Mortgages
9 min read
Author: Andrew Nicol
Managing Director, 20+ Years' Experience Investing In Property, Author & Host
Reviewed by: Peter Norris
Mortgage broker for over 10 years, property investor and Managing Director at Opes Mortgages
A mortgage broker is your link to the bank.
They will present your mortgage application in the best light to give you the best chance of getting a loan.
Because mortgage brokers are free and offer similar services, it can be hard to choose the right one for you.
Here at Opes Partners, we often get asked: “Should I use a mortgage broker?” and “If I do use one, which one should I use?”
So, here is our honest review of the top 10 mortgage brokers in New Zealand – in no particular order.
First up is Opes Mortgages.
Yes, that’s us. And I know it seems a bit biased to put us at the top of the list, but hear us out.
People often come to us after they’ve already tried other mortgage brokers. They say things like, “I wish I had known about Opes Mortgages sooner.”
So, instead of burying ourselves further down the list, we want to make sure you know we are one of your options.
What makes us different? We specialise in working with property investors, and we really specialise in New Build investment properties.
So, if you’re not a property investor, you might like to check out some of the other mortgage advisers on this list.
One other point of difference is that property investors can get lots of services in one place. We have financial advisers, property accountants, property managers, mortgage advisers and insurance advisers.
So if you want a one-stop shop, Opes may be the right fit for you.
If you’d prefer to use another company, here are our other recommendations.
Squirrel is one of the largest mortgage brokers in the country.
The team of 28 are some of the only mortgage brokers that get paid a salary, rather than commission.
CEO John Bolton feels mortgage brokers offer better impartial advice this way; you can be sure they’re doing the right thing by you, with no other intentions.
One Squirrel broker we know well is senior adviser Adam Clarke. He’s a certified financial adviser and has been with the company for several years. He made this year's Top Advisers in New Zealand list.
Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that Squirrel has 5 Chinese and 4 Indian-speaking brokers. This could be an attractive choice for those wanting to converse in their first language.
Tony Mounce Mortgages is the largest brokerage in Canterbury.
It was founded and is still led by Tony Mounce. He is a mortgage legend, and we refer to him as “the bank whisperer”.
Tony worked for BNZ for so long he now often knows lending policy better than some of the bank’s own staff. He uses that understanding to get mortgages approved. He also fights on behalf of his clients to get the right result.
If you work with Tony you’ll see he is fast, efficient and friendly. If you want money to buy a house and want it done, Tony is a good fit.
But, Tony is also busy. A lot of people want to work with him.
This means he’s not the sort of broker who will sit down with you over lunch to explain the basics of how a mortgage works.
If that’s the sort of hands-on advice you are looking for, then it may pay to work with a member of his team. Otherwise, you can use another broker on this list.
Roost is the only broker on this list that specialises in Queenstown and Otago.
Located in Arrowtown, the business is one of the largest mortgage brokers in the area.
Both directors, Mark Pullar and Toby Stanley, feature on the NZ brokers’ list of the top 30 mortgage brokers.
Thabit Ayoub and Rebecca Viale are 2 brokers in a team of 4. Thabit was named a Kiwi top broker at the mortgage awards in 2024.
If you’re looking for expertise directly related to Queenstown or the lower South Island, or if you're looking for classic Southern charm, the team at Roost may be the right fit for you.
Stephanie Murray Mortgages started in Taranaki. But, whenever I talk to people about good mortgage brokers in Wellington, David Quinn’s name always comes up.
Before joining Stephanie Murray Mortgages he worked for 2 major banks in New Zealand.
He’s originally from London, but David has lived in Wellington for over 20 years.
He works out of the Wellington office, alongside Stephanie Murray herself.
The company gets an impressive 4.9 stars on Google. David’s name is frequently mentioned throughout reviews.
Here’s what one said:
“I have worked with real estate and mortgage professionals over the years. But few [are] as professional, insightful and honest as David Quinn. David really does have his clients’ best interests at heart.”
Stephanie Murray Mortgages has 9 offices around the country.
NZ Home Loans is one of the largest brokers on this list, with over 70 franchises across the country. That scale means their processes are well sorted, and they have a reputable brand.
NZHL is unique in that its primary focus is to help Kiwis pay off their mortgages faster.
Here at Opes, we work with Emm McCartney a lot. She’s the director at NZ Home Loans (NZHL) Canterbury Metro.
Emm started the business with her husband, Terry, in 2011. And she’s moved up the ranks: she was NZHL’s No.1 business owner in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024. She gets positive reviews from her clients, who say she “goes the extra mile”.
You do need to know that NZ Home Loans are wholly-owned by Kiwi Group Capital Limited, who also own Kiwibank. That means there are only so many lenders NZHL brokers can get you a loan from.
If you want a broker who will play hardball to get the interest rate down, or a property investor who wants to split bank, NZ Home Loans may not be the right fit.
But if you want a mortgage broker to help you pay off your home loan more quickly, NZHL will likely be an excellent fit.
Loan Market is another of the largest mortgage broking businesses in the country.
They have an incredible team of over 150 brokers, 13 of which make NZ brokers’ top 30 list by value of mortgages written.
Loan Market is not owned by a bank (or a bank’s parent company). This is an important difference compared to NZHL. They work with over 20 different lenders, and this means you can use a split banking strategy.
That makes Loan Market a great fit if you want to deal with a reputable brand and plan to buy multiple properties.
Cameron Marcroft runs the Loan Market Central branch based in central Auckland. He has a team of 14 superstars, and they are one of the top-performing brokerages in New Zealand.
He is a very well-decorated broker, ranked amongst the top mortgage brokers in the country. With 500+ five-star Google reviews, he is highly rated by many.
Brenda Murney is an experienced mortgage adviser with Vega Mortgages.
She has extensive knowledge in the industry. As well as working as a mortgage broker for over 12 years, she previously spent 10 years at BNZ.
Brenda is known in New Zealand as a top mortgage adviser and has been on the NZ Top Advisers’ list for many years.
She says she’s often talking to the banks. Sometimes this includes suggesting policy changes and getting asked for feedback.
This is why Brenda can sometimes get a ‘yes’ from the banks when others get a ‘no’.
While based in Christchurch, she works with people throughout the country. She’s also a property investor herself, owning several properties.
Right now, Brenda is one of our recommended brokers, although she’s worked with Opes’ managing director Andrew Nicol twice.
First at BNZ, then at Tony Mounce Mortgages when they were both starting their careers.
Next on this list is Eugene Bartsaikin, of Twine Financial Brokers.
He founded the company in 2017. Eugene and his team are based in the Rosedale office in Auckland. They specialise in mortgages for property investors, first-home buyers and existing homeowners.
What sets Twine apart is their strategic approach to property and financing. They craft personalised mortgage strategies for each client.
Before any big financial decision, their advisers ensure a comprehensive game plan is in place. Twine also offers an ongoing loan renewal service, which clients find helpful, especially when interest rates and property prices keep changing.
Eugene’s name is well-known in the industry. He was the Top Adviser of the Year in 2023 and has been in the top 20 advisers list since 2020. He also features on the Young Guns list, which acknowledges advisers 35 years and under in the business.
Here at Opes, we know him well. Why? Because we’ve seen the financial advice he’s given to our investors … and it’s good. It’s thorough and some of the most clearly written we’ve seen in the industry.
Use this tool and find out in 2 minutes
Quiz: Can I afford an investment property?The last broker on our list is Kris Pedersen, of Kris Pedersen Mortgages.
Kris is an active member of the property investment community. His brokerage is the principal sponsor of the Auckland Property Investors’ Association. His company also writes for the NZ Property Investor magazine.
The company specialises in property investment, but they are also associated with other businesses, focusing on active renovation strategies.
Kris is an active property investor himself. This means he can give well-rounded advice to investors who are starting out or looking to expand.
Not long ago, I met a first-home buyer named Olivia. She was trying to buy a townhouse in Christchurch but kept hitting roadblocks with her bank.
She’d been declined twice and was starting to feel like owning her first home just wasn’t going to happen.
Then she got referred to Opes Mortgages.
One of our advisers sat down with her and looked over her situation. Turns out, it wasn’t that she couldn’t afford a home - it was just that the way her income was structured didn’t work for her current bank.
The broker explained why things weren’t working, showed her how to tidy up her application, and then matched her with a lender that was a better fit.
A couple of weeks later, she had pre-approval. And a few months after that, she emailed to say: “I got the keys today. Honestly, I don’t think this would have happened without you.”
The thing is, most people don’t realise how different banks view things. And when your bank says no, it doesn’t always mean no forever.
That’s why the right mortgage broker like Opes Mortgages can be the difference between a declined application and moving into your new home.
The best way to find a mortgage broker for you is to phone them and have a chat.
Yes, recommendations are a great way to start, but you might like to interview a couple before you make your mind up.
There are very few “no-brainers” in buying property … but for us, using a mortgage broker is one of them for most people. Not only is your lending more likely to be approved, but the service is often offered at no cost. That’s because they earn a commission from the bank when they help you get a new loan.
Your broker will take on the donkey work of your mortgage application, which means you’re free to do other things.
Managing Director, 20+ Years' Experience Investing In Property, Author & Host
Andrew Nicol, Managing Director at Opes Partners, is a seasoned financial adviser and property investment expert with 20+ years of experience. With 40 investment properties, he hosts the Property Academy Podcast, co-authored 'Wealth Plan' with Ed Mcknight, and has helped 1,894 Kiwis achieve financial security through property investment.
This article is for your general information. It’s not financial advice. See here for details about our Financial Advice Provider Disclosure. So Opes isn’t telling you what to do with your own money.
We’ve made every effort to make sure the information is accurate. But we occasionally get the odd fact wrong. Make sure you do your own research or talk to a financial adviser before making any investment decisions.
You might like to use us or another financial adviser
