Directors & Officers Liability Insurance

Redwood Insurance Brokers makes Directors & Officers (D&O) liability insurance clear, practical, and relevant to how your organisation is actually governed. We’ll help protect directors, officers, and decision-makers against certain allegations and defence costs, explain the trade-offs in plain English (claims-made wording, insured persons, and key exclusions), and make sure the policy matches your structure — whether you’re a company, charity, trust, or incorporated society. If something goes wrong, we’ll back you and help drive the claim through.

Why D&O liability insurance matters

Directors and officers can face allegations about decisions, disclosures, governance, and management — even when they acted in good faith. Claims can come from shareholders, investors, employees, customers, regulators, liquidators, or other parties.

D&O insurance is designed to help with defence costs and certain liabilities arising from alleged wrongful acts in managing the organisation — subject to policy wording and exclusions.

Plain-English summary: it’s protection for decision-makers when decisions get challenged.

What we help with

We can help you organise cover for:

  • Directors and officers liability (protection for insured persons)

  • Company reimbursement / entity cover where available and relevant

  • Committee/trustee coverage for charities, not-for-profits, incorporated societies, and trusts (structure-dependent)

  • Defence costs (a major value driver of D&O)

  • Employment-related allegations (sometimes via management liability packages)

  • Regulatory investigation-related costs (policy-dependent)

We’ll talk through your organisation structure, who makes decisions, financial position, and risk profile — then recommend cover that fits.

book Free review

D&O vs public liability vs professional indemnity (different jobs)

  • D&O: allegations about governance/management decisions

  • Public liability: injury or property damage claims from third parties

  • Professional indemnity: financial loss claims from advice, design, or professional services

Plain-English takeaway: they solve different problems. We help you avoid buying the wrong thing.

Claims-made cover (the part most people don’t learn until it hurts)

Most D&O policies are written on a claims-made basis, meaning the policy that responds is generally the one in place when the claim is made, not when the act happened — subject to wording and reporting requirements.

Plain-English takeaway: continuity matters. We help you keep cover structured properly so you don’t accidentally create a gap.

The “gotchas” we look for (so you don’t find them mid-claim)

This is where a broker earns their keep. We check for:

  • Who is insured (directors, officers, committee members, trustees, employees in managerial roles)

  • Correct entity naming and structure (company vs trust vs incorporated society matters)

  • Insolvency-related exposure (liquidator claims can be a real risk area)

  • Prior acts and retroactive dates (how far back cover extends)

  • Reporting requirements (how and when you notify circumstances)

  • Key exclusions (fraud/dishonesty, known issues, insured vs insured, professional services—wording varies)

  • Side A vs Side B dynamics (individual protection vs company reimbursement—structure-dependent)

  • Subsidiaries and associated entities not declared properly

  • Overlaps and gaps with management liability and employment practices cover

If there’s a risk gap, we’ll tell you straight and show you options.

How Redwood does it differently

Independent

We compare options across insurers and recommend the best fit for your structure and risk.

Advice, not just a quote

We compare options across insurers and recommend the best fit for your structure and risk.

A sharper risk lens

We look for governance exposures, entity structure issues, and continuity risks.

Claims advocacy

If you need to claim, we help notify early, present the claim clearly, and keep momentum.

Fast-moving

You deal with people who can make progress — not a maze of handoffs.

Our process (simple, on purpose)

  1. Quick chat: structure, decision-makers, financials, and governance risk points

  2. Review: we check your current cover (or start fresh)

  3. Recommendations: clear options, clear trade-offs (limits, deductibles, key terms)

  4. Placement: we organise the policy and confirm key details

  5. Ongoing support: changes, renewals, and claims help

If you need to claim

D&O claims are high-stakes and often time-sensitive. We help you:

  • Understand what to do first and notify correctly

  • Lodge and progress the claim

  • Supply the right information without oversharing or missing key detail

  • Manage communication with insurers and legal advisers

  • Push for a fair outcome

Want a free second opinion on your D&O cover?


Send your current policy and a quick overview of your structure (company, trust, charity, society). We’ll review it, explain what matters, and show you options.

Free insurance review

FAQ’s

  • Sometimes, yes — especially if you have investors, complex contracts, regulated activity, or higher governance exposure. We’ll help you assess it realistically.

  • No. Charities, incorporated societies, trusts, and SMEs can all face governance allegations.

  • Usually not. Policies often exclude fraud/dishonesty, though defence costs may still be advanced until matters are proven, depending on wording.

  • It depends on your size, risk, and stakeholder exposure. We’ll recommend a sensible range based on your situation.

  • It generally means the policy in force when the claim is made responds, so continuity and correct reporting are important.

  • No. We support businesses and organisations across many risks — this page is focused on NZ D&O insurance advice.