NRMA Insurance has launched a new initiative aimed at integrating traditional Indigenous environmental knowledge into public awareness campaigns on climate resilience, coinciding with a rise in weather-related insurance claims over the recent summer season.
As part of this effort, NRMA Insurance partnered with Campfire x, an Indigenous-owned creative agency, to produce a 30-minute documentary titled “The Knowledge Keepers.”
The film, airing April 14 on NITV and available on SBS On Demand, features First Nations land experts sharing traditional strategies for managing bushfires, floods, and heat in the context of contemporary climate risks.
The project supports the insurer’s commitment to the Beyond 3% initiative, a media investment strategy encouraging companies to allocate a minimum of 3% of their advertising budgets to First Nations-owned media. This initiative is facilitated through NRMA Insurance’s media agency, Initiative Media.
The documentary includes contributions from Indigenous researchers and practitioners such as Bhiamie Williamson, a Euahlayi man and leader of the National Indigenous Disaster Resilience program.
In a campfire setting, Williamson responds to questions from younger Australians, providing insight into land stewardship practices shaped over tens of thousands of years.
Peter Kirk, director at Campfire x, said the project demonstrates the value of trusting Indigenous creators to lead cultural storytelling.
“This was one of the most rewarding projects Campfire x has been involved with. The intersection of storytelling between a large company and First Nations land managers was something that happens rarely and so openly,” he said. “It was a pleasure to see NRMA Insurance have faith in Campfire x to capture content through First Nations cultural practices.”
Michelle Klein, NRMA Insurance’s chief customer and marketing officer, said the partnership aligns with the company’s broader strategy to support Indigenous media and amplify community knowledge systems.
“It was an honour to work with Campfire x to showcase First Nations environmental cultural practices and expertise through rich content, because knowledge is most powerful when it is shared,” she said.
The launch of the film coincides with findings from NRMA Insurance’s latest Wild Weather Tracker, which showed that one in six Australians experienced property or vehicle damage due to extreme weather during the 2024-25 summer.
NRMA Insurance handled more than 18,000 weather-related claims this summer. Key events included hailstorms in the Australian Capital Territory, heavy storms across New South Wales, and flooding in northern Queensland. Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred also contributed to damage totals into early autumn.
IAG, NRMA Insurance’s parent company, received about 10,000 claims linked to ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred alone, primarily due to storm damage, fallen trees, and water ingress.
The insurance industry has been adapting business practices in response to climate change. According to the ICA’s 2024 Climate Change Roadmap, 85% of insurers have committed to net-zero targets by 2050, and over half aim to reach operational net-zero by 2030. Many have also integrated climate-related performance metrics into executive compensation frameworks.
