NZ First-Home Guides
Buying Your First Home
Getting into your first home in New Zealand is a marathon of deposits, grants, and big decisions. These guides walk through saving the deposit, using your KiwiSaver, whether the FHB grant or First Home Loan suits you, and whether it's even the right time to buy.
Pair them with the house deposit calculator to see exactly how far off your deposit is.
Guides
How to Save for Your First Home in NZ (2026 Guide)
NZ house deposit in 2026: you need $120k (or less with these tricks). KiwiSaver withdrawal, First Home Grant, and the exact savings plan.
8 min readUsing Your KiwiSaver for a First Home in 2026: The Full Guide
How the KiwiSaver first-home withdrawal works in 2026 — eligibility, the $1,000 you must leave behind, the application timeline, and the tax-free First Home Grant on top.
11 min readFirst Home Grant vs First Home Loan in NZ (2026)
Two different government schemes for first-home buyers, often confused. The First Home Grant is being phased out; the First Home Loan still lets you buy with a 5% deposit. A side-by-side for 2026.
7 min readHow Much House Can I Afford in NZ? (2026 Calculator + Rules)
Banks use 6x income as a rough ceiling, but the test rate they apply is closer to 7.5%. Here's the realistic affordability picture for NZ buyers in 2026, with worked examples for $80k, $120k, and $200k household incomes.
10 min readRent vs Buy in NZ 2026: The Real Math (With Calculator Logic)
House prices flat-ish, rents still climbing, mortgage rates dropping. The 'rent is dead money' line is half-true. A worked comparison for $700k vs renting at $600/week in 2026.
9 min readNew Build vs Existing Home in NZ (2026): The Real Cost Breakdown
First-home buyers in NZ keep getting pitched new builds. Lower deposit, KiwiSaver-friendly, brighter brochures. But existing homes still win on price-per-square-metre and total cost. Here's the honest 2026 comparison.
9 min readTry the calculator
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