Legal stuff we have to have 😅

As a responsible financial advice provider, we are regulated by our friends at the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). Here are all the details of our license so you know that we're kosher.

Licensing information

Opes Partners New Zealand Limited (FSP740071), trading as Opes Partners is authorised under the Financial Advice Provider (FAP) licence of Opes Group Holding Company Limited (FSP774012) to provide financial advice.

To contact Opes Partners:

Call: 0800 676 737

Email: [email protected]

Write to: Level 2, 236 High Street, Christchurch 8011

Nature and scope of the advice

Our advisers provide financial advice to you by designing you an investment plan. Our advisers will consider your personal and financial circumstances and goals and provide you with recommendations about investing in property as a way to achieving your goals.

We may recommend that you invest in a property or properties which are listed by Opes Licensee Services Limited T/a Opes Property, one of our related companies.

We do not provide financial advice or recommendations on specific financial products such as mortgages or insurances. However, we may refer you to others that specialise in these areas.

Fees

We do not charge you any fees in relation to our Wealth Plan Programme advice we provide you. Our investment planning service is completely free to you.

Of course, if you do choose to invest in a property, you will need to pay the property developer, along with legal fees and other fees associated with purchasing the property.

Conflicts of interest and commissions

Commissions

If you decide to invest in a property we recommend, we receive commission in the form of a marketing fee from Opes Licensee Services Limited T/a Opes Property, or the developer of your property.

We mostly get the same flat-rate commission (Marketing Fee) regardless of which property developer you choose, or the value of any property you invest in. That means that whether you decide to invest in a $400k property or an $800k property, we would get paid the same amount in marketing fees. That's how you can have the confidence that we are as impartial as possible and have your best interests at heart. Occasionally we may negotiate a lower commission amount than our usual flat rate, and we will tell you if we do.

Our advisers are paid through a salary and/or commission for their work at Opes Partners. The commission our advisers receive is based on a percentage of the marketing fee that Opes Partners receives.

We will tell you more about the commission amounts when we know more about what type of property may suit you.

There is no obligation for you to purchase any property, or a property that we recommend. If you do, our commission does not come at any additional cost to you.

Related companies

As well our property coaching business, our shareholders also have interests in the following other property related businesses:

  • A property management business (Venture Management South Island Limited & Venture Management North Island Limited)
  • A real estate business (Opes Licensee Services Limited T/a Opes Property)
  • A mortgage and insurance business (Catalyst Financial Limited)
  • A property coaching business for first home buyers (Opes First Home Limited)
  • Investment magazines – Informed Investor and the NZ Property Investor (Opes Media Limited)
  • A property accountancy business (Momentum Property Limited)

We may refer you to these companies as part of our recommendations – when you purchase investment property, often you need help with some of these services that our related companies can offer.

Asides from the marketing fee mentioned above, that we may get from Opes Licensee Services Limited T/a Opes Property if you purchase a property, Opes Partners will not receive any referral fee or commission from our related companies (or any other companies that we may refer you to) if you do decide to use their services. Though of course, whether you choose to use one of these companies is entirely your choice.

Non monetary benefits from other product providers

Some developers may provide our company and advisers with certain non-monetary benefits that support our business. These benefits may also include bottles of wine during Christmas, tickets to sponsored events, or the occasional meal.

How do we manage conflicts of interest?

To ensure our advisers prioritise your interests:

  • We follow an advice process that ensures our recommendations are made appropriately, based on your goals and circumstances.
  • All our advisers undergo annual training about how to manage conflicts of interest.
  • We maintain registers of conflicts of interests and the gifts and incentives we receive. These registers are monitored regularly, and additional training is provided as required.
  • If you do decide to act on our recommendations, we receive a flat rate commission that is not based on the value of the property or developer you choose;
  • We undertake an annual independent Compliance Assurance Review by Strategi.

Complaints handling and dispute resolution

If you are not satisfied with our service or financial advice, please tell us as soon as possible.

Call: 0800 676 737

Email: [email protected]

Write to: Level 2, 236 High Street, Christchurch 8011

When we receive a complaint:

  • We will consider your complaint and let you know how we intend to resolve it. Where possible, we try to resolve your complaint immediately.
  • If we are unable to resolve your complaint immediately, we will acknowledge your complaint within 2 business days. We may contact you to get further information about your complaint.
  • We aim to resolve complaints within 10 working days of receiving them. If we need more time to investigate your complaint, we will let you know when you can expect to receive a response to your complaint
  • We will contact you by phone, email or letter to let you know whether we can resolve your complaint and how we propose to do so.

If we cannot agree on how to fix the issue, you can contact our external disputes resolution scheme, Financial Services Complaints Limited (FSCL). FSCL provides a free and independent dispute resolution service that may help to resolve your complaint.

To contact FSCL:

Call: 0800 347 257

Email: [email protected]

Visit: www.fscl.org.nz

Our duties

Opes Partners and our advisers have duties under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 relating to the way that we give advice.

We are required to:

  • give priority to your interests;
  • exercise care, diligence, and skill;
  • meet standards of competence, knowledge and skill set by the Code of Professional Conduct for Financial Advice Services
  • meet standards of ethical behaviour, conduct and client care set by the Code of Professional Conduct for Financial Advice Services.