Insights from the Trebla team
Plain English answers to the questions our clients ask most. General information to help you understand your options, not advice for your specific situation.
Borrowing Power · 3 August 2026
Why the income figure a lender assesses is deliberately small, often nearly two years old, and rebuilt differently by every bank, and what actually helps.
Read more →First Home Buyer · 3 August 2026
What the bank needs when family helps with your deposit, and why the same money is judged very differently by the lender, by relationship property law, and by Work and Income.
Read more →First Home Buyer · 27 July 2026
Buying with less than 20% outside the government scheme comes down to three separate doors: a high-LVR bank loan, a new build, or a family guarantee. What each needs, and why the door you use changes the cost more than the rate does.
Read more →First Home Buyer · 24 July 2026
Deposit, borrowing power, the First Home Loan, and KiwiSaver, and how they interact. The hub guide with what actually changed in 2026 (the Grant is gone) and a link to the detail on each part.
Read more →Rates & Structure · 23 July 2026
Fixed buys certainty, floating buys flexibility. How to think about the choice, how long to fix for, why break fees are asymmetric, and how to size a split.
Read more →Local · 23 July 2026
What buying in a $1.79m median suburb actually demands of your lending, why finance comes before the auction, and how Trebla's Financial Advisers compare the main NZ banks from two bays away.
Read more →Comparison · 22 July 2026
Should you use a mortgage adviser or go direct to your bank? A neutral, side-by-side comparison of cost, choice, and which path suits which situation.
Read more →Local · 22 July 2026
Trebla is a mortgage and insurance adviser based right in Kohimarama, at 105a Allum Street. What a local broker does, and how our Financial Advisers work across the main NZ banks in the eastern bays.
Read more →Local · 16 July 2026
What a mortgage broker in Auckland does, what it costs, and how Trebla's Financial Advisers work across all the main NZ banks from our Kohimarama office in the eastern bays.
Read more →Rates & Structure · 13 July 2026
The Reserve Bank sets one number, but it hits floating and fixed loans differently. How the OCR mechanism works and what this month's hike to 2.50% means for your next refix.
Read more →Rates & Structure · 8 July 2026
The Reserve Bank lifted the Official Cash Rate on 8 July 2026 and signalled more increases could follow. What the decision means if you are weighing fix, float, or refix.
Read more →First Home Buyer · 6 July 2026
The Kāinga Ora First Home Loan can get eligible buyers into a home with a 5% deposit. Who qualifies, the income caps, and how it compares to a standard low-deposit bank loan.
Read more →Mortgage · 2 July 2026
Most calculators give one number. The real answer is the lowest of three limits: your deposit, the DTI ratio, and the bank's servicing test. Here is how each one works.
Read more →KiwiSaver · 29 June 2026
For most first home buyers, KiwiSaver is the biggest piece of the deposit. Who qualifies, how much you can take out, and the timing that catches people out.
Read more →Mortgage · 27 June 2026
Pre-approval tells you how much a lender will lend before you start house hunting. Here is what it means, how long it takes, and what you need to have ready.
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