The forces shaping demand for mortgage advice in New Zealand this year, the public data that tracks them, and what they mean for where enquiries come from.
Figures in this article describe the wider market and are drawn from the third-party sources listed at the end. They are not Lead Foundry results, and nothing here is a projection of what any individual broker will achieve.
Market commentary aimed at brokers usually reports prices, which is the number consumers care about and the wrong number for a broking business. Transactions produce commission; prices produce headlines.
REINZ reported a national median sale price of NZ$753,106 in January 2026, up 0.4% year on year, alongside 9,019 new listings and a national median of 54 days to sell, unchanged on January 2025.
The House Price Index showed nationwide values down 0.7% year on year, down 2.6% in Auckland and up 0.4% outside Auckland. The national number is an average of two different markets, which is worth remembering before drawing conclusions from it.
Because it describes how quickly transactions complete, and transactions are what produce mortgage applications. A market where prices are flat and properties are selling is a better market for a broker than one where prices are rising and nothing moves.
It is also a leading indicator of consumer urgency. Longer days to sell means buyers have more time, and consumers with time submit fewer urgent enquiries.
The reading that changes what you buy: Slower transactions do not reduce enquiry volume so much as they shift enquiry composition toward earlier-stage research. That changes what a good first call looks like more than it changes how many leads you should take.
| Series | Publisher | What it tells a broker |
|---|---|---|
| C31, lending by borrower type | RBNZ | First home buyer against investor activity |
| C33, lending by purpose | RBNZ | Purchase against refinance mix |
| C30, lending by LVR | RBNZ | Where deposit constraints are biting |
| Monthly market update | REINZ | Volume, median price, days to sell |
| News and research | CoreLogic NZ | Commentary on the above |
The refinance share in C33 is the most directly actionable for a broker buying leads, because refinance enquiry is driven by rate rolls rather than by transactions and therefore behaves differently from purchase enquiry when the market slows.
The FMA reports just over 3,000 financial advice businesses, made up of 1,807 Financial Advice Providers and 1,200 Authorised Bodies, engaging 10,743 financial advisers and 12,287 nominated representatives. 82% of providers have fewer than ten advisers.
A market of small firms means the binding constraint across the industry is adviser capacity rather than access to product, which is the structural reason lead supply and lead handling get attention in a flat year.
Where Lead Foundry sits, in plain terms: Lead Foundry currently supplies life insurance enquiries in New Zealand. Mortgage supply opens when LoanWatch launches. This is market commentary from public data rather than an offer of mortgage supply.
REINZ reported a national median sale price of NZ$753,106 in January 2026, up 0.4% year on year, with 9,019 new listings and a national median of 54 days to sell, unchanged on the prior year. The House Price Index was down 0.7% nationally, down 2.6% in Auckland and up 0.4% outside Auckland, so the national figure averages two different markets.
The Reserve Bank publishes new residential mortgage lending by borrower type (C31), by purpose (C33) and by loan-to-value ratio (C30), and REINZ publishes monthly volume, median price and days to sell. Transaction volume and days to sell matter more to a broking business than median price, because commission follows transactions.
It shifts the composition more than the volume. Enquiry moves toward earlier-stage research, and refinance enquiry driven by fixed-rate rolls holds up independently of transaction activity. The practical effect is on what a good first call looks like rather than on how many leads to take.
The FMA reports just over 3,000 financial advice businesses overall, comprising 1,807 Financial Advice Providers and 1,200 Authorised Bodies, engaging 10,743 financial advisers and 12,287 nominated representatives. 82% of providers have fewer than ten advisers.