What's New?
February 2024 What a start to the year
Southern Field Days
2024 has started off with a huge amount of activity from the Total Life Team. Early February saw us dusting off the gumboots and heading out to Waimumu for our first ever Southern Field Days under our Total Life branding. It was a great opportunity to get out in the community and present our new branding and introduce our clients and those who were not too sure who we were to the Total Life Team. The entire office staff managed to find time over the three days to pop out and help in the tent. Southland put on an amazing display of its weather – super hot on day one, raining on day two and just right on day three. It was great to see so many people out and about and enjoying everything Field Days has to offer as well as all the various businesses and services that support farming in the South.
TLC shared the tent with the team from NZAB and with barista coffee being made onsite by Paul from Queenstown we had all the right ingredients. Our draw card of a very beat up old four-wheeler managed to raise a few eyebrows from people walking past and we had a lot of entries in our draw which posed the question ‘which cost more to get back on the road – the bike or the farmer?’ A great way to prompt people to think about insurance – and not just for the bike.
Surfing for Farmers
Following on from Field Days the Southland Team hit the beach & manned the BBQ for Surfing for Farmers. An organization we have proudly supported for a number of years. Surfing for Farmers started in Gisborne in 2018 to improve mental health in rural communities due to the high suicide rate – now running in 28 regions over 16 weeks of summer. On Friday night we had over 50 farmers who join us, this season the weather has had a huge impact, buts it’s a testament to the team behind Surfing for Farmers and the Farmers themselves that they have stayed in communication and adapted to last minute cancellations and date changes. Mark Breen hit the water and had some good success on the waves before coming back and helping on the BBQ.
September 2023 Total Life in the Waikato
Friday saw the opening of Total Life’s new office space situated at 36 Victoria Street in Cambridge.
The official ceremony started with Harry Wilson from the local Tainui iwi completing a blessing over the newly refurbished space and welcoming the TLC team into the community. Richard Ferguson was on hand to reply on behalf of TLC and altogether this created a special moment that acknowledged the start of something new.
Total Life – Financial Advice is a full financial advisory business with a team of experienced advisers providing Insurance and Investment advice. The Leadership Team and advisers from Canterbury and Total Life’s head office in Invercargill travelled up to help the local Waikato team celebrate the milestone.
“The path to our business success and growth has been brought about by the focus on our people, wrapping our arms around our clients, expanding our offering and our footprint with the opening of our newest regional office here in Cambridge.”
“Honouring our southern roots with our head office in Southland, we have grown into a nationwide business committed to offering specialised financial advice on Insurance, Investments, KiwiSaver and Mortgages. With Advisers based in Southland, Christchurch and the Waikato we are committed to bringing our services to the regions. We are not limited by our location.”
“It’s key for us to build our business around our culture and the common principles that bring us together, the right fit and our TLC Way – Connection, Compassion, Commitment and Community. It’s this belief that makes our team successful both as a team but also as individuals.” – Craig Kura – Total Life CEO.
The Cambridge office opening was celebrated with key industry providers, as well as their governing industry licence provider – Wealthpoint, key clients and family and friends.
Wealthpoint has 52 member businesses and 157 advisers within its network. Total Life was recently awarded Business of the Year at Wealthpoint’s 2023 Awards Evening – acknowledging TLCs team approach and ability to offer specialist advice and quality customer service.
Fidelity Life – a provider partner of Total Life also acknowledged TLC with Team of the Year at its Adviser Awards held last Wednesday prior to the Cambridge opening.
Total Life has been helping New Zealanders for over 23 years, providing advice for over 18,000 clients and over the last 5 years have helped their clients with over $25 million in claims.
36 Victoria Street offers a welcoming space where clients will know they will be taken care of – be sure to call in and see the team.
March 2023 What a team!!
Total Life was recently awarded Business of the Year at the inaugural Wealthpoint Member Awards.
Total Life has grown significantly in the past year, and it was great to be recognised in this way. Our aim is to give our clients Total Life financial advice and we have specialist advisers in Insurance, Investment, Kiwisaver and Mortgages. We are committed to working with our clients as a team and have Advisers throughout NZ with our head office in Invercargill, Southland.
TLC is a member of the Wealthpoint Network and these awards celebrate the achievement of its members. Recipients of these awards have been nominated by their peers for implementing key initiatives in their specialty areas that improve business systems while providing high-quality advice outcomes for their clients.
“Total Life has demonstrated an impressive ability to set a clear strategy and then execute it. Their plan was built around three key objectives, to increase the financial strength of the business through revenue growth, to develop their client offering through broader products and services and to expand into other parts of New Zealand.
Other initiatives focused on their people include the development of a mentoring programme for advisers and support staff, implementation of a performance management framework, introduction EAP, personal development plans and salary benchmarking.
Total Life has introduced a new approach to client segmentation where targeted service plans correspond to each category. They have also introduced a programme to help clients convert to 10-year level premiums in order to address affordability issues.” – Wealthpoint communications.
Connection – Compassion – Commitment – Community – The TLC Way.
March 2023 Great day out for KidsTRY 2023!
Kids TRYathlon 2023
The Total Life Kid’s Tryathlon is definitely a highlight on our calendar.
What’s better than seeing a bunch of smiling happy kids take part in something as fun as the Kids TRY!
For the first time ever, we included a trip down the hydroslide, we had the NZ Police there with a radar gun to find our super speedy kids and we had Steve-O the stag and Rugby Southland there with some tackle practice. We don’t think it could get much better but it really did for Finnbar and Becky! Finnbar from St Teresa’s School and Becky from New River Primary School both rode away today with a brand new bike each. Finnbar’s was supplied by Wensley Cycles and Becky’s was supplied by Outdoor World. Happy riding on those sparkly new bikes! We also had spot prize throughout the day and we need to mention 9 year old Alexander who clocked up a super speedy 20km per hour as our faster runner!!
A huge thank you to Southland Tri Club who runs this event for us as well as the other sponsors who support this event every year.
Click Here to check out all the action.
February 2022 January slipped by quickly didn't it?
Great things are happening this year at Total Life. Things that will enhance your experience when you see us for your insurance, investment and lending needs.
We would like to extend a warm welcome to Jo Mathieson who has joined our team as our Head of People and Development.
Jo has spent 30 years in the Financial Services Industry recruiting, training, coaching and mentoring advisers, business owners and executives across New Zealand and Australia. Helping them to recognise and develop their true potential both personally and professionally.
Jo holds the National Certificate in Financial Services and is currently studying towards a Graduate Diploma in Career Advice. She is a Professional Member of the Career Development Association of New Zealand to ensure she stays relevant for people development and their careers in this ever-changing environment.
Jo is a Director of Thrive for Girls; a coaching business for high school age girls providing support programs to enable girls to ‘thrive’ in all areas of their lives regardless of what challenges they may face along the way.
Volunteer work also takes up some of Jo’s time with her being a Board Member and Youth Mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Appointments and how we will see you going forward.
From time to time our operations adjust in response to the pandemic. All you need to know is that we are here for you.
Please call our office or email admin@totallife.co.nz to arrange your appointment with your adviser or to manage your Insurance policy, Investment, KiwiSaver or Lending/Mortgage.
General Insurance: 07 888 860
All other inquiries: 03 211 1460 or 0800 267 768
We look forward to talking soon,
The TLC Team
December 2021 Summer is here. Are you ready for it too?
Hello everyone,
That’s a wrap for 2021! We hope you’re all winding down for the year and looking forward to a restful holiday period with friends and family.
Thanks to everyone who has been involved in our Total Life journey so far.
It’s been a mammoth year and our teams in Invercargill, Christchurch, Hamilton and Matamata are officially putting their feet up in preparation for their summer holiday.
Our offices will close over the Christmas break:
- Invercargill from 12pm on 23 December 2021 to 10 January 2022.
- Christchurch from 24th December to 17 January 2022
- Waikato 24th December 2021 to 10th January 2022
As always, if you require any assistance for insurance, mortgages, or investments you are welcome to contact you provider or adviser directly. If your query is regarding anything else – please contact us at admin@totallife.co.nz.
Otherwise, we hope you that you get an opportunity to rest and enjoy the Kiwi summer. We look forward to seeing you in the new year!
All the best,
The Total Life Team.
November 2021 Welcome to Total Life Waikato
Total Life is pleased to announce the addition of TLC Waikato to our nationwide group of experts.
TLC Waikato is spearheaded by Tyrone Maullin (formerly Keystone Advice Matamata). Alongside the rebrand of his business, he brings his slick team who deliver your commercial and domestic general insurance services.
Some of you may already know Tyrone as in October 2020 he began helping Total Life to provide high-quality advice and servicing of your existing general insurance policies.
Tyrone and the Total Life General Insurance team focus on finding out what you need protection against and putting in place a plan and products that limit the impact of these concerns. They want to make your road to becoming insured and claiming for relevant events as smooth as possible for you.
It’s all about the follow-through, whether it’s a review of your insurance plan, establishing new covers or claims. The General Insurance team are a quick call away on 0800 267 768 or 07 888 8680.
What can you talk to the Total Life Waikato team about?
- General Insurance – Commercial
- General Insurance – Domestic
Need something else? The Total Life group also can help with:
- Workplace/Group Insurance
- Health Insurance
- Life Insurance
- KiwiSaver & Investment
- Mortgages & Lending
October 2021 Welcome to our Investment Support Team Member
What a month, the great news is that this month everyone can look forward to a long weekend – sooner than later too! Our team feels like Christmas is speeding toward us at a breakneck pace.
Total Life has some exciting news to share with you:
This month we welcome Anthony O’Connor our new Investment Support team member. He comes to us with a wealth of experience, in fact, over 20 years’ experience in the Financial Services industry.
Anthony enjoys getting to know his clients and helping them achieve their goals. He advises in all aspects of equity, fixed interest investment and KiwiSaver, specialising in portfolio management for private clients and trusts.
Anthony holds the following qualifications:
- Graduate Diploma in Business Studies (Personal Financial Planning), Massey University (1999)
- NZ Stock Exchange Diploma (2002).
In 2010 Anthony was awarded Certified Financial PlannerCM by the Institute of Financial Advisers, and in 2015 was awarded the President’s Award by the Institute of Financial Advisers for outstanding service and loyalty to the Institute and the financial services industry.
Anthony is continuing his professional development and is completing the NZ Certificate in Financial Services.
In his leisure time he enjoys having a run around on the squash court and is actively involved in the Makarewa Squash Club. He is married to Joanne, and they have two adult children, Hayden and Anna.
Wealthpoint Investment Market Update for October 2021
September 2021 COVID: Invercargill & Christchurch in Level 2
Quick Summary:
- Alert Level 2 Total Life offices are open to in-person inquiries.
- Alert Level 3 & 4 Total Life offices are closed but are fully operational.
Hello Everyone,
As you would expect, the physical Total Life offices are closed in Alert Level 3 & 4 lcoations, and will remain so until those regions move back to Level 2 or below and as such we will not be holding any face-to-face meetings.
However, if you are located in a region that is now in Alert Level 2. You are welcome to make an appointment to see an adviser in person. We thank you in advance for following goverment guidelines and wear a facemask when you visit one of our offices.
We are still available over phone and email, as usual. We are working from home, and the suppliers we work with will be too, so rest assured we will still be able to help. Services may take a little longer than usual, however, so we ask for your patience during this time.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Otherwise, stay safe, be kind, and remember to enjoy yourselves.
See you soon,
The Total Life Team.
August 2021 COVID: Total Life in Level 4
Total Life offices are closed but we are fully operational
Hello Everyone,
As you would expect, the physical Total Life offices are closed, and will remain so until we move back to level 2 or below and as such we will not be holding any face-to-face meetings.
We are still available over phone and email, as usual. We are working from home, and the suppliers we work with will be too, so rest assured we will still be able to help. Services may take a little longer than usual, however, so we ask for your patience during this time.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Otherwise, stay safe, be kind, and we will see you when we get the green light to step out of lockdown.
See you soon,
The Total Life Team.
June 2021 KiwiSaver: Free Money is Good Money & Wealthpoint Investment Update
KiwiSaver government contributions make a big difference
How much could this matter? Because the money is invested over decades, an 18-year old in KiwiSaver getting that $521 boost each year could have as much as $36,000 more for their retirement when they reach 65.
See the Sorted article here to get more top tips on how you and your family can make the most out of the goverment’s KiwiSaver contributions!
Wealthpoint Investment Update May 2021
Check out this months investment update from Wealthpoint – find out what is going on in the investment space within our network here.
May 2021 Wealthpoint Investment Update and TLC Kids TRY 2.0
Wealthpoint Investment Update May 2021
Check out this months investment update from Wealthpoint – find out what is going on in the investment space within our net work here.
Total Life Kids TRY at Waihopai School May 2021
Look at the fun that the Parks Syndicate class at Waihopai School had while doing their first TRYathlon on 5th May 2021. It was cracker of a day in Invercargill. Everyone went home with a medal, goodie bag, Calci-Yum milk and a big smile. Well done!
Thanks to Southland Triathlon and Multisport Club for hosting this with Waihopai School.
#totallifekidstry #totallifeco #invercargill #kidstryathlon #triathlonnz Total Life Kid’s TRYathlon
April 2021 Total Life Rugby - Selwyn Schools Combined First XV
Total Life Christchurch Adviser’s James Pearson and Callum Eathorne sponsor the Selwyn Schools Combined First XV team. We had the pleasure of seeing both his team and the team that Adviser Mark Breen of Total Life Invercargill coaches play each other on the field. See pictures from the game below – courtesy of photographers Olivia Gobbie and Debbie Fahey.
March 2021 Total Life Kids TRYathlon - Celebrating 21 Years
Total Life and the Southland Tri Club have been running this event for 21 years. How did it all start? We stepped up to fill the void that was left when the Weetbix Kids Tri Series exited Southland. Since then, it has become a mainstay event in the Southland calendar.
This year the turnout was superb! There were close to 350 kids who did the TRYathlon. We are blown away by the response, and as always, we loved seeing the satisfaction and smiles on the kids’ faces as they completed each leg of the TRYathlon.
For most kids, it is a great day out with a guaranteed t-shirt, bag, and medal. For us, it is all about getting a bunch of Southland kids into a fun and accessible multisport event. With the support of the Southland Tri Club and local Olympic medalled triathlete’s like Aaron Barclay, we look forward to continuing the trend to get more kids participating in triathlons and the associated sports.
We want to give a special shoutout to New River Primary and Newfield Park School who received sponsored entries. Upon completing the event the kids were excited and loved telling their class about it too! Here are some quotes from Newfield Park School:
“I like the running because I like running all the time.” – Kenji.
“Thank you for having us and I liked the running and swimming. All of it because the bike was amazing, because it felt like I was running. The swimming it was cold and warm and fresh and the running hurt my legs and killed me when I went to the finish line. God Bless. “- Saipani.
“When I was biking, running and swimming, I liked it. Thanks for paying for me.” – Kyamani.
December 2020 It's Christmas Time!
Although it is a busy time of year it is important to pause and take some time together to reflect on where we have been and where we are going. That is why we sat down with our Hamilton, Christchurch, and Invercargill groups on 10th December 2020 for a Business Development Day – we are excited to release some of the fruits of that day in the coming months.
Naturally, December brings merriment in many forms. We celebrated a year of many changes by breaking bread with our staff. It meant that our Cantabrian’s and Hamiltonian’s got an abrupt introduction to our decidedly un-summery weather at the end of last week! They took it well and we absolutely loved the chance to get to know our adviser’s better halves.
In continuing the theme of giving, we teamed up with New River Primary in Invercargill for their fun day held on Monday 14th December 2020. Safe to say it has been a bit of year, and we feel that bringing a bit of joy and sweetening the deal for those kids who participated was a great idea! The Kids TRYathlon is an important piece of what we do for our local community and we wanted to make sure that none of the gift packs or medals went to waste. The Southland Tri Club shared some pictures of the kids who got involved on the day.
Change has been the main constant in 2020. Our long-term Investment and KiwiSaver Adviser Jason Shields has decided to leave us for a new adventure. I am sure that all our clients who have working with Jason will join us in wishing him the best for the future!
If you are looking to update your Investments or undertake a review of your KiwiSaver, do not worry we have you covered. Kerry Kirk has been working closely with Jason and is here to attend to all your needs.
We know that things pop up all the time, so if there is anything you require immediate assistance with please contact your insurance provider directly or send your adviser an email. Please be aware that our phones will be un-staffed from 24th December 2020 to 5th January 2021.
As it is the season to be merry and we wish you all the best for the summer ahead. We look forward to catching up with you in the new year.
November 2020 Total Life Group 2020
It is official, Total Life.co has now formed a new group with the acquisition of Kerry Kirk’s business in Hamilton and the forming of the new Christchurch business. Adviser James Pearson and Mortgage Broker Callum Eathorne have started Total Life CHC Ltd in partnership with Total Life.co.
Both branches will plug into our Invercargill business (Group HQ) to supply their infrastructure and daily adviser support needs. All branches will trade as Total Life.co and will work together group-wide to deliver a high level of advice and support to their existing and new clients.
We want to extend the warmest welcome to Kerry, Callum and James:
Kerry Kirk AFA
Hamilton – Investment/KiwiSaver/Risk/General
With 49 years in the business, there is not much Kerry has not seen or done in the insurance world and we appreciate the wealth of knowledge he brings to share with our team.
Callum Eathorne RFA
Christchurch – Mortgage Specialist
Callum has been in the Financial Services industry since 2006, joining Total Life in 2020 after 10 years within the New Zealand banking industry in the Financial Advice field.
James Pearson RFA
Christchurch – Risk / Group and Health Specialist
James has been providing clients with tailored insurance advice since the start of 2012. James sits on the Wealthpoint Product Committee as a Life & Health Insurance specialist.
Callum and James are excited about their new path with Total Life.co and providing clients with advice for their overall needs and will be working from their new offices are at 392 Papanui Rd, Strown, Christchurch and would love to catch up with any of the Wealthpoint Advisers when in Christchurch. Likewise, if you are in Hamilton, give Kerry a call.
We encourage you to reach out to our newest team members for any of your insurance, investment and mortgage needs.
November 2020 Total Life Kids TRYathlon 2020
That’s a wrap for 2020! After a false start the end of March, we were lucky enough to hold our annual Total Life Kids TRYathlon on November 1st, 2020.
It was an awesome day out – plenty of smiles from all the kids involved. We love that everyone is a winner on the day. The t-shirts, medals, milk and goodie bags were well received by all participants.
There were kids and their families from all over Southland. Thanks to those who travelled from near and far (Te Anau families we are looking at you!). It’s always fun seeing familiar faces around the course on the day whether they are Total Life clients or friends.
This year we softly introduced our association with Wealthpoint to the event. It was great seeing the two brands working together on a local event.
See pictures from the event here.
Total Life has been a proud Kids TRYathlon sponsor for over 15 years. When the Weetbix Kids Tri Series chose not to be involved in the Southland Region and we decided to step up and fill the void. The team at Southland Tri Club felt a local event for “our” kids was essential, and we agreed. That’s how the Kids TRYathlon began. It has been the launchpad for many successful multi-sport athletes in our region, but elite athletes of the future or not it’s just really about the kids giving something new a go!! For some kids, it’s a totally new experience, we will continue to support our kids of the future for years to come.
We had 3 bikes to giveaway – thanks to our local bike shops! The 3 kids that won the spot prize bikes were ecstatic.
A HUGE thank you to the Southland Tri Club who helped us to deliver yet another awesome event for our Southland kids. To all the other sponsors – we couldn’t do this without you. In no particular order:
Total Life Kids TRYathlon 2020
Go to this Sway
May 2020 COVID-19: Total Life Office Open from 18th May 2020
Level 2 is here and that means our team will be back in the office from Monday 18th May 2020. We ask that if you need to visit us, please call 03 211 1460 or email admin@totallife.co.nz to see how we can best help you.
Meetings will continue via technology where possible. For those of you who prefer face to face, there are a few changes in place to keep the clients and staff safe and healthy.
All visitors must:
- Complete contact tracing form and sanitize hands on entry and exit
- Adhere to the floor markings and maintain recommended 1m distancing
We will:
- Conduct face to face meetings in the meeting room or at the front meeting desk, sitting a minimum of 1 metre apart.
- Wipe down all hard surfaces and pens with disinfectant at the start and end of the meeting
- Help manage the 2-hour time limit for clients to be on the premises
Meeting with clients outside of the office:
- Will be conducted adhering to social distancing contact tracing and hygiene standards outlined above.
For up to date information regarding New Zealand and COVID-19 please go to https://covid19.govt.nz/
Keep safe and take care of others – From the TLC team.
April 2018 Total Life.co is launched. After trading for many years as AMP South Financial Services, we decided it was time for a fresh new look for our business, so Total Life was born and a new logo and marketing brand to go with the name has been developed. We think it looks pretty cool, with the name and the logo representing that we want to be with our clients for the full circle of life! From buying your first home to living a retirement worth living, we will be there to help with all the financial security and advice you need to achieve your goals.
Nov 2018 AMP sells life business
AMP is to sell its wealth protection and mature business, AMP Life, to Resolution Life and reinsure its New Zealand retail wealth protection with Swiss Re in a deal worth A$3.45 billion.
About 200,000 New Zealand insurance policies are involved in the deal. It also plans to sell its New Zealand wealth management and advice businesses via an initial public offering in 2019 subject to market conditions and regulatory approvals, unlocking further value.
That would include its KiwiSaver and pensions books and could mean the end of AMP’s brand in the New Zealand market. “The completion of our portfolio review marks a major step forward in reshaping AMP as a simpler, more focused group, that is well positioned to compete in our core markets,” Mike Wilkins, AMP’s acting chief executive said.
Click here to read more
Nov 2018 Congratulations to all our amazing AMP Scholarship 2018 recipients!
From sports to sustainability, from education to health, from community wellbeing to business ventures, their passions have set them apart from the rest.
With a natural drive to make a difference and fierce determination to achieve their dreams, they have become worthy recipients of the AMP Scholarships 2018
The batch of 2018 joins our illustrious alumni from last 19 years. We welcome you to the family! #Da…reToDream
To know more about our winners and the incredible things they are doing, go to https://bit.ly/2Aq6YrF
Only at Playzilla Casino everyone and even you will be lucky!
Our Business
Total Life.co (formerly AMP South Financial Services) is a locally owned and operated advisor business with a team of experienced advisers providing Insurance and Investment advice to generations of Southerners. When you seek advice, you like to know that you’re receiving it from somebody qualified to give it.
Our Community
We take great pride in our roots beginning in Southland and we love being involved in our community.
Our Sponsorships
Sponsorship plays a valuable role in the support for the communities in which Total Life operates. For us, it is about supporting initiatives to help give our communities access to events and services that make a difference in their lives.
We look forward to continuing to support our community and sponsorship partners.