Canstar NZ

22/07/2026

Congratulations to SBS Bank, for winning Canstar’s Bank of the Year First Home Buyers Award 2026.

This is the fourth time in the past five years that SBS Bank has taken home our award due to its great FHB deals, including the FirstHome Combo, and incentives such as the new Skip app.

Together, SBS Bank’s innovations offer sharper interest rates, FHB exclusives, and thousands of dollars in cashbacks, which make home ownership more affordable for aspiring FHBs.

So, if you’re thinking of making the move into a home of your own, click here to check out the full details of why SBS Bank is NZ’s best bank for first home buyers.

https://www.canstar.co.nz/first-home-buyers/best-mortgage-first-home-buyers/

02/07/2026

Looking for the best bank accounts for your bucks? Canstar’s 2026 Bank Accounts Awards reveal NZ’s best everyday bank accounts, and those that deliver the most competitive interest rates and features for savers.

Congratulations to Heartland Bank, the winner of Canstar’s Bank of the Year Savings Award for the ninth year in a row, and to our other Outstanding Value Savings Accounts Awards recipients, for helping Kiwis make the most of their money:

· Kiwibank

· Rabobank

And this year, TSB New Zealand takes home our Bank of the Year Everyday Banking Award, while the following institutions earn Outstanding Value Awards for their great transaction accounts:

· ASB Bank

· BNZ

· Westpac NZ

For more information on our Savings Accounts Awards, click here:
https://www.canstar.co.nz/savings-accounts/best-savings-accounts-nz/

To read about our Everyday Banking Awards, click here:
https://www.canstar.co.nz/transaction-accounts/best-everyday-accounts-nz/

10/06/2026

Are you about to fix your mortgage? The RBNZ has made it clear that the only way for the official cash rate (OCR) is up, and most bank economists expect three rate hikes before Christmas.

But will mortgage rates follow, and if you’re refinancing your home loan, should you fix short or long?

Canstar looks at what the big banks are predicting for the OCR and mortgage rates over the next 12 months.

In which direction are mortgage interest rates headed? Canstar looks at what the banks are predicting for the OCR and home loan rates.

04/06/2026

Wondering what to have for dinner? My Food Bag serves up great family meals, and exceptional value, on a plate! 🍽️🥗

For the second year in a row, My Food Bag has won Canstar’s Meal Kits Award, based on feedback from over 630 everyday Kiwis.

In this year’s award, My Food Bag earns a perfect set of scores from its customers, across award categories including: Customer Service, Freshness, Taste and, importantly, Value for Money. 🥬🥦🥕🫑🌶️

For while many food costs have soared over the past two years, Canstar’s analysis shows meal kit prices have increased only slightly, around 2%, and continue to offer great value for time-poor, and budget-pinched, families.

For more on My Food Bag’s win, click here!

Find the best-rated meal kit delivery brands in New Zealand at Canstar as we compare meal kit brands for freshness, taste and value for money.

10/05/2026

There’s been a lot of changes in the telco and power market over the past month. One NZ and Spark have each tweaked some of their mobile phone plans and prices. And in the power market, the latest wave of increases to electricity transmission costs kicked in.

As a result, many Kiwi households will be facing increased utility bills this month. But that doesn’t mean you have to suck up the hit to your finances. There are also some great new deals out there across mobile, broadband and power, which have the potential to save you hundreds of dollars.

Check out Canstar’s May round-ups of the best deals across: 💵📱

Broadband https://www.canstar.co.nz/internet/best-broadband-deals/

Mobile https://www.canstar.co.nz/mobile-phone/best-mobile-phone-deals/

Electricity https://www.canstar.co.nz/energy/best-power-deals-in-nz/

Looking for the best broadband deals in New Zealand? Canstar wraps the best current broadband deals from all the big broadband providers.

29/04/2026

🏆Canstar’s 2026 Innovation Excellence Awards🏆

ASB Bank , One New Zealand and Tower Insurance – delivering a new wave of innovation reshaping banking, telco and insurance , One NZ and Tower – delivering a new wave of innovation reshaping banking, telco and insurance.

Canstar has announced its 2026 Innovation Excellence Award winners, recognising five standout products and services – from three providers across banking, insurance and telco – that are changing how Kiwis manage their money, homes, and everyday lives.

🏆2026 Innovation Excellence Award Winners🏆

🏆ASB🏆

This year ASB scores a hat-trick of wins, thanks to a trio of innovations that make banking safer, easier, and more sustainable:

Caller Check: Caller Check is a first-of-its-kind security feature that allows customers to verify a bank caller’s identity instantly through the ASB Mobile Banking app.

Joint Home Loan Application: ASB's Joint Home Loan Application system is designed to simplify and speed up the home-lending journey for co-borrowers.

Smart Solar: ASB's Smart Solar is a two-part solution that offers a five-year, 0% interest loan of up to $150,000 for solar power that combines with the high-tech Power My Farm solar toolkit, which uses laser mapping to find the best spots for solar panels.

🏆One NZ🏆

Satellite TXT: In a global first, One NZ became the first company to launch a nationwide satellite service that allows compatible off-the-shelf mobile phones to communicate directly with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network, offering communication outside of conventional terrestrial mobile networks.

🏆Tower🏆

Landslide and Sea Surge Insurance: Tower’s risk-based insurance pricing harnesses the latest technology to the benefit of Kiwi home-insurance customers, by giving them access to property-level risk factors that were previously hidden. And, importantly, for over 90% of Tower’s customers, it translates into a reduction in the natural hazards portion of their premiums.

For more information about Canstar’s Innovation Excellence Awards click here.

Canstar’s Innovation Excellence Awards celebrate groundbreaking financial products launched in NZ over the past year.

23/04/2026

🏆 Canstar's Home Loan Awards 2026 🏆

As fixed-term mortgage interest rates creep back up, Canstar’s latest Home Loan Awards reveal the lenders that offer Kiwi home owners outstanding value mortgages.🏠 🏛

This year, BNZ is the winner of Canstar’s Bank of the Year Home Loans Award, for delivering mortgage products that combine the best features with the lowest costs, alongside great customer service at every stage of the mortgage journey.

In addition to the BNZ, three other mortgage providers receive Outstanding Value Awards, across residential and investment lending:

· ASB

· The Co-operative Bank

· Westpac

For full details of Canstar’s 2026 Home Loan Awards, click here.

ASB is NZ's best mortgage lender: winner of Canstar's Bank of the Year | Home Loans Award, for its great rates, value and customer service.