How KAN helps advisers diversify and thrive

The mortgage market might be warming up, but for advisers, that doesn’t necessarily mean life’s getting easier. If anything, it’s just a different kind of pressure.

Fresh off winning the Bizcap Best Aggregator BDM award at the 2025 New Zealand Mortgage Awards is Warwick Slow, national sales manager at Kiwi Adviser Network (KAN). He reflected on the challenges advisers are facing, and how the network is helping them to stay resilient.

“It’s actually been a bit of a shift lately, with rates starting to ease and buyers gaining a bit more confidence. We're seeing more activity, but that brings its own challenges,” Slow told NZ Adviser.

“Good properties are still getting snapped up fast, so advisers are needing to move quickly and make sure clients are ready to go. There’s also a lot of conversation around re-fixing and restructuring as rates come down, so advisers are spending more time helping clients figure out what’s best for them in a changing market.”

KAN is in a unique position to see what small mortgage firms in particular are up against. The latest flurry of compliance talk has come on top of an already hectic year, and for many local teams, this has meant balancing a lot of competing priorities.

“For the smaller teams, it’s often that classic juggling act, trying to grow the business while staying on top of compliance, admin, and client service,” Slow said.

“Many are still very hands-on with every loan, and that doesn’t leave a lot of headspace for building processes or future-proofing the business. It's also easy to feel a bit isolated if you're not part of a strong network.”

Boosting resilience in adviser businesses

The need for a strong network is very familiar to advisers across the country. Whether it’s a moment to share ideas, swap stories, or just feel less alone in the chaos, genuine connection with like-minded professionals matters.

That sense of belonging is something KAN has worked hard to nurture, and Slow noted that diversification has been a particularly significant theme this year.

“I’m proud of the work we’ve done around helping advisers diversify into other revenue streams, like insurance and KiwiSaver,” Slow said. “We’ve seen some great wins there where advisers have been able to build more resilience into their businesses.

“I’m also proud of how we’ve continued to grow without losing that personal feel, it’s still very much a relationship-driven network,” he said. “Our networking events throughout the country have been popular too. Advisers enjoyed an afternoon out of the office to network with advisers and providers.”

Looking ahead, KAN’s roadmap is all about focusing on what really matters: meaningful support, smart tools, and thoughtful growth. Utilising the best available tech is going to be particularly relevant, as advisers increasingly look for smarter tools and better efficiency.

“Growth, as always, is on the cards, but it’s got to be the right kind of growth, where we can still give each adviser the support they need,” Slow said.

“When the market’s changing, it’s more important than ever to have someone in your corner. Aggregators like KAN give advisers a bit of breathing room, we handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff so they can focus on clients.”