How to save hundreds of thousands on your home loan.<\/p>\n
\n It\u2019s a Kiwi obsession, a discussion you\u2019ll hear as often across the BBQ grill or the caf\u00e9 table than the weather, who\u2019s going to be dumped from Love Island, or whether the Wahs are going to make the Grand Final
\n this year.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s your mortgage rate, then?\u201d<\/p>\n
But, says an expert with more than 35 years\u2019 experience across banking, home finance and insurance, we\u2019ve got it all wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not the interest rate you pay \u2013 it\u2019s the rate you pay it off,\u201d says Mark Hayward.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s a mortgage mentor \u2013 note that title \u2013 with New Zealand Home Loans (NZHL), a Kiwi-owned home loan and insurance advisory network focused on helping New Zealanders achieve financial freedom faster. <\/p>\n
Mark Hayward, mortgage mentor, NZHL.<\/p>\n
NZHL operates through a nationwide network of around 70 locally owned offices and 160 mortgage mentors, with more than 45,000 clients across the country. <\/p>\n
NZHL takes a different approach to traditional lending.<\/p>\n
Instead of focusing purely on interest rates, it combines personalised mortgage coaching, tailored loan structures designed to reduce interest \u2013 including strategies like channelling income to minimise interest over time \u2013 and its DebtNav tool, which helps clients actively manage their money without sacrificing their lifestyle. <\/p>\n
The company says many of its clients are able to pay off off their 30-year mortgage years faster and save significantly in interest as a result. <\/p>\n
Hayward believes Kiwis need to change their mindset about their mortgage and their plan to pay it off. <\/p>\n
\u201cManaging your budget is really important, and so is making sure you\u2019re channelling money into the repayment in a really efficient way,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, the rate matters \u2013 no one wants to pay more interest than they need to. But over the life of the loan, how you manage it has a much bigger impact.\u201d <\/p>\n
That\u2019s at the core of NZHL\u2019s philosophy: homeowners can have a mortgage and a life.<\/p>\n
It was what attracted Hayward to the company after 30 years working for the banks, and why the company refers to its team not as \u2018advisers\u2019 or \u2018managers\u2019, but \u2018mortgage mentors\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it was about getting back to real relationships with clients,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to get alongside them, help them repay their loan more effectively, and support them in achieving what they\u2019re working towards, because financial freedom looks different for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about coaching, it\u2019s about mentoring, and at heart it\u2019s about keeping them focused on the journey they want to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n
NZHL\u2019s personalised debt monitoring software, DebtNav, tracks a client\u2019s finances and forms the basis of an annual review between client and mentor. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe sit down and say, \u2018You told us you wanted to achieve this, have you?\u2019 If the answer is yes, great, we know we\u2019re heading in the right direction. If not, we look at the data together so they can understand why, and make any necessary adjustments.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like having a personal trainer \u2013 you don\u2019t always want to do the 10 extra push ups, but you know it gets results.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re there to encourage people, keep them focused, and help them make smarter decisions with their money. It\u2019s about making conscious, well-informed choices.\u201d<\/p>\n
That long-term, personal relationship between client and mentor is crucial, Hayward says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe client always makes the decision \u2013 it\u2019s their money, after all. But we\u2019re there to guide them as their life changes. You can\u2019t just set a plan and check in five years later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Life changes and so, Hayward says, it\u2019s important that the client can access advice whenever they need.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether it\u2019s buying a home, helping the kids, or planning a holiday, we help people navigate those financial decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve all got different attitudes to risk and different end-games \u2013 what we want our future to look like, how we see our retirement lives. There\u2019s no one size fits all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Managing your mortgage is one of the biggest financial commitments you\u2019ll take on, and it\u2019s not something you have to navigate alone.<\/p>\n
Having someone by your side can help you move forward with more confidence and make sure your approach is truly supporting the life you want, so it\u2019s worth asking whether your current approach is working as well as it could.<\/p>\n
Visit nzhl.co.nz<\/a> to learn more or try NZHL\u2019s online calculator here<\/a>.<\/p>\n