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Evidence · Home lending

The questions and original answers

Explore every question and captured response in the home-lending study, including answers asked nationally and from four cities.

questions
193
captured answers
1,094
AI platforms
4
collected
11 October 2026

01

Every question, with its answers

Each question was written as a voter would ask it and went to all four assistants. Some were also asked from a town. Open a question to read every answer to it in full.

Showing 20 of 193 questions

Show all 193

02

The tables behind the study

Every figure on the study page comes from these tables. They are CSV files, which open in any spreadsheet.

  • Question catalogue

    questions.csv

    One row per question.

    Question ID, borrower, exact question, group and collected answers

    193rows

    Download question catalogue (CSV)

  • Answers

    answers.csv

    One row per answer, with its full text.

    Answer ID, question ID, borrower, assistant, city, words, coded recommendations, showed a link and full text

    1,094rows

    Download answers (CSV)

  • Sources by answer

    sources.csv

    One row for each website recorded as a source of an answer.

    Answer ID, question ID, assistant, city, website and publisher type

    4,574rows

    Download sources by answer (CSV)

  • Checks against official sources

    checks.csv

    One row per statement checked.

    Check, answer ID, assistant, what the answer said, verdict, what the source says, source and date

    4rows

    Download checks against official sources (CSV)

  • Recommendation coding

    recommendation-coding.csv

    One row per coded national loan-choice or support answer.

    Answer ID, question ID, borrower, assistant, question group, recommended lenders and supporting passages

    360rows

    Download recommendation coding (CSV)

  • Platform comparisons

    platform-recommendation-counts.csv

    One row per platform, lender and question group.

    Matched panel, recommended answers, denominator and supporting answer IDs

    105rows

    Download platform comparisons (CSV)

  • City comparisons

    city-recommendation-counts.csv

    One row per city, lender and question group.

    Matched panel, recommended answers, denominator and supporting answer IDs

    112rows

    Download city comparisons (CSV)

Use these tables to trace findings back to the original questions and answers. The full text of each answer is also on this page, under its question.

03

Read in full and checked

Some answers were read in detail or checked against official sources. Those appear on the study page, beside the findings they support.

ChatGPT · National

We bought our first home last year with about a 10% deposit and we're both on salaries. Our bank is hard to get clear answers from about our mortgage. Are some banks better at helping first-home owners, and would it be worth moving?

Yes, some banks are noticeably better than others at helping first-home owners — but it doesn’t automatically mean you should move. Since you already own the home, the question is less “who is best for first-home buyers?” and more “is another lender offering enough better service, structure, or savings to justify switching?”

With a 10% deposit, you’re in a fairly common first-home-buyer position in New Zealand: you got in without a full 20% deposit, but you may still be dealing with low-equity lending considerations. Banks differ in how clearly they explain options, how proactive their mortgage teams are, and how easy they make reviews and refixes. Consumer NZ

What makes a bank “better” after you’ve bought?

Look for:

  • A named mortgage contact who knows your situation rather than having to start from scratch each time.
  • Clear explanations of:
    • your current loan-to-value ratio (LVR)
    • whether you’re paying any low-equity margin
    • what happens when you reach 20% equity
    • your refixing options
    • whether you can make extra repayments or restructure
  • Good digital tools for seeing balances, changing repayment amounts, and managing fixed-rate splits.
  • A willingness to review your mortgage as your circumstances improve.

Some lenders actively market first-home support. For example, BNZ highlights dedicated first-home specialists and low-deposit support, while SBS Bank has specific first-home packages. BNZ These kinds of offerings can be useful, but service quality can vary by branch and individual adviser.

Would moving be worth it?

It can be worth investigating if:

  • Your bank is consistently hard to deal with.
  • You don’t understand your mortgage after asking reasonable questions.
  • Another lender can offer a meaningfully better interest rate or structure.
  • You could remove a low-equity cost or improve your loan setup.
  • You’re approaching a refix date (usually the easiest time to switch).

It may not be worth moving if:

  • You’re happy with the interest rate.
  • Your fixed term has a break fee.
  • The savings are small once you include legal costs and any cashback clawbacks.
  • Your main problem is communication — a different lender may or may not solve that.

A practical approach

Before switching, I’d do this:

  1. Ask your current bank for a full mortgage review (not just a rate quote).
  2. Ask specifically:
    • “What is our current LVR?”
    • “Are we paying any low-equity margin?”
    • “What would we need to do to remove it?”
    • “What are our options when our fixed term ends?”
    • “Can we have a dedicated mortgage adviser?”
  3. Get two or three competing quotes through other banks or a mortgage adviser.
  4. Compare the whole package, not just the advertised interest rate.

Because you bought last year, you may also be at a point where your equity position has changed (through repayments and possibly house-price movements), so it’s worth getting an updated valuation or at least asking the bank how they assess your current LVR.

If you share:

  • your approximate mortgage size,
  • whether you’re fixed or floating and when it expires,
  • your current interest rate,
  • and whether you’re paying a low-equity margin,

I can help you work out whether switching is likely to be worthwhile.

Ask anything

ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.

Captured 11 October 2026

Gemini · National

We bought our first home last year with about a 10% deposit and we're both on salaries. Our bank is hard to get clear answers from about our mortgage. Are some banks better at helping first-home owners, and would it be worth moving?

Buying your first home with a 10% deposit (90% Loan-to-Value Ratio or LVR) means you fall into a category where banks have to tightly manage their lending quotas under Reserve Bank rules. Because low-deposit lending is capped, some lenders are much more aggressive, accommodating, and structured around helping first-home buyers than others.

If your current bank is unresponsive, lacks clarity, or makes simple communication difficult, moving or at least exploring other options is definitely worth considering.

Are some banks better for first-home buyers?

Yes. While all retail banks in New Zealand operate under the same high-level Reserve Bank restrictions (such as LVR speed limits and Debt-to-Income caps), they differ significantly in how they handle first-home buyers:

  • Appetite for Low-Deposit Lending: Banks allocate specific internal quarterly quotas for lending above 80% LVR. Some major or challenger banks intentionally save more of this quota for first-home buyers, while others pull back quickly if they hit internal limits.
  • Specialized First-Home Packages: Lenders like SBS Bank, Kiwibank, and The Co-operative Bank frequently structure targeted packages for first-home buyers—offering features like cash contributions (cashback), discounted fixed rates, or lower transactional fees.
  • Service and Processing Speed: Mainstream major banks (like ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Westpac) vary heavily by branch and mobile mortgage manager. A mobile manager who specializes in first-home buyers can make the process seamless, whereas an understaffed branch can leave you waiting weeks for simple answers.

Is it worth moving banks?

Moving banks—or threatening to—is a very common and effective move in the New Zealand mortgage market. Consider the following trade-offs before making a leap:

  1. The Cashback Incentive: If you move your mortgage to a new bank, they will often offer a cashback payment (e.g., thousands of dollars depending on your loan size) to help cover legal and administrative costs.
  2. Clawback Periods: Check your loan agreement terms. If you received a cashback when you first settled your home last year, most banks enforce a "clawback" period (usually 3 years). If you leave before that period ends, you may have to repay a proportional amount of that cash.
  3. Break Costs: If you are currently locked into fixed interest rates, breaking those fixed terms early to move banks can trigger heavy economic break fees. However, if your fixed terms are coming up for expiry soon, that is the ideal window to shop around.

Next Steps: How to get clarity without the headache

Instead of trying to shop around individual bank branches yourself, consider working with a registered mortgage adviser (broker) in New Zealand:

  • It is free for you: Mortgage advisers are paid by the lenders, not by you.
  • They know current bank appetite: An experienced broker deals with high-LVR first-home applications every day and knows which specific bank currently has the appetite and quota to say "yes" to a 10% deposit profile.
  • They handle the friction: They act as the primary buffer between you and the bank, chasing up documentation and translating complex lending language into clear answers.
Ask Gemini

Gemini is AI and can make mistakes.

Captured 11 October 2026

AI Overviews · National

We bought our first home last year with about a 10% deposit and we're both on salaries. Our bank is hard to get clear answers from about our mortgage. Are some banks better at helping first-home owners, and would it be worth moving?

AI Overview

No, it is highly unlikely to be worth moving your mortgage to another bank right now. Because you bought last year with a 10% deposit , your equity is almost certainly still below 20% , which triggers strict Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) regulatory hurdles and costly bank penalties that make switching financially disadvantageous.

While some banks do offer slightly better customer service or more flexible policies for first-home buyers, the financial penalties of moving a low-equity loan early usually outweigh the benefits.

The Major Roadblocks to Moving Right Now

  • The LVR Speed Limits: Refinancing to a new bank counts as "new lending". Under RBNZ Loan-to-Value Ratio (LVR) restrictions, banks face strict caps on how many low-deposit loans they can accept.

  • Loss of Special Rates: New banks rarely give their best "special" interest rates to borrowers with less than 20% equity. You would likely face a Low Equity Margin (LEM) added to your interest rate, making a new loan more expensive.

  • Cashback Clawbacks: If your current bank gave you a cash incentive when you signed last year, moving now will trigger a clawback clause. You may have to repay thousands of dollars back to them out of pocket.

  • Switching Costs: You will face legal fees, valuation fees, and discharge costs ranging from $1,500 to $3,000. New banks are unlikely to give you a cashback offer to cover this if your equity is under 20%.

What to Do Instead

Rather than executing a costly switch, you can bypass your bank's poor communication channels and improve your loan structure using alternative strategies:

  • Engage a Mortgage Broker:

  • Find a reputable, independent mortgage adviser.

  • Their services are completely free to you.

  • They can manage your current bank for you.

  • They negotiate refixing rates on your behalf.

  • Target the 20% Equity Milestone:

  • Focus aggressively on paying down your loan principal.

  • Monitor local property value improvements.

  • Once you reach 20% equity, request LEM removal.

  • Hitting 20% equity unlocks total switching freedom.

To help figure out your best approach, could you tell me when your current fixed-rate term ends and whether you received a cashback contribution when you first signed?

Ask anything

Captured 11 October 2026