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NextMove Education HubA note on this content: Everything in the Education Hub is written to help you understand how property buying, KiwiSaver, and home loans work in general terms. It’s educational only and does not take into account your personal financial situation, so it does not constitute personalised financial advice. Before making any financial decisions, we’d recommend speaking with a licensed financial adviser who can look at your circumstances directly. For full details on how our content and services work, see our Privacy, Disclosure & Legal page.
Is There Really Such a Thing as “Good Debt”?
I had a client tell me recently she'd been putting off applying for a mortgage for two years. She had a student loan and figured that alone would kill her application. It didn't come up as an issue at all. Meanwhile, a much smaller personal loan she'd forgotten about...
What’s Really Holding You Back? (It’s Probably Not What You Think)
Before we get into it: this article is general information only and doesn't take into account your personal financial situation, goals, or needs. It shouldn't be treated as financial advice. For guidance specific to your circumstances, talk to a licensed financial...
Is Sandringham Worth Buying In 2026?
Is Sandringham worth buying in 2026? If you want central Auckland on a smaller budget, keep reading. This suburb won't give you Mount Eden's grammar zone shine or Ponsonby's villa price tag. What it gives you instead is something rarer: a real village feel close to...
Understanding Your Credit Score and How Banks Actually Read It
I talk to buyers about credit scores every week. Most know it matters. Very few understand how to read it. In some countries, you build credit by taking on debt. Apply for a credit card or a car loan, and your score climbs from there. New Zealand works differently....
Green Island Property Market: Worth Buying Into in 2026?
Green Island sits on Dunedin’s southern edge, one of the city’s larger suburbs by housing stock. Much of it was built through the 1950s, giving it an older, more established feel than newer suburbs. It borders Abbotsford, Concord and Burnside, with the Kaikorai Valley...
How Banks Actually Assess Your Income (And Why Two People on the Same Salary Can Borrow Different Amounts)
I speak to a lot of clients every day, and one of the biggest surprises for them is finding out that two people on the exact same salary can walk away from the same bank with very different amounts they're able to borrow. It's not about how much you earn. It's about...
How NextMove Helps You Close the Gap
Over the past three articles, we’ve looked at what buyer readiness actually means, how to prepare in practical stages, and why the knowledge gap in today’s market matters more than it used to. This final article brings it all together. How NextMove’s free tools are...
Kelvin Grove Property Market: Worth Buying Into in 2026?
Kelvin Grove is one of Palmerston North’s largest residential suburbs, the third largest in the city by housing stock. It was built out substantially over the 2000s and shaped by a wave of newer subdivisions. This make it a genuinely different proposition from the...
The Knowledge Gap in Today’s Market, and Why It Matters
The first home buyer knowledge gap NZ advisers are increasingly talking about isn't about affordability, it's about confidence. Market conditions for first home buyers in 2026 are quite favourable: interest rates have eased considerably from their 2023 to 2024 peaks,...
The Kāinga Ora First Home Loan: How It Works with KiwiSaver and Second-Chance Withdrawals
If KiwiSaver is the first piece of the deposit puzzle, the Kāinga Ora First Home Loan is usually the second. Used together, they are the most common pathway first-home buyers use to get into the market with less than a standard 20% deposit. This article builds on our...
How to Prepare for Home Ownership: A Practical Timeline
Our previous article looked at what buyer readiness actually means across financial, informational, and practical dimensions. This one gets concrete: how to prepare for home ownership, in what order, and how long each stage takes. Timelines vary buyer to buyer. The...
Is Newtown, Wellington a Good Place to Buy in 2026?
The Newtown property market does not have the postcard status of some of Wellington's other inner suburbs. It does not have Oriental Bay's harbour views, and it does not have Thorndon's heritage streets. What it does have is different. Newtown offers a genuinely...