IAG invests in Sonder to bring early intervention and immediate care to customers. Posted by the Sonder team IAG, Australia's largest general insurer whose brands include NRMA Insurance, CGU, WFI and ROLLiN', has made a strategic investment in Sonder, Australia's leading people risk intelligence and prevention platform. It delivers immediate 24/7 mental health, medical and safety support to help organisations identify and address risk before it escalates. This investment, made through IAG's corporate venture capital arm Firemark Ventures, builds on the Group's existing use of Sonder to support its workforce and enables IAG to extend the capability to customers during high-risk moments, including catastrophic weather events and major incidents. IAG Firemark Ventures General Partner Scott Gunther said this investment aligns with the venture's focus on backing innovations that improve resilience and risk prevention. "Firemark Ventures invests in technology that can transform how risks are understood, prevented, and managed. Sonder's platform represents a compelling example of innovation that enhances health, safety and wellbeing outcomes." Scott Gunther IAG Group Executive People, Performance and Reputation Christine Stasi said IAG is impressed by the value of Sonder's offering in supporting employee safety and wellbeing and is eager to extend similar capabilities to customers during their times of need. "At IAG, our role extends beyond insurance, helping people recover and rebuild after adversity, and acting as a shock absorber for the economy when things go wrong," Ms Stasi said. "Its investment in Sonder aligns with its purpose to 'make your world a safer place' and represents a step towards providing more holistic, immediate support to customers during some of the most challenging moments in their lives. "It signals IAG's intent to move beyond claims response towards earlier intervention and prevention. Earlier support in these moments can improve mental health outcomes, helping reduce the broader cost of harm to individuals and communities." The right support at the right time. Sonder co-founder and CEO Craig Cowdrey welcomed the partnership and shared the company's ambition to broaden its impact. "Our vision has always been to get the right support to people at the right time," Mr Cowdrey said. "Partnering with IAG gives us the opportunity to extend that well beyond the workplace, to people navigating some of the hardest moments of their lives, whether that's recovering from an injury, getting back to work, or rebuilding after a major life event." "Behind every crisis, there are people who need support, and the earlier that support reaches people, the better the outcome for individuals, for families, and for whole communities." Craig Cowdrey Recent research commissioned by NRMA Insurance in partnership with Lifeline Australia found that extreme weather is increasingly shaping how Australians live, work and connect, with 61% reporting feeling anxious about extreme weather and more than half making significant life changes due to related stress. These findings highlight that the impacts of disasters extend well beyond physical damage, reinforcing the need to strengthen existing disaster response with more immediate mental health and personal support for customers before, during and after major events. Discover how Sonder is partnering with other leading organisations from Woolworths to HOYTs and Bingo Industries here. Explore the latest insights from Sonder. Ready to get started?

What the data tells Sonder about workforce health in New Zealand in 2026. New Zealand workers are under pressure and facing significant barriers when it comes to them accessing care. That's the clear picture from Sonder's 2026 health and access snapshot, which surveyed 518 employees across New Zealand.* Download the seven page snapshot here, or keep reading for the key findings. *This snapshot is taken from its State of Employee Health and Wellbeing Report 2026. Sonder partnered with YouGov to survey 6,105 workers across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Access it in full here. Poor mental health is widespread, but people aren't talking about it. 40% of New Zealand workers experienced anxiety in the past year. 25% experienced depression. These aren't fringe statistics, they represent a large portion of most workforces. What makes the NZ data particularly notable is the communication barrier. 15% of Kiwi workers say they can rarely or never communicate their thoughts and feelings clearly. That's nearly double the rate in Australia and higher than the UK. For managers trying to identify and support struggling team members, this gap makes early intervention significantly harder. The cost of care is the biggest barrier to getting help. When asked why they delay seeking support, 57% of New Zealand workers cited expensive appointments, the highest rate across all markets surveyed. The data reflects a broader reality: the cost of living crisis has become a workforce health crisis. The inequity is also stark. 1 in 5 Māori workers struggle to afford a GP visit, compared to 1 in 8 non-Māori. 1 in 7 struggle to afford prescriptions, versus 1 in 20. For employers committed to equitable wellbeing support, this gap represents a clear area for action. New Zealand's frontline workers are running on empty. Only 18% of New Zealand workers always feel physically energised enough to do their jobs. For care and service professionals such as nurses, aged care workers, frontline staff, that number drops to 15%. Fatigue at this scale isn't just a personal health issue. It correlates directly with increased workplace incidents, errors, and burnout-related turnover. The people Sonder rely on most are often the least supported. Belonging is a performance lever - and it's underused. 87% of New Zealand workers say they perform better when they feel a sense of community with colleagues. Only 26% report feeling a strong sense of belonging and support right now. That gap between what people need and what they're experiencing represents one of the most addressable drivers of underperformance in New Zealand workplaces. A more connected approach to wellbeing. Sonder's model of care is grounded in Te Whare Tapa Whā. The Māori health framework understands wellbeing as interconnected across mental, physical, social, and spiritual dimensions. It's a framework that makes intuitive sense of what the data is showing: these issues don't exist in isolation. As Kimi Powell, Sonder's Director of Clinical Services, puts it: "The opportunity for leaders in 2026 is to remove systemic barriers - whether economic, geographical, or cultural - and provide a single, trusted point of entry to care that meets people exactly where they are, before they reach a crisis point." Sonder supports this approach with 24/7 access to holistic mental and physical health support, helping organisations move from awareness to action. Together, these insights and tools give leaders a clear path to foster resilience, engagement, and thriving teams as Sonder head into 2026 and beyond. Get in touch for a demo and to find out more. Download the full NZ health and access snapshot here. Explore the latest insights from Sonder. Ready to get started?