Best Mortgage Brokers in Wellington: First Home, Refinancing and Investment Lending

2Capital Advice

Capital Advice advises on mortgages and personal insurance from an office on Tinakori Road in Thorndon. Four mortgage advisers and a risk insurance adviser work there, and the firm states over seventy years of combined industry experience between them. Alongside home loans they cover life, health, income protection, trauma and business risk cover, and they publish separate service pages for Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua and Masterton.

Services

• Home loans for first-home buyers, including pre-approval
• Refinancing and reviewing a mortgage already in place
• Lending for property investors and portfolio expansion
• Personal insurance covering life, trauma, income protection and health
• Business risk cover including key person and shareholder protection

Highlights

• Office at 344 Tinakori Road in Thorndon, with service pages for Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua and Masterton
• Four mortgage advisers plus a dedicated risk insurance adviser
• States over seventy years of combined industry experience across the team
• Each adviser is separately registered on the Financial Service Providers Register
• The adviser businesses operate as Authorised Bodies under NZ Financial Services Group’s Financial Advice Provider licence

Location & Contact

Name: Capital Advice
Address: 344 Tinakori Road, Thorndon, Wellington 6011
Phone: 04 495 5903
Website: capitaladvice.co.nz

3Squirrel

Squirrel opened its doors in 2008 and has Wellington advisers on Manners Street in Te Aro plus an office on Margaret Street in Lower Hutt, following a merger with Wellington advisory business The Home Loan Shop. Alongside broking it runs its own savings and term investment products and a peer-to-peer lending platform, so the money going out and the money coming in sit under one roof. Bridging finance sits on the same menu as a first home loan.

Services

• Home loans for first-home buyers, including low-deposit lending
• Refixing and refinancing an existing mortgage
• Investment property and new-build lending
• Bridging finance for buying before you sell
• Property development funding and lending to builders

Highlights

• Wellington advisers at 34 Manners Street, Te Aro, and an office at 3 Margaret Street, Lower Hutt
• Trading since 2008, with around 135 staff across three locations
• Merged with Wellington advisory business The Home Loan Shop
• Runs peer-to-peer lending and term investment products alongside the broking arm
• Took the NZ Adviser Top Brokerage award for 2025, with 24 of its advisers named NZA Top Advisers

Location & Contact

Name: Squirrel
Address: 34 Manners Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011
Phone: 0800 21 22 30
Website: squirrel.co.nz

4Mike Pero Mortgages

Mike Pero Mortgages runs as a franchise network, so its Wellington presence is several adviser teams rather than one central office. Team Werkhoven is based in Whitby, Greg Mackenzie has called Karori home for over twenty years, Mark Thomson advises on a Wellington landline, and Team Zebunisso covers Wellington and Kāpiti from Waikanae. The brand has been broking mortgages in New Zealand since 1990.

Services

• Home loans for first-home buyers
• Purchase and refinance for existing homeowners
• Investment property lending
• Lending arranged for self-employed borrowers
• Personal loans and insurance alongside the mortgage

Highlights

• Adviser teams based in Whitby, Karori and Waikanae, covering Wellington and the Kāpiti Coast
• Greg Mackenzie has advised for ten years and has lived in Karori for more than twenty
• Mark Thomson advises from Wellington with over 27 years in the lending industry
• Team Zebunisso describes itself as multi-lingual, with over 35 years of combined finance experience

Location & Contact

Name: Mike Pero Mortgages
Address: Wellington and Kāpiti, with an adviser office at 46 Main Road, Waikanae 5036
Phone: 0800 500 123
Website: mikepero.co.nz

5Lendal Mortgages

Lendal Mortgages is run by owner Matt Carr alongside adviser Ari Toufexis, working from Johnsonville and a Te Aro office on Wigan Street. Residential lending sits next to a commercial arm covering commercial property loans, business lending, development finance and equipment funding. They advise across Wellington, both Hutt cities, Porirua and the Kāpiti Coast, and run the application process on a fully paperless system.

Services

• Home loans and first-home buyer lending
• Refinancing, refixing and restructuring an existing mortgage
• Investment property and construction lending
• Commercial property loans and business lending
• Development finance and equipment or asset finance

Highlights

• Offices at 2 Broderick Road, Johnsonville and Level 1, 22 Wigan Street, Te Aro
• Owner Matt Carr and adviser Ari Toufexis are each separately registered on the Financial Service Providers Register
• Member of NZ Financial Services Group, with the firm registered as FSP1000734
• Publishes a panel of over twenty financial partners across New Zealand
• Runs the whole application on a paperless system

Location & Contact

Name: Lendal Mortgages
Address: Level 1, 22 Wigan Street, Te Aro, Wellington, and 2 Broderick Road, Johnsonville
Phone: 027 413 4097
Website: lendalmortgages.co.nz

Mortgage Brokers in Wellington at a Glance

How to Choose the Right Mortgage Brokers in Wellington

• Check the register before you check the reviews. Every mortgage adviser in New Zealand must appear on the Financial Service Providers Register with an FSP number. Most advisers publish theirs on their own website, and checking it takes under a minute.
• Read the disclosure document first. Advisers are required to publish one, and it answers the questions that matter before you meet. It names the lenders they can reach, sets out how they are paid, and states the situations in which a fee could apply.
• Look at which lenders are on the panel, not how many. A count tells you nothing. If your existing bank, or a non-bank lender you may need for a tricky application, is not on the list, that is a reason to keep looking.
• Ask when the service stops being free. Advisers are usually paid commission by the lender on settlement, so most borrowers pay nothing. Disclosure documents also name exceptions, such as a product the adviser has no accreditation for, so ask rather than assume.
• Match the adviser to the kind of lending you need. A first home with a low deposit, a self-employed application, a construction draw-down and a commercial purchase are different jobs. Some brokers cover all of them and others stick to residential lending, which their own services pages will tell you.
• Decide how you want to be dealt with. Some advisers work from a city office with in-person meetings, others are set up for video calls and paperless applications. Neither is better, but a mismatch will annoy you for the length of the process.

Frequently Asked Questions About Wellington Mortgage Brokers

Do I have to pay a mortgage broker in Wellington?

Usually not. Advisers are generally paid a commission by the lender once your loan settles, which is why most borrowers pay no fee. It is not unconditional, though. Disclosure documents typically name situations where a one-off fee could apply, such as work on a product the adviser holds no accreditation for, and that fee has to be agreed with you in writing beforehand.

How do I check a mortgage adviser is properly licensed?

Look for their FSP number, then check it on the Financial Service Providers Register. Advisers must either hold a Financial Advice Provider licence from the Financial Markets Authority or operate as an Authorised Body under someone else’s. The FMA publishes a plain-language guide to what to expect from mortgage advice, including the duties an adviser owes you.

What government help is there for a first home in Wellington?

Two schemes do most of the work. A First Home Loan is underwritten by Kāinga Ora and lets participating lenders approve a purchase on a 5% deposit. Separately, a KiwiSaver first-home withdrawal lets you put most of your KiwiSaver balance towards the deposit. An adviser can tell you quickly whether you qualify for either.

Does it matter that some of these firms are part of national networks?

It changes who you are dealing with, not whether they are local. A franchise or network adviser is still an individually registered person with their own FSP number and their own disclosure document, and often lives in the suburb they advise in. What the network brings is the lender panel and the back-office systems behind them. Check where the individual adviser is based rather than where the head office sits.

Can a Wellington adviser help if I am self-employed or buying an investment property?

Yes, and it is worth saying so upfront. Self-employed applications, construction draw-downs and investment lending all get assessed differently from a straightforward salaried purchase, and the paperwork is heavier. Advisers often name those as specialities on their own sites, so raise it on the first call rather than partway through.