Financial Adviser
8 min read
Author: Lance Jensen
15 years’ experience in the industry. Active property investor with $6 million+ portfolio. Financial adviser at Opes Partners.
Reviewed by: Ben King
Ben has 14 years of experience as a mortgage advisor and background as an investment adviser.
The top 7 financial advisers in Christchurch are:
That's based on our view as both investors and people who work alongside financial advisers every day.
Here's the thing: "financial adviser" isn't really one job.
Some advisers help you invest in property. Others specialise in managed funds, mortgages, insurance or budgeting.
Choosing the wrong type of adviser is like asking a dentist to fix your knee. They're both medical professionals ... just not in the same field of medicine.
So before choosing an adviser, make sure you're talking to someone who offers the type of financial advice you actually want.
In this article, you’ll learn 7 financial advisers worth considering in Christchurch. Including what they specialise in, how they're paid, and who they're best suited to.
The list is in no particular order.
| Company | Specialises in | Cost to you | How they're paid | Free first meeting |
| Opes Partners | Property investment | Usually free | Developer pays Opes | ✅ |
| Axico | Insurance | Usually free | Insurer commission | ✅ |
| My Net Worth | KiwiSaver, investments, insurance | From $999 for a financial plan; 0.50% a year +GST for ongoing fees. | You pay them directly | ✅ |
| Irvine Wenborn | Investment advice & retirement planning | Hourly rate + 1% ongoing management fee | You pay them directly | ✅ |
| Amicus Group | Insurance, mortgages & KiwiSaver | Advice is usually free, management fees may apply | Insurer/lender commission | ✅ |
| Vega | Mortgages | Usually free | Bank/lender commission | ✅ |
| enable.me | Budgeting | Between $1,999 –$12,499 per year | You pay them directly | ❌ |
Start with the type of financial advice you want. Then pick an adviser who specialises in that area.
There are 5 main areas that financial advisers specialise in:
Once you know the specialty, there are 3 more questions to answer:
There’s no single “best” financial adviser. Start with what you need help with, then choose an adviser who specialises in that area.
Specialises in: Property investment.
Cost for advice: Usually no cost to you.
How they get paid: Fees from the developer if you buy a property.
First meeting free: Yes.
Number one on our list is Opes Partners. Yes ... that's us. The people writing this article (and the website you're on).
We debated whether we should include ourselves at all. But every month someone says to us: "I read your articles all the time, but I didn't know you are financial advisers. I thought you just put out content."
So instead of burying ourselves further down the list, we wanted to make sure you know we're an option.
If you want to invest in New Build property, Opes Partners may be a good fit.
Opes creates retirement plans for property investors. This involves looking at an investor’s their whole financial life and investments to calculate if you’re on track for retirement.
Then, if property investment suits you, they can help:
If you're looking for advice on shares or managed funds, we're not the right fit. In those cases, some of the other names on this list might be a better match.
Specialises in: All types of insurance
Cost for advice: Usually no cost to you.
How they get paid: Commission from the insurer.
First meeting free: Yes
Axico is best known for general and personal insurance.
They can help get insurance for your home, contents, vehicles, boats, or small business.
They can also provide advice on personal risk insurances like life, trauma and income cover. As well as private medical insurance.
That’s why Axico may suit people who want to organise several types of insurance through one adviser.
Owner Simon Yarrell leads the team. He’s supported by five staff, including three of his children, Pieta, Guy and Myles, who are also advisers.
Axico is a family business (Simon’s father founded the company 40 years ago) but after he retired Simon took over.
They’re available 24/7 and really do go above and beyond to help clients.
For example, if a client is struggling financially, Axico will work with them to keep their insurance active until they can pay.
Here at Opes, we often refer clients to Simon for house, contents, and car insurance.
Specialises in: KiwiSaver, investments, insurance.
Cost for advice: Tailored fees from $999 + GST. If you invest through them, ongoing advice costs 0.50% a year + GST.
How they get paid: Client fees.
First meeting free: Yes.
My Net Worth is a financial advice firm with advisers in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.
Riki Carston, Matt Golding and Chris Batchelor are based in Christchurch.
The firm takes what it calls a “holistic lifestyle planning” approach. Said in a simple way, they don’t look at KiwiSaver, insurance or investments in isolation.
Rather, its advisers consider those decisions alongside your wider financial goals.
There are two main services.
LiftOff is aimed at everyday New Zealanders with less than $1 million of investible assets.
It covers areas such as KiwiSaver, managed funds, insurance and broader financial planning. When you invest, ongoing investment advice is charged at 0.50% a year +GST.
For people with more than $1 million to invest, Private Wealth provides a more tailored service.
This includes:
Fees are agreed individually before any work begins.
My Net Worth may suit people who want one adviser to look across several parts of their financial life. Instead of going to a separate specialist for every decision.
Specialises in: Investment advice and retirement planning.
Cost for advice: Hourly rate + 1% ongoing management fee
How they get paid: Client fees.
First meeting free: Yes.
Irvine Wenborn helps people who who want help investing their money or planning for retirement.
The advisers start by understanding what matters to you and what you want your money to help you achieve. That’s instead of just jumping straight into investment recommendations.
They also have expertise in helping Americans living abroad navigate complicated tax requirements.
There are two advisers, Matt Wenborn and Cam Irvine.
You pay Irvine Wenborn directly for their advice.
There is a one-off fee to create your financial plan, based on how much work is involved.
The exact fee depends on how much work your financial plan requires.
On top of that, they charge an ongoing management fee of up to 1%. That’s if they continue to manage and monitor your investments.
Your first meeting is free.
Specialises in: Insurance, Kiwisaver and investments, mortgages
Cost for advice: Advice is usually free, management fees may apply
How they get paid: Commission from the insurer or lender.
First meeting free: Yes.
Amicus Group takes a broader approach than most of the advisers on this list.
Their team don’t just specialise in one area. Instead, their team provides advice across:
But because Amicus covers so many areas, make sure you’re matched with an adviser who specialises in what you need.
An investors who wants a mortgage needs to talk to a mortgage specialist. If you want help with insurance, you need to talk to an insurance specialise.
Amicus may suit people who want to deal with one Christchurch-based firm for several parts of their financial life. This could work well for business owners or people with more complex insurance needs.
Specialises in: Mortgages, particularly for property investors.
Cost for advice: Usually no cost to you.
How they get paid: Commission from the bank or lender.
First meeting free: Yes
Vega is a large mortgage broking business, with advisers around New Zealand.
In Christchurch, Brenda Murney is an experienced mortgage adviser who we’ve worked with in the past.
She has extensive knowledge in the industry. As well as working as a mortgage broker for over 20 years, she previously spent 10 years at BNZ.
Her experience working both inside a bank and as a mortgage adviser means she has a strong understanding of lender policies. That includes how banks assess more complicated applications.
She is known in New Zealand as a top mortgage adviser and has been on the NZ Top Advisers’ list every year since 2022.
She says she’s often talking to the banks. Sometimes this includes suggesting policy changes and getting asked for feedback.
While based in Christchurch she also works with people throughout the country. She’s also an investor herself, owning several properties.
You might also like to know that Brenda has previously worked with Opes founder Andrew Nicol at BNZ and Tony Mounce Mortgages.
Specialises in: Budgeting.
Cost for advice: $1,999–$12,499 (depending on the programme) + $149 consultation fee.
How they get paid: They charge you a fee.
First meeting free: No.
enable.me is one of the best-known names in NZ for budgeting and getting ahead on your mortgage.
While it's often thought of as an Auckland business, it also has a Christchurch office.
enable.me helps clients:
enable.me is closer to financial coaching. They look at your spending, debt and banking setup, then help you build a plan to get ahead faster and keep you accountable.
Hannah McQueen founded enable.me in 2007. The company is now ultimately owned by AMP, a publicly listed Australian company. They primarily charge clients fees, rather than earning money from commissions.
enable.me suits people in Christchurch who want structured, accountability-driven budgeting help. That’s particularly useful if you're trying to get ahead on debt or a mortgage faster.
The right financial adviser depends on what you need help with.
If you're investing in property, you might consider Opes Partners. We specialise in New Builds and create retirement plans for property investors.
For managed funds investments, Irvine Wenborn is worth considering.
If you want broader advice across KiwiSaver, insurance and mortgages, My Net Worth or Amicus Group may suit. For budgeting and getting ahead on debt, there's enable.me.
And for dedicated insurance advice, Axico is the specialist on this list.
There isn't one adviser that's best at everything.
Start with the type of advice you need, then choose the adviser who specialises in it.
15 years’ experience in the industry. Active property investor with $6 million+ portfolio. Financial adviser at Opes Partners.
Lance has over 15 years’ experience in the property industry. He became a property investor at 22, and has since built a personal portfolio worth over $6 million.
This article is for your general information. It’s not financial advice. See here for details about our Financial Advice Provider Disclosure. So Opes isn’t telling you what to do with your own money.
We’ve made every effort to make sure the information is accurate. But we occasionally get the odd fact wrong. Make sure you do your own research or talk to a financial adviser before making any investment decisions.
You might like to use us or another financial adviser
