment. Shareholder and Director.
  
• Southern Lakes Developments Limited, a property investment and development company. Shareholder and Director.
  
• Otago Casinos Limited, a licenced Queenstown Casino. Shareholder and Director.
  
• Gibbston Valley Wines Limited, a Queenstown based vineyard and winery operation. Shareholder and Director.
  
• Look Production, Casting and Artists Management Pty Limited, an Australian based advertising company. Shareholder and Advising Director.
  
• 50K of Coronet Peak Limited, a ski event raising money for charity. Shareholder and Director.

Past corporate community activities include Queenstown Airport Corporation (Vice Chairman 13 years), Queenstown Promotion Board (Chairman 7 years), Waitaki Development Board (Director 6 years) Queenstown Winter Marketing Group (Director 4 years) and Wakatipu High School Board Member.

As a Lawyer, Graham Smolenski is a member of the New Zealand Law Society, a member of the Law Institute of Victoria, Australia and a member of the Victorian Bar Association.

Qualifications:
Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance.
Certified Insurance Professional. (CIP)
Diploma of Financial Services (General Insurance)
Bachelor of Business. (Insurance)

Jeffrey McNally’s has over 29 years experience in the Insurance Industry, commencing in 1979 with the Gibbs Bright Insurance Group in Melbourne. He established his first Insurance broking firm, Corporate and General Insurance Brokers in 1984 . He sold this business in 1991 and established Allied Asia Consultants Pte Limited in Singapore in early 1992. This firm provided consultancy services to Insurance companies in Singapore, Mayalsia and Indonesia.

In 1993 he established Allied Asia Insurance Consultants Limited in Hong Kong (later changing it’s name to Entertainment Insurance Brokers (HK) Limited. EIB has established it’s self as Asia’s only specialist Contingency and Special risks broking firm, operating throughout Asia as both a retail and wholesale broking firm.

In 1999, he established Allied Asia Underwriting Agencies in Australia, which targeted difficult to place Public Liability risks. This firm was merged in 2002 with another underwriting agency to form Dominion Underwriting Agents Pty Limited.

Jeffrey is also a Director of Western Pacific Asia Limited, a wholesale insurance broking firm located in Hong Kong.