A guide first. A lender's introducer second.

Why this site exists

Most business-loan websites are built to get your details as fast as possible. That's understandable, but it leaves owners making a big decision with very little information. Many of the people we speak to have already been through a bank process that took weeks and ended in a "no" or a "not like that", and they're wary of the next pitch.

So we built the site the other way round. Every mainstream alternative to a bank business loan in New Zealand is explained here, including the ones we don't arrange, with the trade-offs laid out plainly. If invoice finance, asset finance, an IRD arrangement or simply waiting for your bank is the better answer, we'll say so, on the page and on the phone.

What we believe

• Banks are often the right answer. When they'll lend on acceptable terms in time, they're usually cheapest.
• Speed has a value, and a price. The job is to know when one outweighs the other.
• Every loan needs an exit. Short-term money should have a clear end.
• Rates belong in offers, not adverts. Every loan is priced on the individual situation. We look for the sharpest option for yours.
• Plain English wins. If a term needs a lawyer to explain, we'll explain it first.

How the editorial side works

Our guides are written by the Alternative Business Loans editorial team and researched from current New Zealand sources, including the Reserve Bank, Inland Revenue, the Financial Markets Authority, the Companies Office and business.govt.nz. We link to our sources, and we update pages when the rules or the market change. We don't name or promote other lenders; we describe types of funding generically so you can compare fairly.