This leading mortgage advisory firm moves fast, and so do its top 24 advisers
This article is sponsored by Squirrel
It’s taken 17 years of consistency to build Squirrel into a high-performing advisory firm with the depth, discipline and culture to rival the biggest names in the market. This year, that work paid off in a big way. Twenty-four Squirrel advisers were named to NZ Adviser’s Top Advisers 2025 list, more than any other single mortgage firm.
Squirrel founder, John Bolton, attributes the success to a hyper-focus on technology investment and systems and processes that help its advisers succeed. “A big part of that is about productivity, making things as quick and easy as possible, both for our team and our clients. But equally, it’s about building a strong and reputable brand to help attract business and feed the team’s pipeline,” he explains.
Consistency, in Squirrel’s case, has meant that every aspect of the firm’s infrastructure, from its bespoke adviser portal to its growing ecosystem of lending and investing solutions, is designed to help advisers build client relationships and solve financing challenges.
“We’re also the only brokerage in New Zealand with a largely salaried advisory team,” Bolton adds. “It’s higher risk and higher cost, but it’s a deliberate choice we’ve made to support a high-performance culture.”
Squirrel’s culture has also proven magnetic. Nathan Miglani, now managing adviser for Christchurch and the South Island, had looked up to Squirrel long before joining. “Squirrel has achieved that scale, and all the benefits that come with it. I think that’s largely a result of the culture within the business, where we’re always striving to be 10 steps ahead,” he says.
“I always think it’s important to stop now and then and just reassess what’s working, what’s making you happy and what’s not,” Miglani adds. “I realised that partnering with a like-minded business that already had that size and scale was the best way forward.”
Part of that advantage comes from Squirrel’s unique position in the market. Its lending options extend beyond traditional channels, thanks to its peer-to-peer lending and investment platform. That additional flexibility gives advisers more tools to work with, especially in a market that has become more complex.
“Our technology is market-leading,” Miglani says. “It’s adviser-friendly, which is so different from a lot of systems I’ve come across in my time. And between our investment products and unique loan solutions, it means you’re able to offer so much more to your clients than just residential mortgages.”
Clients, it seems, are responding to the model. Mortgage adviser Emma Wallace says, “We’re empowered to be really honest and straight-up in the advice we give. It builds trust and strong relationships, which helps with generating repeat business and means people are happy to recommend you to family and friends.”
That transparency is built into the structure. Squirrel advisers are not incentivised to favour one lender over another, and there’s no internal competition for leads.
Mortgage adviser Adam Clark says it’s one of the reasons the culture works. “Squirrel has struck this unique balance where we’ve got a high-performance sales culture, without the dirty sales side to it,” he says. “We’re just here to do what’s best for our clients.”
That shared mindset has turned the firm’s knowledge base into a collective asset. “A client might only be dealing with one adviser, but they’re benefitting from the expertise of the 40-odd others on the team who are always happy to answer questions and give input,” Clark adds.
Carley Brunning, who leads Squirrel’s advisory team across Wellington and the Lower North Island, says that the team dynamic is what keeps the firm agile. “There’s this shared understanding that we’re out to make a difference in the industry and build something special,” she says. “That creates a real culture of trust and helps to attract awesome people.”
It also helps advisers stay on top of a fast-moving lending environment. “Between us, there’s not a lot we haven’t seen. So, if you’re ever dealing with something tricky or unusual, there’s someone you can lean on to figure out a way,” Brunning adds.
Squirrel’s investment in people goes beyond the advisory floor. The company recently launched a new Auckland advisory leadership team, held its first full-company conference and deepened its training programs. There’s an intentional focus on learning, collaboration and creating space for people to thrive.
The result is a supportive, collaborative and high-performing culture with a strong pipeline that enables its people to win industry accolades. But if you ask around, it’s not the awards that matter; it’s the feeling that you’re part of one of the best places to work in New Zealand.
