News

03 April 2025

Dealing with a broker / adviser rather than your bank or other lender

Running a business is no small feat, and finding the right financial solutions can be overwhelming. At Finance New Zealand, we simplify the process by leveraging our expertise and extensive network of lenders to match your business with the best options available. From saving you time and improving cash flow to providing impartial advice and access to innovative products, let’s explore how Finance New Zealand can help your business thrive.

03 April 2025

Brokers or advisers? Commercial & asset finance trends in New Zealand

With the increase in the 'broker' or 'adviser' model in the commercial & asset finance sector in New Zealand, let's look at what defines a broker versus an adviser.

03 April 2025

How can a Finance New Zealand business finance adviser 'broker' help you?

Finance New Zealand advisers, often referred to as 'brokers', are here to assist you in numerous ways.

10 March 2025

Cash flow support for EOFY opportunities

For many small business owners, tax time is a peak trading period bringing with it the usual cash flow pressures. That’s why now’s a good time to consider whether your working capital strategy is sufficient.

16 January 2025

Business Finance: Positive economic influences are emerging

As we return from our summer break many will be happy to put what was a difficult 2024 on the back foot. Our team is rested, refreshed and ready to bat for your business this year. Let's take a look at what's on the economic radar for 2025.

14 January 2025

Is now the time to upgrade your ageing business assets?

Find out how asset finance can help you acquire new business assets by allowing your business to preserve cash flow by spreading the upgrade cost over time.

29 November 2024

Funding for toys too big to fit under the tree

No matter what kind of vehicle or boat you have your eye on this Christmas, our team of experts can obtain finance approval for your new toy.

28 November 2024

Boost your cashflow during the silly season

If your business requires a cashflow boost to see you through the silly season, now is the time to talk to us about getting a facility in place so you can relax during your break.

27 November 2024

What does today's OCR drop mean for business borrowers?

In line with local economists' expectations, the Official Cash Rate has been reduced from 4.75% to 4.25% today. 

05 November 2024

Can your business benefit from aggressive lender appetite?

One aspect of the banking and finance industry that “ebbs and flows”, is lender appetite for new client business.

15 October 2024

A look at interest rates

We are pleased to see the Official Cash Rate reduced by 0.5% last week. The cost of loan interest had been one of many expenses affecting business profitability. The rate reductions will help Kiwi businesses build confidence and encourage investment.

22 July 2024

Invoice finance: A working capital solution for savvy business owners

Our partnerships with multiple working capital finance partners ensure that you receive the most suitable financing solutions for your business needs. One of our largest invoice finance partners, Fund Tap, discusses the current market for invoice financing.

04 July 2024

Special (subsidised) interest rate offers for equipment purchases

Special interest rates are usually offered as part of a subsidy agreement between the machinery supplier and the financier. This subsidy aims to make the purchase of the dealer stock more appealing by offering a lower interest rate. What is less transparent, is that the finance cost is then carried by the dealer, and therefore needs to be recovered in the machine sale price.

26 June 2024

Sustainable & green asset business finance solutions

If you're looking to keep your business sustainable and green, Finance New Zealand has a selection of funding partners who offer sustainable and green asset financing options.

13 May 2024

Adapting your business to a tougher economic climate

For business owners and managers, it is an ideal time to proactively assess how the business is performing and whether there are opportunities to make savings without compromising your value proposition or service offering to customers.

13 May 2024

The importance of comprehensive positive credit reporting

Increasingly lenders are using individual and business credit scores to determine not only who they will lend to but also what terms and pricing might apply. So, it is now critical that all potential borrowers know this and how imperative it is to maintain a positive credit score.

13 May 2024

The ease of a single asset finance facility 

An asset finance revolver is a finance product that combines all plant and equipment borrowing into one facility. It provides a pre-approved credit limit ensuring the smooth introduction of updated equipment into your fleet without the hassle of repetitive requests to your lender.

07 February 2024

Business finance news: Interest Rates

The “rates will stay higher for longer” mentality that saw interest rates increase through 2022 & 2023 began to shift in late 2023.

07 February 2024

Business finance news: The finance sector regulatory environment

Many businesses will welcome a change in government to one seen as more business friendly. Within the financial sector we expect to see the following impacts in the short term:

07 February 2024

Business finance news: The domestic economy

Business confidence has improved since late 2023 but remains a mixed bag. This mirrors what we are seeing across our own business. As we have returned from summer holidays, there seems a more optimistic attitude within our client base.

03 November 2023

A guide to working capital funding for small and medium-sized businesses

As the New Zealand economic climate fluctuates, business income can become challenging to rmonitor and alternative solutions are becoming  more popular.

09 October 2023

October OCR Announcement

How does the latest OCR announcement affect business finance?

29 August 2023

Increased options for non-bank property finance

Here at Finance New Zealand, we continue to see changes in the property finance landscape. We are seeing the main banks taking a more cautious approach when it comes to property secured lending. There are, however, a range of non-bank funding options available for segments of the market.

29 August 2023

Finance for trucks: a snapshot in the current economic climate

Truck finance plays a crucial role in the transport industry, providing businesses with the necessary capital to acquire, maintain, and upgrade their truck fleet.

01 August 2023

Protect your assets with the PPSR

The Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) is a register to safeguard assets. The PPSR is a publicly available centralised Government controlled online registry. Read on to find out how the PPSR can help to protect your assets.

27 June 2023

What is the true picture of your business in your financials?

By taking a closer look at your financials, you can gain valuable insights into your business health.

09 June 2023

Business finance for specialised industries

Steve Reid, our Marlborough-based adviser, recently worked with Federation Mining to facilitate asset finance for the purchase of their new underground mining equipment.

19 April 2023

Protecting your business with the right insurance

While Finance New Zealand is not an insurance provider, and because insurance is mandatory with most of the commercial financing products that we can offer customers, we are keenly aware of the potential financial implications if a customer has not had the right level of insurance cover in place.

19 April 2023

Life insurance with a terminal clause: the benefits in action

Our client has kindly offered to share his story so others can understand the importance of adequate life insurance cover and understand the benefits a terminal clause can have when you are a business owner.

18 April 2023

Reflections from the North Island weather events

Two months on from the weather events that severely impacted the North Island, the impacts in the affected regions are being felt far and wide. We spoke to Kim Matthews of Rothbury Insurance and based in the Hawkes Bay to understand what she is experiencing with her clients on the ground in and around the North Island.

05 April 2023

Starduz Sport Club

Starduz Sport Club has 31 members and has a passion to serve the community especially where the need is.

27 February 2023

Is now a good time to consider a restructure or refinance?

Restructuring your finance may be an option to consider to reduce your current monthly repayments to improve cash flow, to continue to meet critical expenses or to enable a new opportunity.

23 February 2023

The latest OCR rise

Last Wednesday’s Official Cash Rate Announcement was very much as markets predicted. The official cash rate (OCR) increased by another 0.50%, taking it to 4.75%.

23 February 2023

Working capital options outside of bank overdrafts

Options for business working capital funding outside of main bank overdrafts, have evolved relatively rapidly in recent years, particularly for smaller businesses.

17 February 2023

Cyclone Gabrielle payment relief

Our thoughts go out to all who have been impacted by the devastating weather event throughout the North Island. If your business has been impacted, you may be eligible for payment relief.

13 January 2023

How effectively is your business finance structured for 2023?

With 2023 predicted to be a year where the economic environment is likely to continue to be challenging, now could be a good time to look into your business’s funding structure to make sure that it is suitable and most effectively meets both your business and personal goals.

13 January 2023

Adapting to a world of increasing interest costs …

Adaptation was probably the theme for 2022, when most people and businesses experienced a period of rapid change as a result of a world entering a post-COVID environment combined with international events that have seen the costs of living and inflation skyrocket.

28 November 2022

The extra cost of borrowing in real terms

Since May, interest rates have continued to rise sharply as central banks around the world, including our own Reserve Bank, increase interest rates with the aim of curbing global inflation.

14 November 2022

The only way is up

Upwards movement is something that seems to be a constant in all our lives now, but the media seem laser-focused on the largely negative and obvious factors such as interest rate increases, sky rocketing inflation and significant increases to the cost of living and doing business.

11 November 2022

Strong Dairy Prices Support the Rural Economy.....

The dairy industry remains a critically important driver of the New Zealand economy.

23 August 2022

Having a “bankable” business is critical to your future success

There is little doubt that we are now seeing a shift in appetites from lenders and there is more caution being exercised in credit decisions in line with the current challenging economic cycle.

23 August 2022

Why you need to care about your credit score

Credit scores are typically scored out of 1000 and a good score is generally considered to be between 500 and 700. There are many lenders who now will not support borrowers who score below 400, even if there is an explanation provided.

08 July 2022

Positioning your business for a tougher economic environment

It’s no secret that we’re in a more challenging economic cycle at the moment and hot off the tails of the COVID pandemic we are now in the midst of a tough environment that is likely to be with us for a while and which is having broad reaching impacts on individuals and businesses alike.

08 July 2022

Minimising rising interest costs and making good finance choices…

While we all have to face the reality of rising interest rates and the personal and business impacts that come from this, it is a good time to consider and review your overall financing strategy to assess whether you have the right finance in place that is appropriate for your specific business needs.

24 May 2022

The rising cost of borrowing

After a period of record low interest rates, central banks are moving borrowing rates up to try to get on top of the inflation issue. The resulting rise in wholesale interest rates has increased borrowing costs for both business and consumers around the globe.

24 May 2022

Avoiding underinsurance

The major shift that has occurred is that the historical negative only reporting model has Global supply chain pressures have had a significant impact on the prices of many asset classes. This impacts on the level of insurance that businesses should be considering.

16 May 2022

Scam Warning

Finance New Zealand Limited has been made aware that a scam is currently circulating under a similar name to ours.

15 March 2022

The impact of the rising cost of fuel

The graph below shows the close to $1 per litre increase in the cost of diesel over the last 12 months.

15 March 2022

The Impact of the CCCFA on Business Lending

While well intentioned, the changes to the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act 2003 (“CCCFA”) that came into force on the 1st of December, 2021 have had well published negative impacts on lending activity, making it harder and much more intrusive for many borrowers to obtain new lending or even to restructure existing funding.

15 January 2022

The Impact of the CCCFA on Business Lending

On the 1st of December 2021, major changes to the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act 2003 (“CCCFA”) came into force. These changes materially impact all applications for consumer credit including home loans as well as lending to purchase assets such as vehicles or boats.

06 October 2021

Growth of Non-Bank Lenders

We continue to see changes in the structure of the property finance industry. Main bank appetite remains limited with the major banks “cherry picking” what they deem to be lower risk transactions. Some are more aggressive than others and may look at deals other banks have said no to.

06 October 2021

Building Consents Hit Record Levels

The construction industry continues with very high level of activity across most of the country. Supply and labour issues are a constraining factor, but forward-looking indicators, such as building consents, do not suggest any slowdown in the short to medium term.

06 October 2021

Interest Rate Changes

In our June & August newsletters, we wrote about the likelihood of rising Interest Rates. While not exactly good news for borrowers, it is reflective of an economy that has rebounded well from the major economic uncertainty of early 2020.

28 July 2021

Valuation requirements when funding property or assets

Independent valuations have always been a subjective requirement that lenders condition into lending approvals as they feel necessary, or as their own policies require. This has been the case both for purchasing or raising money against plant & machinery assets, or for lending against commercial or residential property.

10 June 2021

Finance New Zealand supports regional Wood Council awards

10 June 2021

Preparing your business for a rising interest rate environment

Strong demand and restricted supply typically lead to central banks moving towards providing less economic stimulus, and rising interest rates is one tool they have to achieve this.

22 April 2021

Preparing Year End accounts for funder assessment

Assessing individual clients and assigning each client a “risk grade” has long been a function of how lenders manage their portfolios and assess the risk of any individual transaction.

22 April 2021

The Financial Services Legislation Amendment Act

15 January 2021

We celebrate our five-year milestone and welcome five new Business Partners.

On the 9th of November 2020, Finance New Zealand celebrated its five-year anniversary. Over this time, the team has grown from 8 to 35, and we have over 650 years of cumulative business and asset finance lending experience between us.

15 January 2021

Trading in financial difficulty - Companies Act 1993

The Companies Act 1993 contains various provisions relating to formal mechanisms that companies in insolvency or near-insolvency situations can use rather than trading on.

15 January 2021

Trading through financial difficulty

A recent Supreme Court decision has restated potential Director liabilities when continuing to trade a company that is in financial difficulty. This is a situation we see from time to time, particularly when external market events impact one of our clients or when we are referred a funding transaction that involves restructuring existing debt to help a company recover after a period of weak trading.

09 September 2020

What's happening over the ditch

The Australian economy has been hit hard by Covid-19, with Australia recently entering its first recession for almost three decades.

09 September 2020

Subsidised dealer-based funding

When buying vehicles or machinery, the dealership will often offer finance for the machine. Headline interest rates are often competitive, and in many cases heavily subsidised. How this funding is structured means there are a few catches to be aware of.

04 August 2020

Protect your business with the PPSR

As economic activity resumes it is important that customers that are purchasing equipment, or are engaging in rental or hire of the vehicles or machinery to external parties, carefully consider risks associated with the Personal Properties Security Act.

05 February 2020

How Trade Finance Works – Opportunities and Risks in Looking Offshore

05 February 2020

Importing from Across the Ditch

05 February 2020

Getting the best FX rate

17 December 2019

Cyber fraud on the rise

17 December 2019

Reserve Bank final capital review decisions

The Reserve Bank released its final decisions around capital lending at the beginning of the month.

10 November 2019

Women in Industry

14 September 2019

Subsidised dealer-based funding

14 September 2019

Is it time to restructure?

27 July 2019

Capital adequacy requirements update

27 July 2019

Avoiding clever scams

27 July 2019

Why use a Financial Advisor?

29 May 2019

Changes ahead for capital requirements

29 May 2019

Can risk grade be influenced?

29 May 2019

Is there reason to be concerned about your business's risk grading?

Historically, risk grading has impacted the willingness of banks to lend. Therefore, your business’s risk grading is likely to be more important going forward.

29 May 2019

Funding options

29 May 2019

Reserve bank changes

If the Reserve Bank’s proposal is implemented, it is likely to result in a combination of higher lending rates, lower deposit rates, and, potentially, lower returns on equity for the main bank lenders.

01 April 2019

Managing cash flow

01 April 2019

Structuring your cash reserves

01 April 2019

Deposits versus cash flow

21 January 2019

Planning the year ahead

21 January 2019

Financial planning

21 January 2019

How long do bank approvals last? And what happens if they lapse?

10 December 2018

Forestry related business lending

16 October 2018

Funding for property development

16 October 2018

Commercial property finance

10 September 2018

What the Anti Money Laundering Legislation means for business lending

10 September 2018

Lending with an asset-only entity

10 September 2018

How asset-only entities work

10 September 2018

Documents needed to comply with AML Act

Recent changes to the law mean that from July 1 this year, finance professionals (amongst other ‘reporting entities’ such as lawyers and real estate agents) must conduct due diligence on their customers and maintain appropriate records, as part of complying with the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

25 June 2018

Your assets as security

24 June 2018

Servicing your borrowings

24 June 2018

How lenders view you as a customer

18 April 2018

What is needed for a valuation?

18 April 2018

What lenders want to see

15 April 2018

When is the right time to upgrade your equipment?

20 February 2018

Finance New Zealand Update

20 February 2018

Succession Planning

09 November 2017

Seasonal Assistance

One of the difficulties in managing a business is balancing the fluxes – things rarely run smoothly and consistently. Instead, it often seems you’re either overwhelmed with work, or scrabbling to find new clients or projects.

09 November 2017

Funding a holiday home

08 November 2017

Finance for motorboats and jet skis

04 October 2017

The benefits of spreading funding across multiple lenders

02 October 2017

How we can help when your bank says ‘no’

02 October 2017

Why should I deal with Finance New Zealand when I could go direct?

02 October 2017

When one lender has said ‘no" - why would another say ‘yes?’

09 August 2017

IRD arrears – some examples

Here at Finance New Zealand we have assisted numerous clients to obtain finance when they had tax arrears. Here are a few examples:

09 August 2017

Getting finance when you have tax arrears

08 August 2017

Management accounts – what are lenders looking for?

08 August 2017

Keeping on top of your tax

01 June 2017

Structured solutions for property finance

01 June 2017

Leasing or buying healthcare and IT equipment

01 June 2017

We’ve got your business covered

09 May 2017

Benefits of diverse funding lines

09 May 2017

Why refinance, and when is the right time to do it?

09 May 2017

Changes in the equipment finance industry

09 May 2017

Are you getting the best foreign exchange rate?

06 December 2016

What’s in the financial news?

06 December 2016

Challenges of rural lending

06 December 2016

Short-term property finance and development funding

06 December 2016

Residential property finance

02 December 2016

New Zealand export log prices rise

10 November 2016

Happy Birthday Finance New Zealand

08 November 2016

Welcome to Steve Hopkins

08 November 2016

Welcome to Shane McDermott

11 October 2016

Funding equipment in Australia

04 September 2016

Types of working capital funding

Access to cash is an important part of keeping your business afloat. It doesn’t matter how many projects you have lined up, how much gear you’ve got in the yard, if you can’t pay your staff or your bills, things are going to get very difficult, and quickly.

04 September 2016

How does invoice finance work?

04 September 2016

When is working capital funding appropriate?

04 September 2016

Using working capital funding to grow your business

04 July 2016

Welcome to Sarah Southee

28 June 2016

Should I lease or buy?

28 June 2016

When is leasing a viable option?

27 June 2016

What type of lease is best for me?

There are four types of lease – you decide which one suits your business best:

27 June 2016

What are the downsides to leasing?

When you lease an asset you pay a set amount each month for its use – you’re effectively renting the equipment for an agreed amount of time based on an expected usage (e.g. hours or kilometres). At the end of your term you typically give it back.

27 June 2016

Leasing assets

Leasing assets is a fantastic option for many businesses but it is not an all or nothing game – leasing is just one finance option to help optimise your business.

30 May 2016

New to Finance New Zealand - Motor Vehicle Finance

Whether you are looking for single vehicle finance with a minimum loan size of $10,000, or want to look at options for funding a fleet of vehicles the team at Finance New Zealand can now assist you source competitive finance.

26 April 2016

Asset Finance | What is a GSA

A General Security Agreement, or GSA, is a form of security often used to secure commercial loans or credit arrangements. It is typically used when a company is borrowing money – the lender holds security over the assets of the borrowing company.

26 April 2016

Asset Finance | How the PPSR works

26 April 2016

Asset Finance | Term Loan vs. revolving

A revolving loan allows you to deposit surplus funds as they come in, then redraw this money as you need it. In the long term, this can mean less interest is paid over the term of the loan.

26 April 2016

Asset Finance | The power of a flexible ‘revolver’ fleet facility

A revolver fleet finance facility allows you a greater degree of flexibility than a traditional term loan.

10 September 2015

A Fresh Approach To Business Finance

We are excited to announce that the majority of the Equipment Finance sales team, previously employed by GE Capital, has combined resources to establish Finance New Zealand Limited.