FMG goes live with Workday HCM for core people systems
Wed, 6th May 2026 (Today)
Farmers' Mutual Group has gone live with Workday Human Capital Management, covering the New Zealand insurer's core people systems.
FMG, which describes itself as New Zealand's largest wholly Kiwi-owned mutual insurer, has been replacing legacy human resources systems as it expands its workforce and responds to regulatory change. The insurer employs more than 900 people nationwide and says it is the insurer of choice for more than half of New Zealand's rural market.
The implementation includes Workday HCM, Workday Absence Management, Workday Payroll and the certified Workday-Datapay connector. The launch was timed to align with payroll cycles to limit disruption, and the first payroll run on the new system was processed the following week.
The new setup gives staff a single point of access for routine HR tasks such as updating personal details, applying for leave, viewing payslips and checking leave balances. It also provides organisational information through the same system.
Management has also introduced dashboards and reporting tools to replace manual reporting processes. Reports that previously took days to prepare can now be produced instantly, giving managers faster access to workforce data.
The move is also intended to improve data quality, security, and auditability by consolidating people's data into a single system of record. That work is tied to compliance requirements, including Conduct of Financial Institutions obligations.
According to FMG, staff adoption was rapid after go-live. More than half of employees logged in within the first 90 minutes, while more than 80% of employees with corporate devices installed the Workday app on the first day.
System change
The shift reflects a broader effort by employers to consolidate fragmented HR, payroll and absence tools into a single platform as labour costs, compliance obligations and internal reporting demands rise. For insurers and other regulated businesses, workforce data quality has also become more important for governance and audit purposes.
FMG said its previous HR systems were no longer suited to the business as it grew. The insurer had been looking for an integrated platform to support planning, reporting and employee administration while reducing manual work for its People & Culture team.
Chief People Officer Nicki Mackay outlined the rationale for the change.
"Like many growing organisations, we needed a modern, integrated platform to simplify how our people work and how our leaders access the information they need," Mackay said. "Since going live with Workday, feedback from our teams has been incredibly positive - they find it easy to use, intuitive, and genuinely helpful in getting work done and making better decisions across FMG."
Workday positioned the project as part of a broader shift in how companies use software tools for day-to-day workforce management. The vendor said many organisations are moving beyond trials of artificial intelligence features and looking for more practical uses within existing business processes.
"FMG is a purpose-driven organisation navigating growth, regulatory change, and increasing complexity," said Jonathan Brabant, Regional Sales Director, Workday New Zealand. "What we are seeing across the market is a shift from experimentation with AI, to using AI as a practical everyday tool that supports real work. When intelligence is embedded into everyday people processes, organisations like FMG can move faster, make better decisions, and give their teams the confidence to focus on what matters most."