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<\/p>\nThe Adviser Platform (TAP) is moving away from being a traditional aggregator to opening up its services to anyone in the market. <\/p>\n
Tuesday, February 17th 2026, 6:10AM<\/p>\n
by Sally Lindsay<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In a significant move, TAP is expanding to offer it services at a national level to any adviser even if they use another aggregator.<\/p>\n
TAP managing director Ryan Edwards says essentially it is removing the emotional or psychological pull around whether an adviser needs to abandon their existing aggregator relationship to take advantage of TAP\u2019s services to make their business stronger.<\/p>\n
Edwards believes there are at least 500 adviser businesses that would be a good fit for accessing and benefiting from working with TAP.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want the expanded business to stand on its own two feet in terms of advisers seeing the tangible benefits of plugging into a support system rather than having to worry about the intangibles around loyalty, personal relationships or historical alignment with another aggregator.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says what TAP is offering removes the politics from the industry. \u201cIt just comes down to: \u2018Do I see value in working together? Is this going to help my business? Is this going to help me get in front of more clients?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The move reflects TAP\u2019s belief that the future of advice lies in collaboration and capability, not exclusivity, Edwards says. \u201cWe want to make it easier for advisers, associations, groups, and licensees to work together without alignment being a barrier.<\/p>\n
Our goal is simple: strengthen advisers, strengthen the profession, and ensure more New Zealanders can access quality advice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Past practices no longer relevant<\/p>\n
In the past if an adviser wanted to change their CRM system, for example, they would have to change their aggregator allegiance. And for a lot of advisers those relationships would have been historical or based on strong personal associations. The old model forced an adviser to pick and choose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
TAP operated in that system as a traditional aggregator when it first started business in 2018, which suited how the adviser market operated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe market model was forced alignment with one aggregator. If an adviser wanted the services of a particular aggregator, they had to align with that business.<\/p>\n
\u201cPutting that emotional, or an artificial, barrier around group alignment wasn’t helping the industry move forward. It was quite tribal and factional but it made sense to go down that path.\u201d<\/p>\n
Edwards says that model doesn’t really exist anymore in terms of the traditional historical aggregation, particularly on the insurance side.<\/p>\n
What the business found as the industry matured, the way groups were remunerated was becoming a barrier to entry for people who wanted to use TAP\u2019s services but didn\u2019t want to necessarily align with the aggregator at a group level.<\/p>\n
Now the financial flow of revenue has reverted from groups back to advisers that enables advisers to decide where to invest in their business rather than a chunk of money going to the actual group, he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s where we’re changing the model because five-10 years ago, financially it made sense for everyone to align with a particular aggregator.\u201d<\/p>\n
Putting the adviser first<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we have decided to do is put the adviser at the centre of the conversation again by acting as an industry infrastructure partner.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re here to help anyone from any group. If and adviser sees value in what we do, great, plug us in. And if an adviser sees value in working alongside another group or another association, they don’t have to have that forced alignment.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says TAP is offering complimentary services. \u201cObviously advisers are not going to run two separate CRMs at the same time. It is making the conversation about value that can be added and outcomes to the adviser business rather than making it about which group that business chooses to align with and whether that is restricting or enhancing its access to services.<\/p>\n
Edwards says TAP exists to back advisers, not control them, supporting independence, professionalism, and long-term success.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough technology, data insights, and specialist support, TAP helps advisers modernise, scale sustainably, and stay compliant and client focused.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says when advisers operate more efficiently and confidently, more New Zealanders can access quality advice, benefiting clients, the profession, and the economy.<\/p>\n
Wider move in sector<\/p>\n
TAP Group chairwoman Naomi Ballantyne says this shift reflects a wider move across the sector toward greater openness and shared infrastructure.<\/p>\n
\u201cHistorical competition around alignment with one aggregator is ending and that\u2019s a good thing for everyone. The next phase is about empowerment. It\u2019s about platforms and providers working together to give advisers what they need to thrive – systems, data, and support that are independent of alignment or control.\u201d<\/p>\n
TAP says its competitive advantage lies in combining technology and data capability with hands-on operational delivery, making transformation achievable without the pain typically associated with change.<\/p>\n
More than 100 specialist staff support data management, administration, and operational transformation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve built a model that removes the friction from change, Edwards says.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdvisers shouldn\u2019t have to choose between modernising their business and protecting the day-to-day client experience \u2013 especially because of any loyalty conflicts. They should be able to do both,\u201d Edwards says.<\/p>\n
TAP supports more than 550 advisers nationwide.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything we’re doing is around trying to raise the bar in New Zealand. There is such an opportunity for the country to benefit from people getting financial advice and, and the industry is still crying out for some efficiency and some scale.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to focus on value and not politics.\u201d<\/p>\n
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