Interest rates have surprisingly lowered further and may even get a bit lower yet, so contact us anytime up to a couple of months before your fixed rate loan term ends, and we’ll negotiate a better one for you even if we did not arrange your lending. Many of our customers already know there's no extra cost to use our service!

NZ Bank Eonomists forecast there may be another 0.5% cut to the Official Cash Rate next year and then the OCR to remain at 1.25% until 2023 so that's great for property buyers. House sales have slowed while values continued increasing slightly in most of Auckland but both sales and values keep increasing in many of the provinces. Now is a good time to buy so contact us for your next loan or refix.

History of the Easter bunny - If you’ve ever wondered why the Easter Bunny is recognised as the universal symbol of Easter, look no further !                                                                                                  

German Protestants - The “Easter Hare” has been around since the late 1600s. The Easter Hare was a rabbit that laid coloured eggs as gifts for well-behaved children (if this sounds similar to Santa Claus, that’s because the German Protestants imagined the Easter Bunny would function like Santa Claus). The Easter Bunny went to America in the 1700s through Dutch settlers, and from there, the tradition of waiting for the Easter Bunny to leave coloured eggs for children spread. This is the tradition that led to modern day Easter egg hunts!      Pagan celebrations - The other origin story involves the pagan celebrations of the springtime renewal of life and fertility. The anniversary of Christ’s resurrection was also aligned with the spring equinox, linking springtime and Easter together. Eggs and rabbits both represented fertility and people celebrated the arrival of Easter by decorating eggs.

Easter today - The Easter Bunny is now an official symbol of the Easter holiday. Kids see the Easter Bunny just like Santa Claus – someone visiting secretly overnight leaving treats to discover in the morning!

No matter how you and your family choose to celebrate Easter, we hope you have a happy one and don’t over indulge in chocolate to then have to spend months of dieting before the next great summer comes around.

Home loans and other forms of finance seem to be getting harder to access, with lenders pointing towards a responsible lending code based on increased documentation and minimised risk. According to non-prime lenders and finance brokers who specialise in debt consolidation, loan applications are often rejected if the borrower has a history of payday loans, which are often seen as a sign of financial problems.

The New Zealand housing market is feeling the blues, with house sales falling and prices dropping in Auckland and other key markets. After years of unrestrained growth fuelled by demand, the number of homes being sold around the country is on a steep decline. Wider economic conditions and difficulty getting finance are both affecting the numbers, with Auckland sales down almost 20 percent over the year and national figures down by more than 10 percent.

Whether we like it or not, ritualised activities are an important part of our lives, from our morning cup of coffee through to our daily commute and favourite television show. Depending on who you ask, the routine activities which help to define our lives are either an important psychological safety net or an overbearing source of confinement. The truth, like most things in life, is that routine can either be healthy or unhealthy depending on frequency and context.

Whether it's more access to processed food or an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, many countries around the world have seen a rise in obesity levels over the last few decades. While diet is often promoted as the best way to lose weight, a new study from the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center (AHWC) suggests exercise is a more critical factor for healthy weight maintenance.

Having a midlife crisis used to mean buying a red sports car or making rash and impulsive decisions. While you can still see lots of 50 year old men with dyed hair on the back of brand new Harley Davidsons, the 21st century midlife crisis is just as likely to be defined by renewed athleticism and an extreme approach to personal fitness. From the rise of Ironman events and extreme marathons through to the growth of the personal fitness industry, let's take a look at what it means to be middle aged in 2019.