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New Zealand Adviser reveals the winners of its inaugural Top 25 Brokers of 2024, a cohort of high-performing professionals excelling with an exceptional commitment to client service.
The report is an opportunity to spotlight outstanding brokers who display remarkable examples of passion, dedication, and commitment in their professional operations.
NZA’s research team undertook a rigorous marketing and survey process, leveraging its connection to thousands of readers nationwide to nominate and rate mortgage brokers across six criteria:
Understanding of clients’ loan needs
Fast and easy communication
Personalised service
Being proactive and suggesting the best type of loan
Getting the best value for money
Simplifying the process of finding the best lender
The best mortgage advisers were selected by voting based on these criteria and all 25 winners exemplify the qualities most valued by New Zealand loan seekers in their adviser relationships.
Personalised service
“Taking the time with you to ensure all avenues have been explored,” notes a client.
“An ability to truly understand their client’s situation and goals and make a tailored plan,” adds another client.
One customer comments, “Goes above and beyond to ensure we leave her office with smiles, accomplishing 100% of her client’s priorities.”
Expertise and industry knowledge
“Understanding of a complex and multiple entity situation,” along with “literacy in New Zealand’s financial markets and politics,” was highlighted by several borrowers.
Clients also praised advisers for their “wealth of knowledge and experience” in the field.
Communication and transparency
Borrowers appreciated advisers who ensured “comprehension of the whole situation to provide the best options” and maintained “honest, clear and effective communication throughout the process.”
Empathy and care
Clients frequently noted kindness, good listening skills and creating a personal connection.
Survey participants commended advisers for their “high emotional intelligence, non-judgmental and unbiased conduct.”
Going the extra mile
Respondents emphasised advisers’ dedication by stating, “When every bank says no to my application, they don’t give up,” spotlighting their commitment to positively impacting clients’ lives.
Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s 2024 data show that the number of new residential mortgage lending by borrower type is rising slightly and is now back to a level comparable with May 2022.
The key aspect of this for mortgage brokers is that their share of the market is rising as banks are doing more deals via brokers rather than with borrowers direct, relative to 2023. The industry expects this trend to continue and for brokers’ share of the market to rise further.
Commerce Commission New Zealand data also highlights this rise in the role played by mortgage advisors over the past decade.
In addition, Commerce Commission New Zealand’s Personal banking services market study 2024 states “Mortgage advisors can help borrowers navigate the market because they have up-to-date information about the home loan deals available through each lender (including discretionary discounts that are not publicly available).”
Again, the rise of the role played by mortgage advisors is illustrated by data going back to 2015.
The 2024 data on brokers’ ratings and rank indicates that clients place great importance on personalised service, online convenience and personal interaction, and consider interest rates in their decision-making process. However, other factors may also influence their choice of which mortgage professional to work with.
The country’s best mortgage advisers share common approaches to helping clients achieve their goals, underscored by investing in their overall financial health.
As the following pair of winners illustrate, the personalised and tailored solutions they consistently deliver for their clients have pushed them to the top of their profession.
Ankur Bajaj – Reliable Mortgages t/a Reliable Financial Group
Broker rating: 9.95
Top-scoring for personalised service, being proactive about suggesting the best type of loan
The Auckland-based director and award-winning mortgage adviser’s decision to leave a career in banking to join the mortgage industry in July 2022 raised some eyebrows, particularly as the market entered one of its most challenging periods.
But Bajaj set goals for what he wanted to achieve: being responsive to clients’ needs, building relationships that would help them over the longer term, and earning their trust by helping them successfully navigate complex scenarios.
“We had about 140-plus home loan settlements in under two years, and each of those customers can vouch for the service we provided and how well we understood what they wanted to accomplish,” Bajaj says. “Out of all these clients, only one reached out to say they were struggling, and we found a solution to get them through the hard times they were having.”
Clients validated Bajaj’s commitment:
“Extremely efficient and fast. I did not expect the results so soon, which exceeded my expectations.”
“He goes above and beyond to help.”
Heather Roney-Kleb – Mortgage Ladies and Co.
Broker rating: 9.84
Top-scoring for fast and easy communication, being proactive about suggesting the best type of loan
With over 20 years of financial industry experience, the Aukland-based co-founder, director and industry-leading mortgage adviser has been through all the highs and lows of the sector and has honed a wealth of skills and knowledge in residential lending and properties.
She is a passionate advocate for sharing her expertise with clients, ensuring they are fully educated and empowered to make sound financial decisions.
The company is known as the “pink stiletto crew” and they unabashedly walk the talk, proudly being “a pair of stilettos in a room full of flats.”
“We’ve built the business on a set of strong core values, and I’m big in the space of honesty, ethics, and having integrity in everything that I do, whether it’s personal or business,” says Roney-Kleb, a three-time NZA Elite Woman award recipient. “I think that resonates with our clients.”
Clients attested to Roney-Kleb’s dedication:
“She ensured she knew our whole situation and provided us with the best options.”
“Heather has been wonderful and has made such a difference to us.”
“I trust her completely; that has been the most important thing.”
The best mortgage advisers stand out from competitors by their admirable reputation, expertise and industry knowledge, consistent follow-ups, and commitment to putting in the hard yards.
Bajaj established a practice of checking in with clients quarterly to ask how they are faring or if they’re facing any challenges. He believes this initiative is unique based on anecdotal evidence. He has also hired a customer relationship manager to handle the growing book of business.
“In talks with a recent client, they told me they received great service from their adviser during the process but hadn’t heard from them in over a year,” he says. “I took that as something valuable to incorporate into my business.”
Other factors that distinguish him among the country’s best mortgage advisers include:
102-and-counting 5-star Google reviews within 18 months
robust social media marketing strategy
Roney-Kleb’s strong and trusted brand appeals to a specific market segment drawn to an all-female brokerage respected for its financial and lending market advice. It has pushed to the forefront by offering clients a one-stop shop for their mortgage needs.
“My passion for the financial sector versus some other areas of finance gives me the warm and fuzzies and takes me to new highs every day,” she says. “I probably take things to the extreme where I’m literally available 24/7 for my clients.”
Service strategies that set Roney-Kleb apart include:
offering in-person meetings
being flexible and adaptable to evolving client and market demands
All this year’s best mortgage advisers acknowledge the challenges of the past few years, not just in terms of interest rates but also regarding opportunities.
Bajaj seized an opportunity to generate new leads by partnering with several real estate agents on an open house campaign twice a year, where the brokerage’s advisers offered free advice and information on-site.
“It’s free financial advice on the spot, and we promoted that heavily on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok,” he says. “I had an existing network of real estate agents that I dealt with quite a bit, and this gave me a newer and bigger network which consistently feeds me the volume that I need to build the business and take it to where I want it to be.”
Noting that its starting point was strategically branding Mortgage Ladies and Co., Roney-Kleb leaned on her belief that the mortgage market was built on relationships. She launched Ladies in Business Networking New Zealand seven years ago to help women connect, network and learn from each other.
“I’ve built a strong tribe of other like-minded female professionals around me, and I’ve learned a lot from them, along with the strong team I have behind me,” she says.
The best mortgage advisers prioritise:
active listening
extensive fact-finding
client education
ongoing and consistent service
Scroll down to see the Top 25 Brokers and click on their profiles to learn more about them.
NZ Adviser conducted its inaugural search for the Top Brokers in New Zealand to discover who are the best brokers in the country for acting in their clients’ interests. From a diverse cross-section of mortgage professionals, the NZA team had the opportunity to spotlight remarkable examples of passion, dedication and commitment.
In March, the team undertook a rigorous marketing and survey process, leveraging its connections to thousands of readers across the country. NZA readers were asked to nominate their mortgage brokers and rate them on six key criteria. The most voted-for brokers that received an average score of 8 or higher were named Top 25 Brokers, who are recognised based not on revenue but rather on the service provided to their clients.