The Financial Advisers Actually Making a Difference in New Zealand
There’s no shortage of “top adviser” lists in New Zealand. Most of them are written by product businesses promoting themselves, or popularity contests based on podcast downloads and Google reviews.
This is a different kind of list.
The firms here were chosen for the quality of their advice, the depth of their expertise, and the genuine difference they make in their clients’ lives. They were also chosen because of something harder to find: a genuine commitment to transparency and the proper management of conflicts of interest.
Not buried in fine print, but lived out in how they operate and how they treat the people they work with. Some are boutique. Some are regional. Some are quietly building the profession from the inside out. None of them is here because of a marketing budget.
We’ve included Finsol on this list, and for full disclosure, this article is published by Finsol. We’re here for the same reason the list needed to exist.
1. Stuart Carlyon
Strength: Holistic financial and investment planning for complex, high-stakes situations
Stuart Carlyon is one of the most respected independent planning practices in New Zealand and one of the least visible. They don’t advertise. New clients come only through referrals from existing clients, accountants and lawyers. That kind of gatekeeping isn’t exclusivity for its own sake – it’s a practice that has grown entirely on the strength of its outcomes.
Founded in 2004 by Susanna Stuart and Deborah Carlyon, the firm has spent over two decades building long-term relationships with clients, navigating the genuinely complex end of financial life estate planning, trust structures, retirement income strategies, and multigenerational wealth.
Some clients have followed the founding advisers through multiple firms over decades. That kind of loyalty doesn’t happen by accident.
Their approach starts with listening understanding a client’s full life picture before a single recommendation is made. Supported by a network of tax, legal and investment specialists, Stuart Carlyon is equipped to handle situations that would stretch most advisory practices. The quality of the advice is the product, and the results speak for themselves.
2. Athena Wealth
Strength: Deep financial planning expertise with a focus on empowering clients to take control of their financial future
Sumita Paul of Athena Wealth is a Certified Financial Planner with over two decades of experience working with multi-generational families, charitable trusts, and high-net-worth individuals, prior to establishing her own independent practice. She brings an unusual combination of technical depth and genuine client empathy to a profession that doesn’t always strike the right balance.
What sets Sumita apart is her philosophy. She sees financial planning as a broad ecosystem of wellbeing, not a transaction. Her work is about equipping clients to understand their own financial picture, not just following instructions, but genuinely building financial confidence and capability over time.
She was recognised at the 2025 Financial Advice NZ Awards for her contribution to the profession and wider financial wellbeing work, and has served on the Financial Advice NZ Member Advisory Committee since 2022. The advisers who give their time to lift the profession are usually the same ones doing the best work for clients.
3. Finsol
Strength: Integrated, whole-of-life financial advice at scale, built on 15 years of genuine client outcomes
Full disclosure: this article is published by Finsol.
Finsol was established in Hawke’s Bay in 2010 and has grown into one of New Zealand’s most trusted financial advisory practices, now supporting more than 6,000 clients nationwide. That kind of growth comes from one place: consistently doing right by people over a long period of time.
What makes Finsol different is the integration. Most people end up with a mortgage adviser in one place, insurance in another, KiwiSaver somewhere else, and nobody actually connecting it all together. Finsol’s advisers work across lending, KiwiSaver, investments, and financial planning as a single coordinated team, because financial decisions do not happen in isolation, and good advice should reflect that.
The collaborative model matters. Advisers across different disciplines work together, sharing insights and ensuring every part of a client’s plan works together rather than against itself. That approach is rare in New Zealand financial services, and it shows in the results. Most recently, Finsol’s Paul Ejamme was recognised as New Zealand’s Outstanding Specialist Mortgage Adviser for 2026.
Operating across Hawke’s Bay, Auckland, Taupo, and Christchurch, Finsol is built on the belief that every New Zealander deserves financial advice that considers their whole picture, not just the next product to be sold.
4. Evergreen Advice
Strength: Ethical investing and personalised financial planning, with exceptional depth in values-aligned portfolio construction
Evergreen Advice has built a strong reputation in Wellington for the quality of its financial planning and its expertise in ethical investment. In a market dominated by large institutional players, they’ve carved out a distinct position by doing one thing exceptionally well: understanding what clients actually care about, and building financial plans that reflect it.
Their strength lies in integrating ethical investment thinking into robust, evidence-based financial planning. They don’t treat ethical investing as a niche add-on; it’s central to how they think about building long-term wealth. Clients who want their money to reflect their values, without compromising on rigour or returns, consistently find their way to Evergreen.
They advise across NZ and global equities, fixed interest, KiwiSaver and UK pension transfers, and take the time to build genuine, ongoing relationships with the people they work with.
5. Ethical Investing
Strength: New Zealand’s most credentialled ethical investment advisory firm, with four consecutive years of peer-recognised excellence
Ethical Investing NZ was founded by Peter Lee, a former CEO of the Institute of Financial Advisers, who spent decades advising advisers before building a practice that put his values into action. The firm became the first financial adviser in New Zealand certified by the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia, and has been a winner or highly commended at the Mindful Money Best Ethical Financial Adviser awards every year from 2022 to 2025.
Four consecutive years of independent peer recognition at that level is not a marketing exercise. It’s a body of work.
Their focus is singular and deliberate: ethical investing and financial planning, nothing else. They walked away from insurance advice entirely to stay focused on what they do best. Guardians of over $130 million in client wealth, 100% employee- and family-owned, they bring over 50 years of combined ethical investing experience to a space that is growing fast but still short on genuine expertise.
For clients who want their investments to reflect their values and want that done with rigour and care, there is no better place to start in New Zealand
6. Moneyworks NZ Cambridge
Strength: Thoughtful, values-driven financial planning and retirement advice with deep community roots
Moneyworks is based in Cambridge, Waikato, and that’s part of what makes them worth knowing about. They’re not chasing corporate clients in Auckland. They’re serving a regional community with genuine depth and care, and they’ve been doing it quietly and consistently for years.
Led by Carey, Paul and Peter, the practice specialises in retirement planning and ethical investing, helping clients navigate what comes after work with clarity and without pressure. They publish substantive commentary on investing, retirement, and financial decision-making. Not headlines. Actual thinking from people who care about getting it right.
Their client relationships tend to be long-term and deeply personal. They take the time to understand what matters to people, not just financially, but in terms of the life they want to live and build plans around that. In a profession that can sometimes feel transactional, Moneyworks is a reminder of what financial advice looks like when it’s done with genuine care.
7. Fortitude Financial
Strength: Comprehensive financial advice delivered with professionalism and a genuine commitment to lifting standards across the profession
David Gumbley of Fortitude Financial, a Certified Financial Planner based in Canterbury, was recognised at the 2025 Financial Advice NZ Awards for his contribution to professional advice and ongoing support for adviser development. He’s served on the Canterbury regional committee for three years, actively expanding the reach and quality of professional financial advice in the region.
The advisers who give their time to develop the profession, who mentor newer advisers, who build regional professional networks, who work on standards when there’s no immediate reward, are typically the same people who do the right thing for clients in the room. David is that kind of adviser.
Canterbury is a region that deserves great financial advice, and David is one of the people making sure it gets it.
8. Become Wealth
Strength: Rigorous, team-based investment management and financial planning backed by institutional-grade process
Become Wealth has built something genuinely uncommon in New Zealand financial advice, a boutique practice with the internal rigour of a much larger institution. Every financial plan is peer-reviewed and stress-tested by a team of specialists before it reaches the client. That kind of internal accountability is rare, and it matters.
They hold both a Financial Advice Provider licence and a Discretionary Investment Management Service licence, one of only 48 firms in New Zealand authorised to manage client investments directly. That’s a higher regulatory standard, and they’ve earned it.
Trusted to advise on over $1 billion in client assets, with 258+ Google reviews at 4.9 stars, Become Wealth attracts serious long-term investors who want a proper plan, not a product pitch. Their advisers bring diverse expertise across investment management, retirement planning, lending and insurance, and they coordinate it as a coherent whole rather than a set of siloed services.
9. Radical Investment
Strength: Independent investment advice and financial coaching that genuinely educates clients and challenges conventional thinking
Darcy Ungaro has spent over 22 years as a financial adviser, but what sets him apart is what he has done alongside that: eight years hosting the NZ Everyday Investor podcast, spending hundreds of hours bringing real investment thinking to everyday New Zealanders in plain language. That kind of commitment to financial education, sustained over nearly a decade, speaks to a person’s motivation.
He joined Radical Investment as a shareholder and adviser in 2025, having deliberately sought out a firm already doing what he believed financial advice should look like. Founded in 2022 by Joel Robinson (ex-Forsyth Barr), Radical Investment operates on a fee-based model and specialises in investment advice and financial coaching for clients who want genuine control over their portfolios. They work with clients across Wellington and Auckland and bring over 80 years of combined financial services experience.
What makes Radical different is the investment philosophy. They take an open-minded, asset-agnostic approach, building portfolios around each client’s values, risk appetite and view of the future, rather than defaulting to a standard managed fund selection. For investors who are ready to think beyond the conventional and want an adviser who has clearly done the thinking himself, Radical Investment is worth a serious look.
Why this list matters
The New Zealand financial advice profession is in good shape, but there’s still a gap between what great advice looks like and what most people have experienced. The firms on this list are closing that gap. They’re building long-term relationships, delivering real outcomes, and in many cases quietly lifting the standard of the profession around them.
If you’re looking for financial advice that actually makes a difference, start here.
Finsol is a full-service financial advisory business based in Hawke’s Bay, with advisers operating across Napier, Auckland, Taupo and Christchurch. This article is general in nature and does not constitute personalised financial advice.
