Residential mortgage lending New Zealand 2024, by borrower type

In October 2024, the value of mortgage lending to owner-occupier borrowers (excluding first-home buyers) in New Zealand amounted to around 4.15 billion New Zealand dollars. Residential lending to investors was approximately 1.71 billion New Zealand dollars in comparison. 

Housing affordability in New Zealand

Many people across New Zealand have discarded the homeownership dream due to the country’s unaffordable housing supply. While average residential house prices fell across several of New Zealand’s regions in 2023, first-home buyers are still largely priced out of the market due to high mortgage repayments, interest rates, and average home deposit values. The monthly residential mortgage lending value to first-home buyers in New Zealand in October 2023 came to around 1.37 billion New Zealand dollars, marking a slight rise from the previous month. The highest monthly value of mortgage lending to first-home buyers across the country was recorded in March 2021, during a year when average residential mortgage rates were at their lowest.

Where are residential mortgage interest rates heading?

According to a survey conducted in May 2023, rising interest rates were the leading property market concern among New Zealanders, with over 54 percent of respondents expressing their concern. New Zealand’s average new residential mortgage interest rates were at their lowest in 2021 but have inflated greatly over the past few years. In June 2021, the average 1-year fixed interest rate for a new standard residential mortgage in New Zealand was at 3.17 percent, with this rate rising to over 7.7 percent by December 2023. Nonetheless, mortgage rates showed signs of leveling out at the end of 2023. Property expert opinions on where mortgage rates will go in 2024 vary, but some suggest that rates may have peaked in 2023 and will begin declining in 2024.