The increasing popularity of New Zealand Home Loans as a home loan provider has been recognised in this year’s Deloitte Fast 50 Awards, announced this week.

The franchise company, which is headquartered in Hamilton, was declared the Fastest Growing Mature Business in the Central North Island and was the only home loan provider to get an award.

New Zealand Home Loans CEO Mark Collins says “this award is great recognition of the efforts of our team nationwide and also our clients who have been spreading the word to others about how New Zealand Home Loans has helped them to become debt free faster.”

The award is a testament to the company’s unique proposition says Mark. “We prioritise getting clients out of debt, not into it. This has enabled us to stand out in the market, and grow our business substantially in a tough economic climate.”

In the last two years alone, the number of New Zealand Home Loans branches nationwide has increased from 47 to 60, and this financial year is on track to lend a new record of more than $1 billion to New Zealanders.

“Our model seems to be striking a chord with Kiwis who are treading carefully in today’s economic conditions and housing market, and making every penny count,” says Mark Collins.

“People are saying they are coming to New Zealand Home Loans because we don’t just lend money and leave the hard work of paying it off solely to them. They get ongoing advice, support, tools and reviews to manage and reduce their debt, and create wealth.”

The wholly New Zealand owned and operated franchise company was set up in Hamilton in 1996 and now has branches throughout New Zealand. Mark Collins says the company’s increasing popularity as a solid franchise opportunity has been a big factor in its growth. New Zealand Home Loans has a steadily growing nationwide network of 60 branches. Twelve new branches have opened in the last year, in:

• Auckland Metro
• Rodney
• West Auckland
• Auckland Urban
• Pakuranga
• Hamilton South
• Hamilton Metro
• Dunedin Metro
• Ashburton
• Timaru

On July 1 New Zealand Home Loans became 100 per cent owned by Kiwi Group Holdings (who also own Kiwibank)

How New Zealand Home Loans works

• New Zealand Home Loans helps its clients simplify their finances by operating them from one bank account, which consolidates and reduces interest costs and makes money management easier to track. All income and expenditure – including mortgage repayments – is channelled through this transactional account. The mortgage is arranged on a reducing principal and interest basis. There are no day-to-day transaction fees, and clients receive an EFTPOS/ATM card and have access to online banking and telephone banking.
• Interest payable is calculated daily on the net total home loan debt. This solves the problem of savings accounts earning a lower interest rate for households than that they’re paying to service debt, and the problem of a household’s income going straight into a transactional account that earns them no interest. Under the New Zealand Home Loan structure, savings and salaries have the effect of earning the household the same amount of interest as that they’re paying for the mortgage.

• Unlike a traditional revolving credit mortgage, the householder is not able to draw down the portion of the mortgage that has been paid off.
• New Zealand Home Loan clients receive one-on-one advice and support from a consultant during the process of setting up the mortgage, followed by on-going support and reviews throughout their relationship, to ensure they stay on track to meet their day-to-day commitments and their wider, longer term financial goals.
• A simple-to-use and easy to understand software package, called debtnav, helps clients manage their day-to-day finances and track their progress towards their goals.
• New Zealand Home Loans can arrange comprehensive insurance to give homeowners a safety net to protect their finances and their families, including income-protection, life, and home and contents.