Top 6 Christchurch mortgage brokers

Any mortgage broker can file your mortgage application.

So it can be hard to know which one to use. After all, most of them don’t charge, and they all offer a similar service.

So how do you choose which one to call?

Here at Opes Partners we help over 450 investors buy New Build properties every year. And we work with over 97 developers around the country.

This means we’re always crossing paths with mortgage brokers. Some provide outstanding service … and some don’t.

We also have our own mortgage advisers – Opes Mortgages. And while many of our investors use Opes Mortgages, some ask “who else do you recommend?”

This is why we’ve created this list to share mortgage brokers who give fantastic service.

We’ve also chosen not to put Opes Mortgages on this list, even though they are awesome, because then you’d think we’re biased.

So, here is our honest review of the top 6 mortgage brokers in Christchurch – in no particular order.

And just so you know, no-one has paid to be on this list. In fact, I didn’t even ask them if they wanted to be on here!

#1 Tony Mounce – Tony Mounce Mortgages and Insurance

Tony Mounce Mortgages is the largest brokerage in Canterbury.

The company was founded and is still led by Tony Mounce. He is a mortgage legend, and we affectionately refer to him as “the bank whisperer”.

Tony worked for BNZ for so long, he often knows lending policy better than some of the bank’s own staff.

He uses that understanding to get mortgages approved. He also fights on behalf of his clients to get the right result.

If you work with Tony you’ll see that he is fast, efficient and friendly.

If you want money to buy a house and want it done, Tony is a good fit.

But, Tony is also busy. A lot of people want to work with him, so he’s not the sort of broker who will sit down with you over lunch to explain the basics of how a mortgage works.

If that’s the sort of hands-on advice you are looking for, then it may pay to work with a member of his team. Otherwise, you can use another broker on this list.

#2 Nathan Miglani – NZ Mortgages

Nathan is NZ Mortgages’ managing director and head of lending.

He’s had a long-standing career in mortgages and is on most lists of top mortgage brokers.

He’s won many awards. This includes the NZ Adviser – Top Adviser award in 2019 and 2020.

In 2017, Nathan set up his own Loan Market franchise – Loan Market Paramount.

Paramount won Loan Market’s Top Brokerage award in 2022. Nathan was named the No.1 Mortgage Adviser in Australasia for Loan Market.

He is good.

Nathan re-branded his company in 2023. Loan Market Paramount is now called NZ Mortgages, and they’ve hit the ground running.

In the first year, Nathan and his company won the Excellence Award at the NZ Mortgage Awards.

The team works with first-home buyers and investors. They also help Kiwis refinance their mortgages and can organise business or development loans.

More from Opes Partners:

• Top 10 mortgage brokers in New Zealand (Article)
• What exactly does a mortgage broker do? and what are the benefits of using one? (Article)
• Don't forget to tell your mortgage broker these 8 things (Article)

#3 Elyce Peters – The Mortgage Girls

The Mortgage Girls was started 8 years ago by Elyce and her business partner, Holly.

Now, the team has grown to 9 women. The team mostly work from home around the country.

Before starting her own business, Elyce had been in the industry for a long time. She’s known Andrew Nicol, of Opes Partners, for many years, back when it was just him on his own.

Contrary to what the name suggests, The Mortgage Girls work with men and women.

The “girls” part refers to her and her business partner.

Elyce has 4 kids under 5 at home. She wanted this business to enable her to work away from an office, with a healthy work/life balance. And she wanted to provide that to other women too.

At the 2023 New Zealand mortgage awards:

• Elyce won Regional Adviser of the Year
• And The Mortgage Girls team won Brokerage of the Year.

The Mortgage Girls’ team receives glowing reviews on Google; 4.8 stars on average.

One client said: “Elyce’s work ethic is second to none. She worked tirelessly to sort the best lending we could get. Communication was always fast and direct, answering all manner of questions we had along the way. I would highly recommend using The Mortgage Girls to anyone wanting an effortless service.”

Elyce says they work with first-home buyers to multi-million dollar developers. They’ve got clients around the world … even an international rugby player.

#4 Emm McCartney – NZ Home Loans

Here at Opes, we work with Emm a lot. She’s the director at NZ Home Loans (NZHL) Canterbury Metro.

Emm started the business with her husband Terry in 2011. However, she initially joined as a client servicing consultant.

She was the highest performer in that role from 2006 - 2012.

And now she’s moved up the ranks, she was NZHL’s No.1 business owner in 2020 and 2021.

She gets positive reviews from her clients, who say she goes the “extra mile”.

NZ Home Loans are one of the largest Kiwi brokers, with over 70 franchises across the country.

The business is unique. They focus on helping Kiwis pay off their mortgages more quickly.

If you’re looking for experts to help you pay down your debt (rather than take out more) these are the guys for you.

#5 Alex Toohey – Vega

Alex has worked with Vega for 3 years, but he’s been in the financial service business for a long time.

Before being a mortgage broker, he organised asset finance and worked for a bank.

He says he works with a lot of first-home buyers, investors and next-home buyers.

Vega was set up by Harry Ferreira in Ponsonby (Auckland). The company now has 60 staff across the country.

Alex was one of 2 mortgage advisers to set up the Vega offices in Christchurch. His team has now grown to 7.

He says the most important part is about working with someone you trust. That’s what the team strives to provide.

Although based in Canterbury, he’s happy to work with clients across the country.

Vega gets an impressive 4.9 stars on Google reviews.

#6 Brenda Murney - Vega

Brenda Murney is an experienced mortgage adviser with Vega Mortgages.

She has extensive knowledge in the industry. As well as working as a mortgage broker for over 12 years, she spent 10 years at BNZ before that.

In terms of mortgage volumes written, Brenda says she’s probably sitting around third in Christchurch.

Brenda is known in New Zealand as a top mortgage adviser and has been on the NZ Top Advisers list for many years now.

She says she’s often talking to the banks. Sometimes this includes suggesting policy changes and getting asked for feedback.

This is why Brenda is the best at getting a ‘yes’ from the banks, when others have had a ‘no’.

Brenda works with a lot of New Build property purchases. This makes her an expert in turnkey property.

She says these properties are often sold to investors or first home buyers.

While based in Christchurch, she works with people all around the country.

She’s also a property investor herself, owning several properties around the country.

Right now, Brenda is one of our recommended brokers. But she’s worked with Opes’ managing director Andrew Nicol twice.

The first was a BNZ bank, and then at Tony Mounce Mortgages. This is when they were both starting out in our career.

She’s often helping out Opes investors. At the time of writing, she’s got 6 on the go.

Safe to say, we know Brenda really well and can vouch for her professionalism and experience.

What do I do next?

The best way to find a mortgage broker is to ring them up and have a chat.

Yes, recommendations are a great way to start, but you might like to interview a few too before you make up your mind about who you want to go with.

Here are some questions you might want to ask to get a feel for who’s the right fit:

• Do you work with all banks, or just a few?
• What’s the best type of mortgage for me?
• What are some of the ways I can get my lending up?
• How should I structure my lending to reach my goals e.g. pay off debt more quickly or expand a property portfolio?

There are very few “no-brainers” in buying property … but for us, using a mortgage broker is one of them for most people.

Not only is your lending more likely to be approved, the service is often offered at no cost.

The broker will do the donkey work of pushing your mortgage application through. This means you’ve got more free time to do other things.

Feel free to choose Opes Mortgages or any other mortgage broker on this list.