Demo Illustrative figures, named case studies and contact details on this page are placeholders. Final data to be confirmed with Craig before any of this faces a real client.
Wealth Health Insights
OCR Watch · Insights · Plain English

Plain-English commentary, every time the rules move.

RBNZ publishes the Official Cash Rate seven times a year. Lenders reprice within hours. Most Kiwi households are left guessing. We publish what it actually means for your repayments inside two hours of every decision, plus a steady drip of mortgage, KiwiSaver and insurance writing in between.

Next OCR · 27 May 2026 · 2pm NZST

What the May 27 OCR decision means for your mortgage.

Three scenarios pre-modelled: a 25bp cut, a hold, a 25bp hike. If you have a refix landing in the next 6 months, here's the call we'd make for each. Published live within 2 hours of the decision under Craig's byline.

Drafts ready Repayment maths included RBNZ source linked LinkedIn cross-post auto-queued
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Why we bother

A small firm with an OCR calendar.

Most NZ adviser firms don't publish to a calendar. We do, because RBNZ does, and our clients pay attention.

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Self-authored posts in the last 12 months (per research)
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All insights

The full feed.

Mortgages

Should I fix or float my mortgage in 2026?

The textbook answer is "fix when rates are falling, float when they're rising." The real answer is more interesting and depends on what you can stomach.

Reference

NZ finance jargon glossary

LVR, DTI, OCR, swap rate, CCCFA, Bright-line, PIR, FAP, FSP, FDRS, MIE. Thirty-odd terms, plain-English definitions, and what each one means for you.

First home

The First Home Withdrawal mistake we see most often

It's not the size of your KiwiSaver. It's the timing of when you tell the bank about it. Three real client examples and the fix.

KiwiSaver

Why most NZers are in the wrong KiwiSaver fund

About a third of KiwiSaver members are in a default conservative fund they were auto-enrolled into. For most of them, that costs roughly six figures by retirement.

Insurance

ACC vs income protection: what you're actually covered for

If you're employed and earning, you have ACC. You might think that covers you. It covers about a third of the things that stop people working long-term.

Mortgages

Breaking a fixed mortgage early: when the maths actually works

Banks calculate break costs to discourage you. Sometimes the cashback and new rate still make it the right call. Here's the calculator we use.

Mortgages

How much can I really borrow in NZ?

Online calculators give you a fantasy number. Banks use a servicing test rate of around 9% on the loan and a UCCC living-cost figure that may not match yours. Here's the real maths.

OCR Watch

Swap rates, OCR, and what actually moves your mortgage

The OCR moves seven times a year. Your mortgage rate moves with swap rates, which move daily. Here's the linkage in plain English.

First home

The Kāinga Ora First Home Loan, explained plainly

Buy with a 5% deposit at the same interest rate. Caps, eligibility, the LMI question, and the three traps we see at application.

Life events

Just made redundant? The first three money moves.

Before the next job hunt, before the LinkedIn post, before anything: there are three financial things to do in the first 48 hours. Most people skip two of them.

Mortgages

The refinance cashback math, explained

Banks are offering $4,000 to $7,000 of cashback to switch. When is it worth the break cost? Here's the simple formula we use.

Investment

The Bright-line test for property investors: what 2026 looks like

The Bright-line period for residential property is now two years. Interest deductibility is back to 100%. Here's how the picture has changed for an investor in 2026.

Insurance

Health insurance in NZ, explained without jargon

What it pays for. What it doesn't. The five major insurers. Why premiums climb every year. And when it's worth it.

KiwiSaver

KiwiSaver at 65: what changes, what to do

At 65 the rules quietly change. Employer contributions become optional. Member tax credits stop. Withdrawal becomes possible. Most people don't notice and lose money quietly.

Insurance

Why $110,000 of surgery cost one of our clients nothing

A real claim from our book, real timeline, real numbers. What private health cover actually does when public waitlists run to 18 months.

More posts being migrated. The full back-catalogue lands over the next four weeks.

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