North Shore lending adviser Steve Howe brings friendly, CFO-level financial expertise to everyday Auckland homeowners.
If you've spent years building equity on the North Shore, there's a good chance you've also spent time wondering whether you're making the most of it. Whether your kids will ever get a foot on the property ladder. Whether your lending is set up the way it should be. Whether there's more you could be doing with what you've built… if only someone could show you how.
Steve Howe thinks there's a better conversation to be having. And as a Forrest Hill local, he's perfectly placed to have it.
He spent more than three decades as a CFO and financial strategist, working across New Zealand and internationally on seriously complex challenges - from helping privatise British Rail at Balfour Beatty in the early 90s, to serving as Group CFO at Criterion Group where a strategic land sale generated $12 million in profit and a smart revaluation of machinery assets unlocked the capital to acquire their biggest Australian competitor. He went on to consult with high-tech SMEs securing millions in R&D grants, before spending a decade across major public health organisations including Counties Manukau Health and Health New Zealand.
So when it came time for a change, the pull was clear: earn his New Zealand Certificate in Financial Advice and join Mortgage Supply Co as a mortgage broker and financial adviser. Closer to the ground, helping real people with real financial decisions, not institutions and balance sheets.
What Sets Steve Apart
What sets Steve apart isn't just his credentials, though a Bachelor of Accountancy from Massey University and membership of Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand carry plenty of weight. It's that he's personally navigated the same financial decisions his clients face. He understands that coming to a broker can feel daunting, and he's built his practice around listening first.
“I understand the layers," he says. "Complex lending isn't about one number. It's about understanding how equity, income, debt levels, servicing capacity and long-term goals all work together."
Most mortgage advisers understand the lending process. Steve understands the wider financial framework surrounding it. Drawing on many years as a CFO and financial strategist, he approaches lending the same way businesses are assessed - by understanding how multiple financial drivers interact to support sustainable outcomes.
Opening Doors You Didn't Know Were There
For a lot of North Shore families, that depth of knowledge is exactly where Steve can assist. Many people here have built significant equity in their homes, often more than they realise, and almost always more than they're using strategically.
Steve's role is to look at the whole picture: what you have, what you owe, what you're trying to achieve, and open up lending options you might not have known were on the table. Restructuring your debt to free up cashflow. Finding a smarter finance path to a rental investment. Understanding your borrowing capacity so you know what's actually possible. Or simply making sure your lending structure is working as hard as it should be.
The opportunities are often already there. Most people just haven't had anyone with the right expertise to point them out.
The Bank of Mum & Dad, Done Right
There's one subject Steve returns to with particular conviction: the next generation.
He worries about the young people on the Shore watching the property ladder from the outside - working hard, doing the right things, but facing a market that feels increasingly out of reach. More and more, parents want to help. But helping a child into the market through the Bank of Mum & Dad is exactly the kind of arrangement that needs to be structured carefully, with everyone's interests protected and the lending set up to actually work long-term.
“It's going to be harder for the next generation to build wealth,” he says. “So, if you can plan ahead to help your children benefit from your property investments then I would love to chat.”
For Steve, that's not a sales line. It's personal.
The Expertise You Never Knew You Could Access
The businesses Steve worked with over three decades all had one thing in common: access to serious financial expertise - CFOs, chartered accountants, strategic advisers whose entire job was making sure money worked as hard as possible. Most families don't have that. They have a bank, a standard mortgage, and a desire to use their financial position to maximise opportunities.
Steve is here to close that gap. And when he's not doing that, you'll find him out on the trails, on his bike, or on the water - just another North Shore local who happens to know more about finances than most.
Steve Howe is a mortgage broker and financial adviser based on the North Shore. You can reach him on 020 454 7321.
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