She Owns This

Most financial advice about lump sums is generic. This episode isn't. Stevie and Nefe share their real, specific plans for $100,000 — not a framework, not a hypothetical. Their actual answers, challenged by each other, live on air.

In this episode:

• Where $100,000 might come from: property sale, inheritance, redundancy payout, liquidated shares, or years of disciplined saving finally adding up
• The five questions that shape every lump sum decision — before a single dollar gets deployed
• The order of operations: emergency fund first, high-interest debt second, portfolio gap third — and why skipping any of these steps is where people come unstuck
• Stevie's real plan: given her current build, her family, and her existing portfolio — exactly where she'd put $100,000 right now
• Nefe's real plan: freshly moved into a new build, aware of her portfolio gaps — how she'd split it between property and shares and why
• Where their plans agree, where they diverge, and what that reveals about different investing personalities

Having lots of opinions about what to do with your money is not the same as having advice. Here's the difference.

Women should own half the world. Come own it with us.

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Christchurch is one of the most misunderstood property markets in New Zealand. Investors hesitate because of the earthquakes. But the earthquakes forced Christchurch to become one of the best-engineered cities in the country — and Nefe owns in TC-3 to prove it.

In this episode:

• TC-1, TC-2, and TC-3 zones explained in plain English: what liquefaction is, what the traffic light system means, and why TC-3 doesn't mean don't buy here
• How modern Christchurch foundation engineering works — waffle slabs, piles, and the lasagna method explained with analogies that actually make sense
• Why new build investment properties in Christchurch post-2011 are often built to higher standards than anywhere else in New Zealand
• Why TC zoning is now 15 years old — and the checklist of what to look at instead: geotechnical reports, foundation specs, council consent records, and insurance history
• The honest insurance and mortgage picture for Christchurch investors: what lenders actually look at, and why Nefe's TC-3 insurance costs roughly the same as Auckland
• Wellington property investment NZ: approximately 15% undervalued on some measures — but is ageing stock, rising insurance costs, and years of flat growth actually worth it right now?
• Queenstown property market 2026: a surge of wealthy Australian buyers, increasing new supply, and data showing approximately 36% overvaluation — is the FOMO justified?

The earthquakes forced Christchurch to become one of the best-engineered property markets in New Zealand. Here's what that means for investors in 2026.

Women should own half the world. Come own it with us.

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New Build vs Renovation NZ — Which Is the Better Investment Strategy?

Stevie is Team Renovations. Nefe is Team New Builds. They're both financial advisers, they've both done it, and they're both convinced they're right. This week they pick sides — and the real answer is more useful than either position alone.

In this episode:

• The full case for renovation investing in NZ: lower entry cost in regional markets, stronger yields in small towns, and the ability to manufacture value rather than just wait for it
• The full case for new build investment NZ: hands-off turnkey contracts, geographic diversification, lower deposit requirements, and no surprises behind the walls
• Why the deposit argument is more complicated than it looks — and which strategy actually gets you into the market sooner
• The Kaikoura story: what managing renovation trades remotely actually looks like (spoiler: it ends with painting it yourself on a Saturday)
• The verdict: the strategy you choose should come down to who you actually are — not who you aspire to be
• Stevie on building her own home: why the gap between what you think you'll spend and what you actually spend is almost always wider than expected
• Nefe on buying her new build: what hands-off certainty is actually worth when you're also building a career and a portfolio

Passive investing done consistently beats an active strategy done badly. Know which one you're actually going to do.

Women should own half the world. Come own it with us.

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Every property owner with a big section is asking the same question right now. On paper it sounds simple — split the land, build, profit. The reality is considerably more involved.

Nefe and Stevie give you the full picture.

In this episode:

• The three types of subdivision in NZ, and which one actually makes sense for individual investors
• The four-step subdivision process, and what each one costs
• Why infrastructure alone typically runs $60,000–$100,000 before a single wall goes up
• The tax exposure most people don't factor in
• New build vs subdivision NZ: which strategy suits which investor, and why subdivision is a tool not a model

Subdividing can pay off a mortgage and fund the next investment. It can also drain your cash, time, and energy for years. Here's how to tell the difference before you start.

Women should own half the world. Come own it with us.

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Someone wrote in asking whether they could use their share portfolio to leverage into property. It's a great question — and the honest answer is more nuanced than yes or no.

This week Stevie and Nefe go back to basics on one of the most powerful — and most misunderstood — tools in NZ investing.

In this episode:

• What leverage actually means in property investing — a plain-English explanation from first principles, no jargon
• How home equity works in NZ: why a 10% gain on a $700,000 property can mean a 50% return on your actual cash
• Which assets you can and can't leverage in New Zealand: home equity, cash deposits, shares, farm assets, and term deposits compared
• The listener question answered: can you use a share portfolio to buy investment property in NZ? The real answer — and what margin lending actually involves
• Why margin lending on shares carries risks that property equity doesn't, including margin calls you can't control
• What to do if you have shares and want to get into NZ property: the most practical route most advisers recommend

Leverage is a tool, not a trap. Here's how to use it like one.

Women should own half the world. Come own it with us.

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Was It Actually Harder to Buy a House 30 Years Ago?Yes, interest rates were 15%. But what were they paying that on?

Nefe is bringing the data, the comparisons, and — she's trying her best — the emotions under control. This is the conversation that needs to happen on both sides.In this episode: ● The number that settles the debate: house price to income ratio ● Why 15% interest on a $70,000 mortgage and 6% interest on a $900,000 mortgage are not the same conversation ● The deposit problem: a 20% deposit in the 90s was $20–50k. Today it's $170,000. No amount of cutting lattes closes that gap ● How lending rules have fundamentally changed since the GFC — DTI ratios, LVR caps, and serviceability testing that simply didn't exist beforeSpill the Tea: the 20-year-old who taught himself to invest on YouTube and built $200,000 in shares before most people his age had a savings accountThe couple with strong borrowing capacity who decided to wait until after having a baby — and the real tension in that decisionThe pressure didn't disappear. It evolved. And that's what this episode is here to prove.Women should own half the world. Come own it with us.

Download a copy of the Maternity Money Map spreadsheet here

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Stevie's had clients do this brilliantly — and clients nearly lose relationships over it. The difference almost always comes down to three things: aligned goals, a good mortgage broker, and a legal agreement. This episode covers all three.

In this episode:

• Why the bank maths on joint ventures can work against you
• When family finances and emotions collide
• The goal alignment problem nobody talks about
• The non-negotiables before signing anything

Wanting to invest together and being a good investment match are two different things. Here's how to tell the difference.

Women should own half the world. Come own it with us.

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The boss said no to a pay rise. Inflation said yes to everything else. So Nefe and Stevie went to their mortgage adviser team and asked: what are clients actually doing to boost their income? Here are twelve of them.In this episode:

• The full side hustle menu — with real earning potential for each
• Why renting out a spare room might be the easiest win on the list
• The underrated option most people overlook
• Nefe's songwriting royalties — and why the best side hustle is one you'd be doing anyway
• The golden rule: pick something you're already good at, or already doing for free

The side hustle that drains you is the one you quit. The one that energises you is the one that compounds.Women should own half the world. Come own it with us.

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Having a baby is one of the most financially significant things you'll ever do. It doesn't have to derail everything you've been building. Stevie's been through it — and this episode is the practical playbook she wishes she'd had.

In this episode:

• What parental leave in NZ actually pays — and why you need two separate budgets for the first and second six months
• How to find your baseline: the non-negotiable expenses that define your financial floor
• How to calculate your gap — and the tools Stevie used to fund hers without sacrificing everything
• The one thing Stevie didn't cut during parental leave (her investment property) — and the thing she started the week her baby was born

• Can you buy an investment property while on parental leave? Nefe's client had $80k saved — here's what the bank said

The goal isn't to eliminate life during parental leave. The goal is to know the number and have a plan for it.

Women should own half the world. Come own it with us.

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Every week Nefe and Stevie sit across from people who want to invest in property — and talk themselves out of it.

This episode is for them. Five fears, five reframes, and the data that changes the conversation.In this episode:

• Fear #1: House values will go down
• Fear #2: Market uncertainty
• Fear #3: Dodgy tenants
• Fear #4: Government regulation and tax changes
• Fear #5: Interest rate rises — the practical tool Nefe used on her own property to plan for every scenario

• This week's challenge: run the numbers on a real property using the free Opes Plus cashflow calculator at opespartners.co.nz

The risk of doing nothing is just as real as the risk of doing something. Here's how to work through it.

Women should own half the world. Come own it with us.

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