[Obituary] Michael Garner

The financial services industry is mourning the passing of PIC Insurance, managing director, Michael Geoffrey Garner who has died aged 64.

Mike followed his father into the insurance industry starting at AMP in the late 1970s. He was a determined man with vision and he knew he couldn't answer to an Australian corporate and went out on his own. He started a small office in Panmure, then shifted to East Tamaki to make PIC Insurance one of the largest privately owned independent insurance brokerages in the country.

At Fidelity Life he won every award that was going including the Fidelity Life Shield and Chairman's Trophy. He was also a big supporter of Asteron and other life companies.

Even as managing director of PIC, Mike would be out signing up clients and showing his advisers how it should be done. He was one of the first companies in the market to have salaried advisers so that the clients' interest was put first. He had a huge Fire and General brokerage with speciality in the marine business.