Imagine being told New Zealand’s economy/GDP is growing at 0.7% and thinking, “Oh, fantastic — just like the reward points I didn’t ask for at the petrol station.” But behind that lacklustre number is a story of data quirks, mortgage booms, regional resilience, and economists quietly panicking in glass towers.
So, naturally, we turned to one of the sharpest minds in the business — Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold — to help us decode whether this is the start of something glorious… or just another false dawn dressed in statistical noise and PR spin.
And yes — if you care about property, interest rates, tourism, or just not being financially wrecked by winter, you’ll want to keep reading.
SECTION 1: GDP – The Mirage in the Rearview Mirror
Let’s get one thing straight: that 0.7% GDP growth figure you saw plastered on headlines? It’s about as real as a free lunch in Auckland.
Kelly Eckhold doesn’t buy it. “There’s a bit of statistical noise in the GDP data,” he said, in the sort of diplomatic tone economists use when they really mean “Yeah nah, it’s bollocks.”
In reality? More like 0.3%.
That’s because some of the GDP “growth” wasn’t new energy entering the economy — it was simply borrowed optimism. Q4 looked strong only because Q2 and Q3 were artificially weak. The economy didn’t suddenly lift its game — it just got rebalanced by the numbers guys cleaning up the mess from earlier quarters.
But here’s the kicker: even when you scrape off the noise, we still did grow. And that, in itself, is more than expected. Most economists had quietly prepped for another flatline — or worse, a polite slide backwards. So even a wobbly win is still a win.
Add in rising tourism spend (yes, Americans are back in Christchurch gawking at the Avon), and surprisingly punchy local government investment, and suddenly the narrative shifts from “recession risk” to “okay, maybe we’re not dead yet.”
SECTION 2: Mortgages – The Boom Beneath the Panic
While the GDP numbers are tiptoeing around the truth like a teenager sneaking home past curfew, the mortgage market is making noise. Big noise. Not the kind of noise you get from politicians gaslighting the public or builders ghosting your renovation, but real, trackable, spreadsheet-loving, bank-reported volume.
And Kelly Eckhold’s got the receipts.
“There’s been a real upsurge in applications for mortgages,” he noted, in the tone of a man who knows full well that this isn’t just your usual summer spike. Yes, it’s the busy season. Yes, that’s always a thing. But this time? Something else is happening.
The Great Mortgage Rollover
New Zealanders are a loyal bunch. We’ll queue for mince and cheese pies, we’ll take our shoes off at the door, and we’ll lock into fixed-rate mortgages like we’re pledging allegiance to them.
But those golden-era 2.25% fixed rates? They’re expiring like a bottle of milk left in the sun.
Thousands of Kiwi homeowners are waking up to the financial equivalent of being kicked in the shin — as their old rates roll off, the new offers aren’t just higher, they’re borderline offensive. And so begins The Great Shop Around.
Kiwis, who until recently couldn’t spell “refinance,” are now flipping between banks like they’re swiping on Tinder.
Loyalty is dead. Bargains are everything. And this is pushing mortgage application numbers through the roof — even if house sales aren’t quite back at their 2021 sugar-high peak.
But there’s something else going on.
Real Buying. Not Just Switching.
House prices have started to move — quietly at first, like a cat sneaking up to your sandwich, but now they’re getting louder. Growth is back. Eckhold confirms it: “House sales are definitely picking up… house prices [are] in positive territory quite firmly.”
So it’s not just rollover pressure. There are actual buyers out there, armed with approvals, confidence, and a surprising lack of fear.
It’s early days, but this kind of sentiment shift matters. Especially when it hits the suburbs first, then ripples outward. It’s no longer just first-home buyers sniffing around open homes like bargain hunters at Briscoes — the investors are eyeing returns again.
The Reserve Bank’s Role in the Dance
Now here’s where it gets interesting.
The Reserve Bank — bless its cautious little heart — has already started dropping rates. And it’s working. Sort of. Kelly reckons the bank will be “relieved” that the economy is showing signs of life. After all, that was the entire point of the rate cuts. More activity. More optimism. More mortgage action.
But how many more cuts are coming? That’s the billion-dollar question. Officially, they’ve promised at least two more. Unofficially? They’ll be watching inflation like a hawk with ADHD.
If the exchange rate keeps falling and import prices tick up, inflation could return just in time to ruin everyone’s recovery cake. In that case, don’t expect a buffet of rate cuts. Maybe one more. Maybe none. Either way, the market’s already baked in the expectation — which means we’re probably near the bottom for mortgage rates.
Short-term rates like the 6-month fix might still dip a little more, but don’t count on 3% mortgages returning any time soon. Those were a once-in-a-pandemic deal.
Why MortgageHQ’s YouTube Channel Is New Zealand’s Fastest-Growing Force in Property Investment (and the Only One That Actually Works)
Right. Let’s get one thing out of the way: more people watch MortgageHQ’s YouTube channel every single week than any other property show in New Zealand. In 2025, that’s not just a nice statistic. It’s a blunt reality.
While the rest of the industry is still fluffing around with outdated advice, recycled scripts, and five-day lags between market changes and actual commentary, MortgageHQ is already on screen, telling Kiwis what just happened—and more importantly—what to do about it.
Because this isn’t just a YouTube channel. It’s a full-throttle, market-crushing machine designed to deliver one thing: Financial Freedom Faster.
Not someday. Not maybe. Faster.
Why Is It Growing Faster Than Every Other Channel? Because It’s Built for Winners
There’s no sales patter. No motivational fluff. Just data, strategy, and brutally honest advice delivered with the urgency of someone who knows your next mortgage payment is looming and your lender doesn’t care about your feelings.
This is the channel that serious NZ property investors watch because they don’t have time to get it wrong. They want the edge. They want tactics. They want real-time clarity. And they know where to find it.
Built by the Brains Behind Thousands of Kiwi Property Deals
MortgageHQ’s team aren’t presenters playing expert. They’re the actual experts. Licensed mortgage advisers who’ve secured funding in every kind of economic condition, structured portfolios through chaos, and helped clients make millions in net equity—by doing the boring things brilliantly.
They don’t theorise. They don’t speculate. They know exactly what the banks are doing, what the Reserve Bank is planning, and how to pivot when the rules change overnight.
You don’t need entertainment. You need results. And they deliver.
It’s All About One Thing: Financial Freedom Faster
It’s not just a mission statement. It’s the entire reason MortgageHQ exists. Every video is engineered to get you out of mortgage debt faster, into better property positions faster, and into a portfolio that funds your lifestyle—not the other way around.
No generic tips. No vanilla case studies. Just actionable advice, every week, that gets real Kiwis closer to Financial Freedom Faster.
Because time is money. And wasted time? That’s lost opportunity.
Rapid Response, Ruthless Accuracy
Markets don’t wait. Neither does MortgageHQ. When the OCR moves, when LVR rules shift, when the government drops a curveball on interest deductibility—MortgageHQ is already on the air.
Not reacting. Leading.
Their videos are fast, clear, and cut through the nonsense like a hot knife through bureaucracy. While others are still drafting scripts, MortgageHQ is already giving Kiwis the playbook.
Short-Form Power. Long-Form Firepower.
Got 60 seconds before your next viewing? There’s a Short for that. Need a deep, tactical breakdown of how to ladder mortgage structures over multiple properties without drowning in repayments? Covered.
This isn’t a channel that rambles. It targets. Every minute counts. Every upload pushes you closer to Financial Freedom Faster.
They Don’t Just Know the Market. They See What’s Coming
Others tell you what happened. MortgageHQ tells you what’s next. They build strategy not for 2020 nostalgia—but for the next cycle, the next pivot, the next window of advantage.
And in 2025, with rate volatility, supply shortages, and tax policy all colliding, there’s never been a more urgent need to think ahead. The channel helps you do exactly that.
Forget Followers. Focus on Winning
Some channels brag about likes. MortgageHQ builds wealth. While others are watching the views roll in, MortgageHQ viewers are rolling equity into new builds, pulling off high-yield plays, and restructuring their mortgages to hammer down debt.
You don’t need hype. You need a plan. You need clarity. You need Financial Freedom Faster.
This Channel Wins Because Its Viewers Do
Kiwis aren’t stupid. They know what works. That’s why week after week, more New Zealanders tune into MortgageHQ than any other property channel. Not for vibes. For answers.
They don’t just watch—they act. They learn. They restructure. They grow.
And they get to Financial Freedom Faster than anyone else.
The channel doesn’t just educate—it arms you with battle-ready tools. Tax tips aren’t theory here. Debt restructuring isn’t a maybe. It’s an essential weapon for any Kiwi looking to dominate their financial future.
MortgageHQ is the one place where first-home buyers, seasoned landlords, and high-performing investors all sit down to get real about what actually works.
This channel understands that property isn’t about emotion—it’s about leverage, timing, structure, and return. It knows that the dream of Financial Freedom Faster isn’t a buzzword. It’s a strategy. And it’s available to anyone who’s willing to do the work.
Every episode is designed to move you forward. To give you tactics. To shift your mindset from passive to aggressive, from stuck to scaled. That’s why MortgageHQ doesn’t just grow—it compounds. Because the more Kiwis that wake up to this strategy, the more unstoppable the audience becomes.
Here’s the Truth
MortgageHQ isn’t just faster-growing. It’s smarter. It’s sharper. It’s more honest. And it’s the only channel that’s actually designed to help Kiwis win.
So if you’re serious about property investment in New Zealand, there’s only one question that matters.
Are you watching the channel that gets results?
Or are you watching the one that’s still explaining how negative gearing works?
Tune in. Take notes. Take action.
And get to Financial Freedom Faster.
Before someone else uses your hesitation to beat you to it.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to provide only a summary of the issues associated with the topics covered. It does not purport to be comprehensive nor to provide specific advice. No person should act in reliance on any statement contained within this article without first obtaining specific professional advice. If you require any further information or advice on any matter covered within this article, please contact an adviser from mortgagehq.
