Financial Advice Provider Disclosure Statement

Licensing information

The New Zealand Home Loan Company Limited (NZHL, we, us) (FSP30301) holds a licence issued by the Financial Markets Authority  to provide a financial advice service. NZHL also operates via franchises (Franchises) which are authorised under NZHL’s licence to provide financial advice services. This disclosure statements relates to both NZHL and its Franchises. The NZHL financial advisers work for us or relevant Franchises.

NZHL operates from two locations: 2/30 Ponsonby Road, Auckland, 1011. And L1, 903 Victoria Street, Hamilton, 3204. Contact us via email at [email protected] or call us on 0800 332 837. You can find information on the Franchises, their locations and how to contact them on our website.

What financial advice services do we provide to our clients and what products do they relate to?

NZHL and our Franchises provide financial advice services through our advisers on the products of the following lenders and insurers.

  • Home Loans – New Zealand Home Loan products (provided by Kiwibank or ASB), and Liberty Financial (Prime and Custom home loan products).
  • Insurance – All insurance from NZHL Life (provided by Fidelity Life), Fidelity Life, and selected personal insurance products from AIA, nib, and Partners Life.

The disclosure statements of a financial adviser you meet with will list the products they can advise on.

What do we charge our clients?

We do not charge anything when you come to us for consultation. For home loans we charge an application fee of $400 for new mortgage finance and $250 for additional mortgage finance where the mortgage finance is approved and settled. There is no application fee for Insurance products.

We may be required to repay our commission to the lender (in part or full) if you repay or refinance your loan (in part or whole) within the first 12 months of your loan being advanced. We may charge you a fee to recover the value of that amount up to a specified limit.

How do we get paid for the services we provide to our clients?

Loan: Once your loan settles, NZHL will receive commission from the lender. The commission varies depending on the type of loan and the loan amount. This commission is shared with the Franchise and may be shared with your financial adviser. NZHL and the Franchise will continue to be paid an annual servicing commission for as long as your lending is active with NZHL.

Insurance: Once your insurance policy is issued, NZHL receives commission from the insurer. The commission amount is based on the premium for the first year of your policy and depends on the insurance provider and the policy you choose. This commission is shared with the Franchise and may be shared with your financial adviser. NZHL and the Franchise will continue to be paid an annual servicing commission for as long as you hold the policy with the insurer.

To manage those conflicts of interest, NZHL advisers select the loan or insurance provider based only on your needs and circumstances. They follow NZHL’s advice process to ensure the advice is tailored to your individual needs. NZHL also provides regular training on how advisers can best manage any conflict of interest to ensure your needs are prioritised.

Conflicts of interest

NZHL is owned by Kiwi Group Capital Limited (KGC). KGC also owns Kiwibank Limited who are a home loan provider for NZHL.

NZHL owns NZHL Mortgage Advisory Limited who you may be referred to by us, a Franchise, or a financial adviser.

NZHL also has a majority shareholding in Link Financial Group 2022 Limited. Link Financial Group 2022 Limited has a majority shareholding in Insurance Link General Limited (“FG Link”) who you may be referred to by us, a Franchise, or a financial adviser.

The Franchises are companies and operate as part of the NZHL network. They are not owned by KGC.

To manage those conflicts of interest, NZHL advisers select the loan or insurance provider based only on your needs and circumstances. They follow NZHL’s advice process to ensure the advice is tailored to your individual needs. NZHL also provides regular training on how advisers can best manage any conflict of interest to ensure your needs are prioritised.

Our complaints and dispute resolution process

Your feedback is very important to us. If you’d like to provide feedback or feel that we’ve let you down in any way, we’d like to know about it so we can do our best to resolve things.

NZHL has a three-stage complaints process:

  1. Start with your NZHL Franchise – If you have a problem or concern, please talk to your financial adviser or the Franchise they work for. NZHL Franchise contact details can be found on our website. The Franchise will acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days and outline the next steps, with the aim of making a final decision within 10 working days of receiving your complaint.
  2. If you are not happy with how your NZHL Franchise has proposed to resolve your complaint or handled your complaint, you can complete the NZHL complaints form, email us at [email protected] or call us on 0800 332 837. This will escalate your complaint to the NZHL Support Office (as the licensed Financial Advice Provider) who will review your complaint and endeavour to find a resolution with you on behalf of the NZHL Franchise.

We will acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days. We may contact you to get further information about your complaint. NZHL aims to make a final decision within 10 working days of receiving your complaint. Sometimes more time will be required, however we will keep you updated throughout the process.

  1. If you are still not happy with the resolution provided or with the way your complaint was handled by NZHL or the Franchise, you can refer your complaint to NZHL’s nominated disputes resolution service, Financial Services Complaints Limited (FSCL).

FSCL is a Financial Ombudsman Service and is free for NZHL and Franchise clients. This service may help to investigate or resolve your complaint. For details of the service they provide please visit www.fscl.org.nz

FSCL can be contacted at:

Phone – 0800 347 257
email – [email protected]
Post – Financial Services Complaints Limited, PO Box 5967, Wellington 6140.

Our duties and obligations

NZHL, the Franchises, and anyone who gives financial advice on their behalf, have duties under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 relating to that advice. They are required to:

  • give priority to your interests by taking all reasonable steps to make sure our advice isn’t materially influenced by our own interests
  • exercise care, diligence, and skill in providing you with advice
  • meet standards of competence, knowledge and skill set by the Code of Professional Conduct for Financial Advice Services (these are designed to make sure that we have the expertise needed to provide you with advice)
  • meet standards of ethical behaviour, conduct and client care set by the Code of Professional Conduct for Financial Advice Services (these are designed to make sure we treat you as we should, and give you suitable advice).