People-first mortgage advice: How King tackles burnout and builds loyal clients
For many New Zealand borrowers, a mortgage adviser isn’t just a number-cruncher – they’re a sounding board during some of life’s highest highs and lowest lows.
Christchurch-based adviser and Loan Market South co-director Shayna King (pictured) has built her business around that reality, proving that empathy, boundaries, and long-term relationships are just as critical as policy knowledge and product choice.
From touring musician to mortgage adviser and business owner
King, one of the Best Young Mortgage Professionals in New Zealand and an excellence awardee for the First Mortgage Trust New Adviser of the Year Award, hasn’t followed a conventional path into financial services.
“I’d worked in a variety of roles throughout my twenties, from sales, marketing, and administration roles, to beauty company start-ups, and even had a career as a singer-songwriter and touring musician,” she says.
In 2020, she joined the team at Loan Market South in a mortgage adviser support role and quickly found the work deeply fulfilling.
“I loved the complexity and mental challenge of the lending role, and being able to ‘solve the puzzle’ of a complex lending applications,” she says. “I learned I had a knack for thinking outside the box to help my customers achieve their lending approvals, and above all I love working with people and it’s incredibly exciting to be a part of helping someone achieve a life-changing goal such as buying their first home, their dream home or investment property.”
Determined to formalise her expertise, King completed her level 5 financial adviser qualifications while working full-time as a lending manager, learning from a mentor with nearly two decades of experience.
“In 2022, I became co-director and business owner at Loan Market South. We now have offices in both Christchurch City & Rolleston, servicing clients Canterbury and nation-wide, and I’m grateful to work with an incredible team and amazing clients,” she says.
Why genuine advice beats simple rate shopping
For King, one of the most positive developments in broking is the shift towards deeper, more holistic advice.
“Over the past few years there has been a big shift towards borrowers seeking genuine advice, rather than simple interest rate comparisons,” she says. “One of the benefits of working with a mortgage adviser is we advocate and advise for our clients best interests, not for the lenders.”
That includes helping clients understand how loan structure, strategy, and specialist input can affect their current and future financial position.
“What I love most is that advising is now recognised as a long-term relationship,” King says. “We’re not just helping someone secure a loan; we’re often walking alongside them through multiple life stages — from first homes, investment properties, business growth, refinancing, and beyond.”
Building a sustainable, people-first broking business
King is clear that technical expertise alone isn’t enough – advisers also need boundaries and a sustainable business model.
“I also think burnout is a real issue in this industry,” she says. “The role can be demanding and high pressure, as you’re juggling constant deadlines, lending complexity, bank and lender relationships, and human emotion.
“If you don’t have structure, boundaries, and the right people around you, it can drain you quickly, and working late nights just to keep up can become the norm. You can’t look after clients properly if you’re constantly exhausted.”
Her advice to aspiring brokers is simple but powerful.
“Lead with a people-first mindset — that will shape everything you do and ultimately determine your success in this industry,” she says. “Treat everyone the way you would want to be treated: your clients, colleagues, lender representatives, and referral partners alike. Reputation is built in the small, everyday interactions.
“At the end of the day, I think the advisers who will do well long-term are the ones who can offer real value whilst still keep things simple and down to earth for their clients to focus on their goals and the things that really matter. Having genuine care for your clients and their best interests is what matters above everything else.”
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