Building on solid foundations to meet Members’ needs

Doug Hill took on the chair’s role for MAS last December. Here, he reflects on his personal involvement with the organisation and its focus on remaining relevant and offering value-added services

When I think about what it means to MAS chair, I think first of my colleagues – the doctors, dentists and vets who have chosen to trust this organisation year after year, because we know MAS will be there for us when life takes an unexpected turn. This is not just another role in financial services; it is stewardship of an organisation that has, for over a century, stood alongside the medical community in New Zealand, helping to protect what matters most when life takes an unexpected turn.

As a practising GP and MAS member, I have a clear understanding of what we all expect of MAS. This understanding is informed by my family’s deep involvement: my brothers, wife and children are also members, and my parents were members too. Trust is not a marketing line; it is the foundation of everything MAS does. That trust has been earned slowly and is sustained through consistency, competence and an unwavering focus on members.

I understand our members because I’ve been a member for over 25 years. Years of study, demanding qualifications, building a practice or clinic, and balancing that with family and major life events alongside a clinical career all shape their reality. That context is why MAS’ approach is grounded in practical support, not abstract financial services.

Like many organisations, MAS has had periods where external events forced rapid adaptation. The Christchurch earthquakes and COVID-19 pandemic were defining moments for New Zealand and placed significant pressure across the insurance sector. MAS was not alone in that, but those events required difficult decisions and, at times, a focus on resilience and recovery over momentum.

In recent years, MAS has deliberately strengthened its position, by shoring up the balance sheet to ensure it can withstand future major events and returning operating performance to a sustainable level. That stability matters because it ensures MAS can do what members expect: be there when they need it most.

The investment team has also focused on delivering strong long-term returns in a volatile global environment. Markets will always fluctuate, but MAS’ responsibility is to take a disciplined, forward-looking approach that balances risk and return over decades, not quarters.

At the same time, financial strength alone is not enough. Expectations are changing, and I accept that MAS may have drifted at times from the mutual’s core member focus. That feedback has been taken seriously. Today, the organisation is laser-focused on ensuring MAS remains relevant to the professionals who trust the mutual, not just for the next year, but for the next 100 years.

Transformation under way

A key part of that future is digital. MAS is undertaking a transformation to reshape how members interact with the organisation, with a simple aim: make things easier, faster and more intuitive. MAS members are busy professionals. Reducing a call from 15 minutes to five is not just efficiency, it is meaningful time returned. The digital experience is now central to delivering a modern, responsive service. 

Importantly, this is about choice – enabling simpler digital journeys for those who want them, while still ensuring trusted human support is available to members when it is needed, particularly for the moments that matter most.

Technology, however, is only part of the picture. MAS remains committed to premium products and services that deliver real value. This includes features such as full area replacement cover in general insurance, better ways to help members grow savings through the Feijoa round-up app and partnering with global technology providers to invest in modern systems to improve service delivery. It also means understanding future member needs earlier and responding proactively.

At the heart of MAS is a simple principle: adding value must always remain front of mind. MAS understands members’ businesses better than most financial institutions because it operates within their world. MAS is not on the outside observing; it is part of the same ecosystem, helping protect, support and grow the practices and livelihoods of the professionals we serve.

The Healthy Practice offering is a strong example. For a modest fee, members gain access to advisory services providing practical support in setting up and running their businesses. Alongside this, MAS advisers offer wealth guidance to help members build long-term financial security.

Looking ahead, MAS is in a strong position: financially robust, operationally more disciplined and increasingly focused on delivering a seamless member experience. Above all, MAS is recommitting to what has always defined it: a deep and enduring relationship with the medical and veterinary professionals who place their trust in the organisation.

That trust has been earned over generations. My responsibility, and that of the board, is to honour it, strengthen it and ensure MAS remains ready to welcome and serve the next generation of members for many years to come.

Specialist GP Doug Hill is chair of MAS and owner of Broadway Medical Centre in Dunedin

This article was originally published by New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa.