Past winners encourage peers to submit entries before December 2
With nominations closing for the 2023 New Zealand Mortgage Awards on December 2, two previous winners are encouraging members of the mortgage industry to get their entries in now.
NZFSG (NZ Financial Services Group) won Aggregator of the Year at the 2021 NZMAs. Brendon Smith (pictured above right), CEO of NZFSG, said the aggregator tried to stay out of the limelight because it focused on supporting advisers.
“We were chuffed to get the recognition from the industry and it is always nice to win,” Smith said. “Our approach is head down and work hard for advisers, so to receive the acknowledgement was fantastic and it was great for the team to see that publicly.”
The 2023 NZMAs will be held at the Hilton Auckland on April 27 – the first time the prestigious industry awards has been a live, in-person event. Bluestone Home Loan is the event partner for the third consecutive year. Select is the co-event partner and the other sponsors are Avanti Finance, First Mortgage Trust and Prospa.
Smith said the award win was a combination of being experienced and working in the industry for quite some time.
“We work on continuously improving our business and pride ourselves on doing what we will say we do. At the end of the day, we do what we do well and strive to do it better,” he said.
“It is our job to be there to support advisers. Our partners (including lenders and insurance companies) help us to support them and the great partnerships we have in place is a big part of our success.”
The team at Global Financial Services won two awards at the 2021 NZMAs - Best Industry Service and Mortgage Brokerage of the Year (11+ Staff).
Founder and director Ajay Kumar (pictured above left) said the award wins helped his brokerage improve its image within the community and also helped market the brand.
“I believe winning awards improves our industry and events like the NZMAs are great opportunities to do so,” Kumar said. “For us, it was a real advantage to win. The NZMAs are esteemed and it was a real honour to win. NZ Adviser is one of the most prestigious publications in my opinion.”
Other previous NZMA winners, including 2022 Young Gun of the Year Jen Taylor, are encouraging their peers to enter.
The third annual NZMAs will ensure mortgage advisers, BDMs and representatives from brokerages, lenders and service providers can get together for the first time and celebrate the best and brightest in the industry.
In 2023, more categories have been added to the awards, including Adviser of the Year – Specialist Lending; Commercial Mortgage Adviser; Adviser of the Year – Insurance; Best Banks of the Year; Fintech Lender of the Year; Best Industry Service and Best Industry Marketing Campaign.
The 16 award categories are:
Commercial Mortgage Adviser
Adviser of the Year – Independent & Franchise
Adviser of the Year – Specialist Lending
Adviser of the Year – Insurance
Adviser of the Year – Regional
Young Gun of the Year
Brokerage of the Year – 1-5 staff
Brokerage of the Year – 6+
New Brokerage of the Year
Best Customer Service from an Individual office
Best BDM of the Year (Banks, Non-Banks, Aggregators)
Best Banks of the Year (Majors & Non-Majors)
Best Non-Banks of the Year
Fintech Lender of the Year
Best Industry Service
Best Industry Marketing Campaign
To nominate for the awards and for more information, please click here, but hurry because nominations close December 2.
