Registrations from new advisers to attend Financial Advice NZ’s 2025 National Adviser Conference in Christchurch in April are strong and are exceeding expectations, the professional body says.
For the first time the three-day Shaping the future of advice conference includes a special package for new advisers (financial advisers who have less than three years’ experience) or practice managers, paraplanners, and support staff involved in the delivery of financial advice.
Financial Advice NZ says advisers tell it how important it is to have new advisers coming into the profession, particularly as many advisers have retired over the past few years.
“With so many advisers being in Christchurch for the National Adviser Conference, it provides the chance for new advisers to meet people who have walked the path they are currently on, and they can learn from their experience and expertise,” the association notes.
Financial Advice NZ says this is the first time it has introduced sessions for new advisers including:
- A first timer event to connect them with fellow advisers nationally
- Modern Advice Practice workshops that reflect the different stages of an advice business. The workshop 2030: NexGen advice business session “…is ideal for new advisers starting out to implement practical ideas that will accelerate their business growth”
- A breakfast session called Seeding the Next Generation of Advisers. “This is the establishment of a Community of Practice that we see going beyond the conference and will be an incubator for the next generation of advisers and nurture tomorrow’s leaders”
- A masterclass led by Panos Leledakis, a global thought-leader from the U.S and expert in implementing AI and AdviceTech into advice businesses
In addition, the cost of attending the conference for new advisers has been substantially reduced to $595.
One new adviser who has registered for her first conference is Wellington-based Melanie Robertson who works within the SHARE NZ network.
Robertson, who has been a financial adviser for just under three years, tells RiskinfoNZ she comes into the industry after a long career within Inland Revenue and some years with ACC working with big businesses and government departments on their ACC levies.
…a chance comment from her mortgage adviser … led to her new career…
She’s also a property investor, a business owner and a body corporate manager. And it was a chance comment from her mortgage adviser which led to her new career.
Her adviser had suggested that because of her tax knowledge, property and business background, she had the right credentials to become a financial adviser. She says it’s also rewarding to be one of the increasing number of women in financial advice.
Within two weeks Robertson had enrolled in the qualification courses with Strategi and had completed the relaunched NZCFS L5 in Risk, Residential Lending and Investments including Managed Funds and KiwiSaver strands in a year, all while working full time.
She provides a full wrap-around service to her clients and says she’s still growing her business. She now has clients around NZ and much of her business is done online, including with some Wellington clients who also request online meetings.
…she’s looking forward to learning as much as she can from the visiting and New Zealand experts and other experienced advisers…
As to what she aims to get out of the 2025 conference, Robertson says she’s looking forward to learning as much as she can from the visiting and New Zealand experts and other experienced advisers at the conference and sees opportunities to expand her network and build contacts and relationships.
The preferential rate for new advisers is especially helpful she says, noting that as it’s out-of-town for her, accommodation costs also come into play.
Robertson says that chatting to other advisers you don’t normally get to meet, making friends and keeping in touch with people at the same career-stage as her will also be useful.
She is hopeful of building up a network of peers to meet with in the future although she does already have a few informal networks with colleagues where they swap ideas and offer support.
Click here for more information and to register for the conference.