Lending & Mortgages
Instead of running around to six different banks filling out the same form six times, we simplify the process — getting to know you and your needs, and helping you understand all your options.
Buying a Home?
Buying your first home can be pretty overwhelming. From the copious amounts of paperwork, to a deposit made up of multiple sources, to the challenges understanding your deposit options and mortgage structure, it can be a lot. At Trebla, our goal is to educate you every step of the way — so you can make the best decisions for you and your future.
Buying a new home — even if you've done it before — can bring its challenges. At Trebla, we aim to make the process seamless from start to finish — bringing you rates and packages from every bank on the market and helping you make the right decision for the lifestyle you're after.
Are all your eggs in one basket? Will your next purchase help you increase your odds of making another? Are your mortgages structured to help you achieve your goals? We'll help you answer those questions and more, with advice that's based on your situation and your goals.
Already have a home?
You may have had your mortgage for some years — but is it the best mortgage for you? Whether you're looking to restructure or refinance, increase or lower your payments, or create a trust or limited company, we're here to help. Let's work together to save you thousands.
Whether you're looking to build new, renovate, or just need a top up to complete a few projects, we'll not only liaise with your bank — we'll also negotiate the best deal possible for you. With straightforward advice and education, you'll be able to make better decisions and get the best outcome for you.
Education
Before any bank approves a home loan, they run two key calculations. Understanding LVR and DTI in plain English helps you know exactly where you stand — before you even walk through the door.
LVR measures how much of a property's value you're borrowing. It's the relationship between your loan and the property — and it determines how much deposit you need to buy.
The Formula
Loan Amount ÷ Property Value = LVR
Real-World Example
NZ Lending Thresholds
RBNZ LVR rules ↗Standard lending — most banks approve without restriction. Requires a 20% deposit.
High-LVR lending — available for first home buyers with a 10% deposit, subject to RBNZ speed limits. Stricter income criteria apply.
Very limited. Some lenders consider up to 95% under specific conditions — typically via Kāinga Ora First Home Loan eligibility.
Trebla tip: Even a small increase in deposit — from 10% to 15% — can unlock significantly better rates and more lender options. We'll show you exactly what difference it makes.
DTI measures your total debt relative to your income. Banks use it to make sure borrowing stays manageable — and since July 2024, the Reserve Bank limits how much high-DTI lending banks can do each month.
The Formula
Total Debt ÷ Gross Annual Income = DTI
Real-World Example
RBNZ Limits (from July 2024)
RBNZ DTI rules ↗Owner-occupier limit. Banks can approve most applications below 6× DTI without restriction. Above this, only a capped share of new lending is allowed.
Investor limit. Investment property borrowers have a higher cap, but lending above 7× is heavily restricted across all banks.
How to improve your DTI
Pay down other debts — car loans, credit cards, personal loans — before applying
Close unused credit cards and buy-now-pay-later accounts — banks count your limit, not just what you owe
Include all household income — boarders, rental income, and secondary jobs all count in your favour
Trebla tip: DTI counts total debt — not just your mortgage. In this example, the same $640,000 home loan used in the LVR calculation above pushes to a DTI of 5.1× once a $20,000 car loan is added. Use the calculators to model your own numbers — then talk to us about how to clean up the picture before you apply.
Mortgage Structures
Most New Zealand mortgages aren't one-size-fits-all. Understanding the main structures helps you make better decisions — and the right mix can save you tens of thousands over the life of your loan.
Your interest rate is locked for a set term — typically 6 months to 5 years. Your repayments stay the same for that period, regardless of what the market does.
Best for: People who want certainty and stability in their budget. If rates are rising or you need predictable cash flow, fixing makes sense.
Watch out for: Break fees if you need to exit early, and limits on penalty-free extra repayments (typically 5–20% per year).
Your rate moves with the market — typically linked to the Official Cash Rate (OCR). Repayments can go up or down as the rate changes, and you can make unlimited extra repayments with no penalty.
Best for: People expecting to make large lump sum payments, or when rates are high and expected to fall. Full flexibility, no break fees.
Watch out for: Floating rates are usually higher than short-term fixed rates. Less certainty around budgeting.
A split mortgage divides your loan across multiple structures — for example, 70% fixed for certainty and 30% floating for flexibility. You can also split across different fixed terms (e.g., half fixed for 1 year, half for 2 years).
Best for: Most borrowers — the split approach hedges against rate movements while keeping some flexibility. You don't have to bet everything on one direction.
Watch out for: More complexity to manage. Worth reviewing every time a fixed portion expires.
A revolving credit facility works like a large overdraft. You have a credit limit (your mortgage balance), and can deposit and withdraw freely. Interest is charged daily on the balance in use — so keeping money in the account reduces interest.
Best for: Disciplined borrowers with variable income (e.g., self-employed) or those who maintain a large cash buffer. Maximum flexibility.
Watch out for: Requires financial discipline — easy access to credit can work against you if spending isn't controlled.
Your savings and everyday accounts are linked to your mortgage. Interest is only charged on the difference. Keep $30,000 in savings against a $500,000 mortgage and you only pay interest on $470,000 — every day.
Best for: People with significant savings or consistent income who want to reduce interest costs without locking money away. Often effective for those with rental income sitting in accounts.
Watch out for: Not all lenders offer offset products. The rates may be slightly higher than standard fixed rates.
Most clients benefit from a combination of structures — often a fixed core with a floating or revolving portion for flexibility. The right answer depends on your income, spending habits, goals, and how much certainty you need.
Talk to us →Interest Rate Averaging
Most borrowers treat fixing their mortgage as a single bet — picking one term and hoping the timing is right. Rate averaging takes a different approach: spreading your mortgage across multiple fixed terms that expire at different times. Instead of rolling everything at once, you roll portions each year — smoothing out the highs and lows and never being fully exposed to a rate peak.
You won't win big. You won't lose big. What you will have is consistency — for the most important asset you'll ever own. That's balancing risk with life.
Try it — enter your loan amounts & rates
Weighted average updates liveEach year, one tranche expires and rolls at whatever the current market rate is. If rates have fallen, you benefit. If they've risen, only a portion of your loan is affected — not all of it.
Reduces timing risk
Nobody can predict where rates will be in 12 or 24 months — including the banks. Averaging takes the guesswork out by spreading your exposure across multiple points in time.
Avoids rolling everything at a peak
One of the biggest risks in NZ is renewing a large fixed mortgage at exactly the wrong moment. With a ladder, the worst-case scenario is that one tranche resets at a high rate — not all three.
Regular review opportunities
Each rollover is a chance to reassess your structure, make lump sum payments, or switch lenders without penalty. You're never locked in for long on your whole loan.
Trebla tip: The split doesn't have to be equal thirds. We model the right tranche sizes and term combinations based on your loan size, income pattern, and how much of your budget you need certainty over.
Revolving Credit vs Offset
Revolving credit and offset mortgages both reduce the interest you pay — but they work differently and suit different types of people. The maths can be identical. The behaviour required is not.
Your mortgage is your everyday account. Salary goes straight in, reducing the balance immediately. You draw money out as you spend. Interest is charged daily on whatever the balance is — so the more you keep in, the less you pay.
Income deposited directly reduces balance same day
Works well with irregular or variable income
Full flexibility — extra repayments, redraws, no break fees
The challenge: Everything lives in one account — your mortgage balance, your spending, your savings. It can be hard to know at a glance which money is for the holiday, which is for the kids, and which is genuine buffer. Requires active management and strong discipline to work as intended.
Your savings sit in separate linked accounts — but all work against your mortgage simultaneously. Each day, the combined balance across all your linked accounts is subtracted from your mortgage before interest is calculated. You keep living the way you already do — it just quietly works in the background.
Up to 50 accounts linked simultaneously — holiday fund, kids' savings, rainy-day buffer, everyday spending, all working together
Runs on autopilot — once set up, every dollar across every account is reducing your interest daily without any effort
Money stays separate and purposeful — you can still see exactly what's for holidays, what's for the kids, and what's emergency savings
Requires: A meaningful combined savings balance to make the numbers worthwhile. Not all NZ banks offer offset — it's a specialist product. Your adviser can confirm availability with your lender.
Worked Example
$500,000 mortgage at 6.5% — with $40,000 available savings
Standard Mortgage
Interest on full $500,000
$32,500
per year
Revolving Credit
$40k buffer in account → interest on $460,000
$29,900
per year — saving $2,600
Offset Mortgage
$40k offset → interest on $460,000
$29,900
per year — saving $2,600
The interest saving is identical — $2,600 per year, every year the buffer is maintained. Over 10 years that's $26,000 in interest saved, plus the compounding benefit of a faster-reducing principal. The difference isn't the maths — it's which structure you'll actually stick to.
Choose Revolving Credit if…
You're self-employed or have variable monthly income and want maximum flexibility
You have the discipline to manage one account actively — and won't treat available credit as free money
You're comfortable with all your money in one place and don't need separate accounts for different goals
Choose Offset if…
You manage your money across multiple accounts — a holiday fund, kids' savings, emergency buffer, everyday spending — and want all of them reducing your mortgage at once
You want a set-and-forget structure — once linked, every dollar works automatically, every single day
You want your savings to stay purposeful and visible — but still have them quietly chipping away at your interest
This is most people — which is why offset is often the most efficient structure in practice
The honest answer
For most New Zealanders, offset is the more efficient option — because it works with the way people already manage their money. You keep your holiday fund, your kids' savings, your rainy-day buffer all in separate, purposeful accounts. Link them all, and every dollar in every account is reducing your mortgage interest simultaneously — on autopilot. Revolving credit asks you to put everything in one place. That works brilliantly for some people, but for most of us, it quickly becomes hard to tell which money is which.
Non-Bank & Second-Tier Lending
Not every borrower fits the main bank template — and that's far more common than people think. Non-bank and second-tier lenders assess applications on their own merits, not a rigid tick-box system. The rates are higher, but for many borrowers it's the right move at the right time — with a clear path back to mainstream lending once the situation improves.
If you own property but your financial picture is complicated — a business going through a rough patch, a relationship breakdown, an IRD debt, or simply too many moving parts — a non-bank equity release can give you the breathing room to consolidate and reset.
The concept is straightforward: you borrow against the equity you've built in your property to pay out other debts, fund a legal settlement, cover a tax liability, or bridge a timing gap. The result is a cleaner financial position with one lender and a manageable repayment structure.
How it works: Short to medium-term loan (typically 3–24 months), secured by first or second mortgage. LVR usually up to 70–75% of property value. The exit strategy is key — refinance to a main bank once the situation is resolved, or repay from a pending asset sale.
Watch out for: Establishment fees and higher interest rates mean this is a short-term tool, not a long-term home. Always go in with a clear exit plan agreed upfront.
A default, a judgement, a period of financial hardship, or a discharged bankruptcy doesn't have to close the door on homeownership permanently. Non-bank lenders can consider applications that mainstream banks decline outright — assessing the full story rather than stopping at the credit score.
What matters most is what caused the credit issue, whether it's been resolved, and what your financial behaviour looks like now. A clear explanation, evidence of recovery, and a stable income go a long way toward making an application workable.
How it works: Non-bank lenders offer home loans for borrowers with adverse credit history. Rates are higher to reflect the risk, but the structure is typically the same — and the goal is to demonstrate 12–24 months of clean conduct, then refinance to a main bank at a standard rate.
Watch out for: Not all non-bank lenders are equal. Some specialise in adverse credit; others don't. An adviser who knows the market will match you to the right lender — not just the first one willing to say yes.
Property development — whether you're subdividing a section, building townhouses, completing a stalled project, or funding a commercial build — requires a different kind of finance to a standard mortgage. Banks are selective, and many developers find non-bank construction lenders offer faster decisions, greater flexibility, and a stronger appetite for complexity.
Funds are typically drawn down in stages as construction progresses, with a quantity surveyor signing off each milestone. This keeps interest costs down and gives the lender confidence that the project is on track.
How it works: LVR at pre-construction is typically 50–65% of land value, rising to 65% of completed value post-build. Terms run 6–18 months. A fixed-price build contract, experienced builder, and realistic valuation are usually required. Exit is through sale of completed units or refinance to long-term finance.
Watch out for: Development lending is assessed case by case. Location, builder track record, consent status, and pre-sales all influence approval and the rate offered. Get advice before you commit to a site.
A note on fees
Most non-bank lenders don't pay adviser commission — so an adviser fee typically applies for this type of lending. A small number do pay commission. Either way, any cost is always disclosed and agreed with you upfront before any work begins. You'll never be surprised.
Why Trebla?
Gain control of your financial journey and get to your end goal quicker with the right partner by your side. Because we get paid by the banks, there's no cost to you — just expert guidance and potential savings of tens of thousands of dollars.
We take the time to understand your full picture — your goals, your situation, and your future — before we recommend anything. That's the Trebla difference.
