Ideally, borrowing through a Trading Bank is always the ultimate goal.

Trading Bank lending is the cheapest and provides the longest borrowing timeframe - keeping monthly repayments as low as possible. This type of lending does come at a “cost” however. In return for lower rates and favourable terms the banks also take very little risk. This means that some opportunities that a borrower sees to make money on the dwelling by thinking outside of the square, having a vision about adding value to a run-down property or trading property regularly for a gain do not fit into the bank’s idea of “low risk”.

Non-banks have always been good for borrowers who have credit issues, cannot adequately prove income, or need to borrow higher against investment property (we can get up to 85% against rental properties in some cases). For this reason, non-bank funders are often overlooked by more “entrepreneurial” borrowers – those that may earn well, have a great vision for improving property and have perfect credit. With the types of non-bank lenders now in the market, the distinction between the interest rates and terms through a traditional bank and non-bank is not that different in many cases.

The other point overlooked is that non-bank lending is often not a long-term necessity. Borrowing through a non-bank allows clients to acquire property and gives a period where that property (or personal situation) can be de-risked to the point of taking the lending back to a mainstream lender. It often allows borrowers to simply bring forward purchasing plans, and secure property, at a stage before trading bank rules would allow it.

There are a number of non-bank funding options to suit different borrowers and borrowing situations, so if you have a project in mind in makes complete sense to find out what your options are.

Business confidence has dropped sharply across New Zealand, with a growing number of businesses feeling pessimistic in the face of rising labour costs and slow progress on housing and infrastructure projects. According to the ANZ Business Outlook Survey, 27 percent of 354 firms surveyed expect general business conditions to deteriorate over the coming 12 months, an increase from 23 percent the month before. The situation is especially pronounced in Auckland, with the Auckland Chamber of Commerce recently saying business confidence in the city was in "free fall".

The New Zealand housing market had a solid month in May, with median house price growth reaching a new high and a big jump in the number of homes for sale across the country. According to the latest figures from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ), 7578 residential properties sold in May, which was 19 percent higher than April and 1.3 percent higher than May 2017. A big part of this growth can be attributed to foreign buyers, who accounted for almost 20 percent of all sales in central Auckland and 3.3 percent of national sales.

Western interior design has always been influenced by and drawn inspiration from other cultures. The exotic world of Japanese design has been a particularly fruitful source of ideas over the years, from the shapes and colours of traditional Japanese rooms through to the minimalism of kanso and the philosophy of zen. Whether you're choosing new furniture or undergoing a full renovation, many of the elements of Japanese design can be incorporated directly into western homes.  

From the computer networks that run the office through to the fast foods you enjoy at the end of the day, everything in modern life seems to be speeding up. The faster we go, the less we seem to get done, however, with urgency often leading to stress and anxiety. We all know that patience is a virtue, and according to science, it may also be beneficial for our physical and mental health. Having patience gives you the ability to wait and heal, the time to stay cool and collected, and the personal space that everyone needs for real health and well-being.

Most of us are content playing tennis on the weekends or kicking the soccer ball with the kids after school. For others, however, sport is a much more exciting and dangerous endeavour. From BASEjumping and bull riding through to luge and endurance ocean racing, some sports are much more likely to lead to injury and death than others. Let's take a look at some of the world's most dangerous sports to see if you're ready to swap the golf clubs for a bucking bull or wingsuit.