Welcome to the episode every New Zealand landlord, investor, and tenant needs to hear - the ultimate deep dive into the hidden world of property management in New Zealand. Hosted by Craig Stanaway and featuring Joseph Hickton of Barfoot & Thompson, this conversation rips the lid off what really happens behind the scenes of NZ’s rental market, from tenant selection and maintenance dramas to investor strategy and compliance chaos.

Learn more: https://mhq.co.nz/property-investment/the-truth-about-property-managers-behind-the-scenes-of-nz-tenants-and-rentals/

It’s the story shaking dinner tables and boardrooms across the country. Labour’s latest move — a narrow Capital Gains Tax proposal to help fund free GP visits - has reignited one of New Zealand’s most divisive debates: how far is too far when taxing wealth built on property?

Learn more: https://mhq.co.nz/property-investment/capital-gains-bombshell-will-labours-tax-plan-blow-up-nz-property/

Love’s great. Wealth is better. Combine the two properly, and you’ve got a Kiwi power couple who can take on the world. But most people don’t. Most couples in New Zealand are sleepwalking through the single most valuable partnership they’ll ever have — the financial one.

Learn more: https://mhq.co.nz/property-investment/the-kiwi-power-couple-playbook-turn-your-relationship-into-a-wealth-machine-without-the-divorce/

What if the smartest property investment in New Zealand over the next decade isn’t in Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch — but just one hour outside them? In this powerful episode, MortgageHQ founder Blandon Leung joins host Craig Stanaway to reveal how NZ’s commuter belt property market is transforming from affordable outskirts into high-yield investment zones for smart Kiwis ready to move early.

Learn more: https://mhq.co.nz/property-investment/the-one-hour-goldmine-how-nzs-commuter-belt-could-outrun-inflation-and-make-you-rich/

The battle lines are drawn.
First home buyers are finally re-entering the market… but investors are circling again - stronger, smarter, and more strategic than ever.

Learn more: https://mhq.co.nz/property-investment/first-home-buyers-vs-investors-the-brutal-truth-about-nzs-2025-property-market/

The waiting is over - the Reserve Bank has repeatedly cut the OCR in 2025.
Interest rates are falling, the OCR is on its way down, and for the first time in years, homeowners and investors are on the front foot again.

Learn more: https://mhq.co.nz/property-investment/the-ocr-cut-playbook-3-moves-smart-homeowners-are-making-right-now/

In this episode, MHQ’s Head of Advice, Simon McDonald, sits down with Zhiyang Cheng, New Zealand’s number one ranked mortgage adviser, to discuss the current state of the property market. The conversation covers a range of topics related to property prices, investing, and long-term thinking.

Simon and Zhiyang talk about what’s happening in the housing market, what investors are doing right now, and how to think about the future. They also touch on interest rates, affordability, and what might happen next.

Learn more: https://mhq.co.nz/property-investment/property-prices-the-long-game-what-smart-investors-do-during-the-downturn-and-whats-next/

Auckland is at war with itself.
On one side — the old guard of villa-lined suburbs, heritage zoning, and backyard nostalgia.
On the other — the new skyline: cranes, towers, and the vertical revolution promising affordability and density.

Learn more: https://mhq.co.nz/property-investment/the-great-auckland-housing-war-villas-vs-towers-and-who-gets-crushed/

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is standing at a crossroads — and every homeowner, investor, and policymaker is about to feel the impact.

After years of rate hikes, stimulus, and economic whiplash, the RBNZ is quietly rewriting its playbook. The Official Cash Rate (OCR) — once just a technical lever — is now the single most powerful force shaping who wins and who loses in the next property cycle.

Learn more: https://mhq.co.nz/property-investment/rbnz-and-the-ocr-reform-that-could-decide-who-wins-big-in-2026/

Auckland is cracking.
The skyline still glitters, but beneath it, the numbers are bleeding.
Housing affordability has imploded. Productivity has flat-lined. Infrastructure is buckling. And for the first time in decades, the nation’s economic engine is coughing smoke instead of power.

Learn more: https://mhq.co.nz/house-buying/aucklands-breaking-point-housing-costs-productivity-collapse-and-the-investor-edge/