Registrations are now open for Financial Advice New Zealand’s Connect Tour which the organisation is billing as “New Zealand’s largest financial advice tour”.
The eight-city tour kicks off in Dunedin on September 7 and concludes in Auckland on September 18.
In a message to advisers the organisation says this year’s Connect Tour brings financial advisers, FAPs and sector leaders together across New Zealand “…to focus on the practical work required to make quality advice more accessible, more relevant and more trusted.”
It points to recent FMA consumer research which found that over the past 12 months 49% of New Zealanders asked a partner or family member for advice about their financial situation, while only 16% asked a financial adviser.
“That gap matters. It shows that people are looking for guidance, but too often they are relying on informal sources when professional advice could help them make more informed decisions.”
Financial Advice NZ says the Connect Tour also links this work to a wider national shift as New Zealand prepares for compulsory financial education from 2027.
…It is about lifting the reach, relevance and credibility of advice in New Zealand…
“This is not only about improving individual advice businesses. It is about lifting the reach, relevance and credibility of advice in New Zealand.”
The organisation says the events are designed for the modern financial adviser pointing to:
Build capacity to serve more clients well: Explore how smarter practice architecture, better workflows, embedded governance and open-banking-enabled data can reduce administrative drag, strengthen client discovery and create more time for higher-value advice conversations.
Reach under-served advice needs: Consider the retirement savings challenge facing self-employed New Zealanders and SME owners, and how KiwiSaver can form part of a broader conversation about business resilience, personal security and long-term financial wellbeing.
Strengthen capability beyond minimum standards: Learn about Financial Advice NZ’s new professional development pathway for advisers seeking to study beyond the minimum Level 5 certificate requirement and work towards a professional designation.
Help shape professional standards: Take part in a profession-led discussion on what makes an advice scenario more complex than the minimum Code standard anticipates. Your experience can help build greater clarity, consistency and trust across the sector.
Support financial literacy across a lifetime: Explore how financial education and professional advice can work together, so more New Zealanders are better equipped to make financial decisions before, during and after the major moments in their lives.
The events are being held in:
- Dunedin: September 7
- Christchurch: September 8
- Invercargill: September 9
- Wellington: September 10
- Napier: September 15
- New Plymouth: September 16
- Hamilton: September 17
- Auckland: September 18
Financial Advice NZ notes that last year more than 500 advisers and advice professionals attended a Connect Tour event. Click here for the full programme.