Zane Torkington - Your Mortgage Advisor

08/09/2026

The latest data from Cotality shows borrowers in New Zealand are making very deliberate moves right now.

First home buyers are taking full advantage of low-deposit lending, while existing mortgage holders are locking in longer fixed terms for certainty. With roughly 30% of home loans due to refix in the next six months, having a clear strategy in place is key.

Understanding how these trends apply to your budget can help you plan your next move with confidence.

Read the full breakdown on our blog.
https://adviser.loanmarket.co.nz/zane-torkington//blog/borrowers-show-resilience-as-mortgage-trends-shift/

05/09/2026

For the dad who somehow knew interest rates were moving before the Reserve Bank did. Who has been providing advice for as long as you can remember, whether you asked for it or not.

He's never worked in finance but insists you should have "just asked him first" before you signed anything.

And somehow, annoyingly, he's usually right.

Happy Father's Day! 💙

02/09/2026

✅ We compare your options across our wide range of lenders, not just the main banks.

✅ We handle the paperwork so you are not chasing bank statements, payslips, and proof of income yourself.

✅ We negotiate directly with lenders on interest rates, loan structures, and special offers.

✅ We check the fine print for hidden details, like break costs, revolving credit terms, and extra repayment limits.

✅ We stay in your corner long after settlement, reviewing your fixed rate before it renews to keep your loan competitive.

✅ We work for you, not the bank.

Want to know what an adviser can do for you? Reach out to start a no-obligation chat.

https://adviser.loanmarket.co.nz/zane-torkington/contact-us

02/09/2026

Retiring with a mortgage is becoming more common... but it needs a plan

For many New Zealanders, retirement no longer begins with a mortgage-free home and a large pool of accessible savings.

People are buying their first home later, carrying larger loans relative to their income and facing higher costs for rates, insurance, maintenance, healthcare and everyday living.

That can create an uncomfortable situation: owning a valuable home while struggling with day-to-day cash flow.

It’s one reason home equity is becoming a more important part of retirement planning.

A reverse mortgage may be one option for an eligible homeowner. It can potentially help repay an existing mortgage, fund necessary maintenance or healthcare, create a contingency reserve, or allow someone to remain in their home for longer.

But it isn’t automatically the right answer.

Other possibilities might include downsizing, restructuring existing lending, using savings or investments, relocating, receiving family assistance or combining several strategies.

The starting point should always be the retirement the person wants to live, not a particular financial product.

Any equity-release decision also needs to consider:

How interest will compound
How much equity may remain in the future
The effect on the person’s estate
Whether funds should be drawn gradually
Future healthcare and mobility needs
Whether the home will remain suitable
What alternative options are available

These conversations are best held early.

Mortgage arrears have begun edging upward again, unemployment has increased and many borrowers expect interest rates to remain under pressure. Waiting until retirement cash flow has become a crisis can significantly reduce the available choices.

If you’re approaching retirement with a mortgage, or helping parents who are asset-rich but finding cash flow increasingly difficult, it may be worth understanding the options before making any major decisions.

Book in a chat at the link below.

Why deal with one bank, when you could sit down with them all at the same time? Using an experienced mortgage consultant like me is exactly that; when you chat with me, as your consultant I work for you, not the banks, and ensure that we get you the mortgage experience possible.Let me look at your i...

02/09/2026

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has announced its latest update, increasing the Official Cash Rate to 2.75%.

If you’re currently paying off a mortgage or house hunting, back-to-back rate movements mean it’s time to take a fresh look at your setup. When the OCR goes up, lenders typically adjust their interest rates in response. For existing mortgage holders, that can mean higher repayments when your rate rolls over and for buyers hunting in the property market, it can reshape your borrowing capacity.

Movement in the market is a standard part of the cycle, so there’s no need to feel uneasy. Managing an upward rate shift simply comes down to good preparation and having a plan tailored to your financial goals.

Whether you need to review a fixed rate expiring soon or want to check how this impacts your buying budget, getting proactive with your numbers is the best next step. Let’s get your strategy sorted early.

31/08/2026

The “standard borrower” is disappearing... and lending needs to catch up

The way New Zealanders earn, invest, structure their families and buy property has changed.

More people are self-employed, run businesses, earn income from multiple sources or hold assets across different entities. Others are navigating blended families, relationship separations, succession planning, overseas income or multi-generational property purchases.

These situations can make a loan application look complicated.

But complicated doesn’t necessarily mean risky.

Often, the real challenge is ensuring the borrower’s complete financial position is properly understood and presented to a lender equipped to assess it.

That’s why good mortgage advice involves far more than finding the lowest advertised rate. It means understanding...

What you’re ultimately trying to achieve
How your income and assets are structured
Your available equity and security
Your repayment strategy
Any unusual transactions or financial events
Which lenders are most likely to understand your unique circumstances

An individual assessment doesn’t mean lowering lending standards. It means applying those standards intelligently and considering the borrower’s complete position.

This is important in today’s market. Interest rates may not fall as quickly as some borrowers had hoped. Competition between lenders is changing, property performance varies considerably between regions, and specialist lending options continue to evolve.

The best solution won’t always be the lender with the cheapest headline rate. Structure, flexibility, timing and the borrower’s longer-term plan can be equally important.

Specialist or short-term lending shouldn’t automatically be viewed as a last resort either. In the right circumstances, it can provide a strategic pathway... helping someone manage a timing gap, take advantage of an opportunity or eventually transition back to mainstream lending.

If your situation doesn’t fit neatly into a bank’s standard template, don’t assume the answer is automatically “no”.

Sometimes the missing ingredients are the right strategy, a clearly presented application and the right lender.

Not sure where you stand or what might be possible?

Book a short Clarity Call with me. We’ll discuss what you’re looking to achieve, where things currently stand and how I may be able to help:

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Why deal with one bank, when you could sit down with them all at the same time? Using an experienced mortgage consultant like me is exactly that; when you chat with me, as your consultant I work for you, not the banks, and ensure that we get you the mortgage experience possible.Let me look at your i...

31/08/2026

If you have been living in a house you have been meaning to renovate for years, you are definitely not alone.

The reno conversation is happening around kitchen tables all over New Zealand right now. And the finance side (accessing equity through a top-up, getting a renovation loan, or arranging construction finance) is actually one of the easier parts of the process to map out.

Before you call the builder, it is worth knowing what you can access and how. The numbers on those quotes might look very different once you know what you actually have to work with.

We can help you figure that out. Feel free to send a message if you ever want to chat through your options.

27/08/2026

Whether you are pinning a daffodil to your jacket, dropping a donation in a street collector's bucket, or remembering a loved one today, we join you in supporting the Cancer Society and the incredible work they do for Kiwi families.

Thank you to everyone helping make a difference across our community today.

27/08/2026

Borrowing power is one of those numbers a lot of people think they know, but haven't actually checked recently.

It shifts with your income, living expenses, existing debts, and interest rates. With rates sitting higher than they were a couple of years ago, your borrowing capacity might look quite different today compared to what you expected.

Getting a clear picture of your actual baseline numbers is simply step one before you start looking at properties or making big financial plans.

Feel free to send a direct message if you ever want to check where your baseline sits in today's market.

25/08/2026

Getting a home loan when you're self-employed has a number of hoops to jump through.

The good news is that advisers who work regularly with self-employed clients know exactly which lenders understand business income and how to structure an application that actually reflects how your finances work.

It's not impossible. You just need the right person in your corner 🙋
https://adviser.loanmarket.co.nz/zane-torkington/products-services/self-employed-loans