"Specialize, specialize, specialize. You are able to be more effective by being an expert at one thing," he says
Just a few more weeks to go and the New Zealand Mortgage Awards are returning to the country's biggest city.
The 2025 celebration — scheduled for April 10 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm at the Auckland War Memorial Museum — brings together New Zealand's top talent in the mortgage world, as the industry shines a light on best practices and leadership over the last year.
Ahead of this year's event, New Zealand Adviser is talking to past winners and sponsors for their thoughts on the market, why it's important to attend and what others can do to stand out.
The details
New Zealand Mortgage Award attendees include commercial mortgage advisers, lenders, aggregators, business development managers, brokerages, loan administrators and service providers, all of whom come to mingle, learn about new trends in the mortgage space and hopefully take home one of the coveted awards.
This year's event includes an appearance by New Zealand's own radio and television host Jeremy Corbett, who will serve as MC, and DJ Venetia supplying the tunes.
Non-bank lender Liberty Financial will once act as event partner. Sponsors include Avanti Finance, Basecorp Finance, Bizcap, FAMNZ, Finbase, Finsure New Zealand, First Mortgage Trust, Kiwi Advisor Network, Link Financial Group, NZFSG, Pepper Money, Prospa and XCEDA.
Tickets can be purchased here.
Past winner: Gus Evans, commercial mortgage adviser of the year, Spring Loans
In 2024, Gus Evans — founder, director and financial adviser at Auckland-based Spring Loans — took home the commercial mortgage adviser of the year award.
Evans, who launched Spring Loans in 2020, has more than a decade of experience in the industry. His skill set includes business acquisition funding, business growth, commercial property acquisition, debt structuring, home loans and investment property loans.
New Zealand Adviser spoke with Evans ahead of this year's awards for tips and tricks on what he's doing differently than his peers, his advice for fellow advisers and his thoughts on the market.
The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.
NZA: What is the secret to your success? Why do you think you won?
Evans: I specialize in commercial lending. I don’t typically facilitate property development or assist first home buyers. Because of this, it’s allowed me to be recognized as a specialist within the industry.
NZA: How did your company help support you throughout the year?
Evans: I have a great team around me, Ash [Mitchell] and Brad [Tonkin], my business partners, are a great support [system]. We have good teamwork and often workshop deals together to get the best outcome for our clients.
NZA: What makes Spring Loans special in the advisory space?
Evans: We play in a very niche area of the market. There are other firms that have the capability, but none that specialize in commercial acquisition funding like we do.
NZA: What can competitors learn from your firm?
Evans: Specialize, specialize, specialize. A jack of all trades is a master of none. You are able to be more effective by being an expert at one thing.
NZA: What are some of your best practices as an adviser? What are you doing as an adviser that others are not doing?
Evans: Business owners don’t clock off at 5 p.m., and neither should we. That doesn’t mean I’m going to pull the laptop open at 8.30 p.m. But if I’m not with my kids [then] I’m more than happy to take a phone call and work through something with a client, if they require it.
NZA: What kind of advice would you have for advisers who are hoping to be recognized in the year ahead?
Evans: Good things come to those who work hard. If you find yourself with nothing to do then your mindset needs to be, what can I do today that will help my tomorrow?
NZA: What are your thoughts on New Zealand's loan and property markets as we enter into the back half of 2025?
Evans: Affordability is back up — which is great for households, but the economy isn’t necessarily out of the woods yet. The viewpoint amongst our clientele appears to be that business will improve in the back half of the year, which is encouraging. We expect to see people investing for growth in the next few months.
NZA: How is the commercial property sector changing?
Evans: This market is ever evolving, with the bank's appetite changing constantly. We are seeing competition really heat up with multiple bank’s competing for deals at the moment, and that’s only a positive for our clients.
NZA: What trends are you seeing in the market at the moment?
Evans: We are seeing a large increase in inquiries with people looking to purchase businesses. I think this is due to market confidence improving. Kiwis are entrepreneurial and we love supporting them in that.
