Welcome

 A born and bred Hawkes Bay boy Brad and his wife Yvette live locally in Hastings having met more than 20 years ago while Brad was in the Royal New Zealand Navy living in Auckland. After leaving the RNZN, Brad and Yvette made a move from the big smoke for their young family and decided to come home to ‘The Bay’. After a number of years working in local and national account management roles Brad wanted to help people and a move into holistic financial planning and advice came about.

Brad had been providing retirement and financial planning advice for several years at another well known financial planning practice in HB before joining forces with Gary Hemmings in 2018 to develop Common Sense Financial Planning. In 2021, Gary retired from the industry handing over the reigns and with a renewed focus on holistic planning Brad renamed the business MacDonald Wealth.

Brad is a self-described sports nut and still trys to play cricket along with a little bit of golf. When he isn’t helping people Brad enjoys getting into the great outdoors.

Brad is also a member of the Napier Rotary Club and is proud to help the community through the various fundraising activities that the club provides.

Email: brad@macdonaldwealth.co.nz

My brief is to help New Zealanders become financially free by ensuring all their financial structures savings, mortgages, insurances are working towards their goals. I have been an independent advisor for 15 years and hold a degree in finance, a graduate diploma in financial planning and carry the Certified Financial planner designation.

I am involved as a trustee with the Fifeshire Foundation, have board appointments with Ngati Kuia and Plus4 Financial and enjoy time with my family, socialising with friends and sports.

Email: Mark@sheehanfinancial.co.nz

 I have been working in financial planning since 1989. In my first 15 years with a bespoke financial planning agency in the UK, I was responsible for the company’s share-dealing service, processing of life, pension and protection arrangements as well as collating performance statistics for £62m of funds under management.

In 2004 I moved to New Zealand with my three daughters (now all grown up) and married my husband, Richard. I am a Certified Financial Planner (CFPCM) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF).

Establishing and being a part of G3 Financial Freedom enables me to build long term relationships with clients and provide holistic financial planning advice – something I have always done and love to do. I have a strong technical and working knowledge of the UK Pensions sector and can provide comprehensive advice to UK immigrants considering transfer of their pension funds to New Zealand.

Email: jane@g3freedom.co.nz

I joined Balance Wealth in 2018 because it was time for a change. Not just for me, but for how wealth management clients get advised. 

At Balance Wealth, we don’t chase targets, or build our own funds. Instead, we strictly focus on helping people over age 50 retire on their terms. That’s it.

Everything else—our people, our services, our operations, and our outreach—is shaped by this goal.

Every day, I’m inspired by the experience we’ve created for our clients. While I don’t mind using my degree in financial maths to get down into the operational weeds, my first love is spending time with clients, helping them chart their future, and seeing them achieve the things they’ve always dreamed about.

Email: danielle@balancewealth.co.nz

I have been part of the Financial Services industry since leaving school in 1984. Over the years in both my business and personal life, I have acquired a passion for helping people to be the best they can. I love challenging myself in all sorts of ways, and within my business, have the honour of challenging my clients’ perceptions and beliefs, guiding them to a strong, independent financial position.

I immigrated to New Zealand in 2005 with my husband and then two young children.  I have enjoyed being a Scout Leader and I am currently a volunteer driving navigator with Blue Light Youth Driver Navigation Programme.  I have a passion for mentoring youth to help them become even more amazing individuals.  I believe in supporting other’s personal development and the wonderful spirit of new adventure.

In 2010 I became an owner and director of G3 and I am proud to work with our team. I often remind myself of the saying ‘It’s choice, not chance, which determines destiny’.

I have worked hard throughout my career to underpin my values and beliefs with a huge range of skills and experience which I continue to develop and enjoy passing on. I am proud to be a Certified Financial Planner (CFPCM), Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU): designations earned following a rigorous examination process and certification by professional bodies worldwide.  I currently support our association, Financial Advice New Zealand, by being a committee member on the Financial Planning & Investment advisory committee and our CFP Certification Committee.

Email: charlene@g3freedom.co.nz

Originally trained as a scientist, Peter has worked in the financial services industry for over 30 years in insurance, funds management, trustee services, banking and financial planning. This includes senior executive roles at Guardian Trust and ANZ Bank. Peter is also a former Chief Executive of the Institute of Financial Advisers, now Financial Advice NZ, the industry’s peak financial advisory professional body. Through this, he had the opportunity to identify global best practice in financial planning advice – and he brings this valuable insight to you.

His forte, honed over two decades, has been the ability to bring “clarity from complexity” to hundreds of people and organisations, including professionals, SME principals and owners, senior managers and not-for-profits.

Peter has a special interest in sustainability and ethical investment. He was a founder-director of SBN, has launched two ethical investment funds and is a Certified Adviser member of the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia. He is also a practitioner member of Financial Advice New Zealand.

In his spare time Peter is treasurer of the Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi, a major Auckland conservation volunteer group, and regularly guides and volunteers on the island. He and his wife Val also love walking and tramping. In 2018 they walked the length of Britain, some 1,850km, in three months, a journey Peter calls their “Grand Adventure”!

Email: Peter@ethicalinvesting.nz

We bring a unique, thorough and practical approach to helping you reach your full potential, we work closely with you, empowering you to make confident and informed decisions and helping you prioritise and fulfill your lifelong ambitions with advice that makes a world of difference.

A Financial Adviser with over 30 years experience, Brent helps people confidently plan their futures. Brent is a foundation member of Financial Advice New Zealand, a member of SIFA and a former member of the NZ Stock Exchange.

Brent is also heavily involved in the local community as a member of the Business South Advisory Board, Trustee for the Alexandra Blossom Festival, treasurer for the Central Otago Flying Club and Counsellor for the NZ Tournament Water Ski Association, Brent is also a former executive member of the NZ Four Wheel Drive Association, treasurer for the Alexandra Golf Club and chairman of the Area Committee for St John.

Email: brent@centralfp.co.nz

Before joining Cliffe Consulting in January 2017, I worked in the financial services sector for over twenty years, holding positions in several large financial institutions, training financial advisers, and building advice processes, systems and adviser technology. 

When I decided to practice as a financial adviser, I knew I was uncomfortable doing it within a corporate company that also promoted its own investment products. I needed to be able to recommend solutions that my clients needed, not ones where it suited my employer.

One day I asked John to explain his investment philosophy to me as if I were a prospective client. It made total sense. It was simple and elegant, with an overarching objective being that managing risk mattered just as much as the return.

I’m really passionate about all New Zealanders having access to proper financial planning advice. We are not born with money skills, and few like to talk about it, yet it’s something that profoundly affects us all. 

Email: Rachelle@cliffeconsulting.co.nz

I help my clients get a clear picture of where they would like to be in the future and implement practical strategies and behaviours that will take them there.

Years of education, training and experience at the cutting-edge of Financial Advice in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand equip me to make a real difference in the quality of the outcomes my clients achieve.

My experience has also taught me that financial success means different things to different people. Whatever lights your fire, I can help you identify it and build the path from where you are to where you want to be. Working with me will give you a clearer idea of what you would like to achieve in life, how to do it, and how to see if you’re on track. I’ll be there to help when things get difficult or go wrong (as they are inclined to do at different points along the way).

I believe that we tend to overestimate what we can achieve in a year and underestimate what we can accomplish in 5, 10 or 15 years, so I look to build long-term relationships of trust with my clients, being on hand as a resource, educating, coaching and helping them maintain accountability to the goals and the actions that will take them there as effectively as possible.

You can stay as you are for the rest of your life, or you can change – I’ll help you.

Email: miker@apexgroup.co.nz

My career began initially in management, leading large teams of people in high turnover businesses. Throughout this period, I was an avid investor and passionate about helping people succeed. 

As part of my own journey to success I studied finance at Massey and achieved a Graduate Diploma in Business (Personal Financial Planning). That achievement led me to change careers and join the financial advice profession. Subsequently, I have attained Certified Financial Planner status, and have now completed a Bachelor of Business (Financial Planning and Advice).

I joined Rede Advisers in 2020 to bring my investment skills and knowledge to assist our clients to create, grow and enjoy their wealth. 

I also am a facilitator who delivers Sorted programmes for the Retirement Commission, with a focus on financial capability. These face-to-face courses are held in workplaces and community groups and encourage people to change the way they think about and manage their money. Financial capability is about being on the winning side of our money decisions. It’s a skill that we all need if we want to take charge of our lives and build a more secure future for ourselves, our families and communities.

My aim is to eliminate the jargon and provide simple financial solutions that will meet our clients' needs.

Email: scott_stokes@rede.co.nz

James leads the Cambridge Partners team as Chief Executive Officer.  

He has a strong background in wealth management, commercial advice, and tax planning. He brings specialist knowledge and expertise to US Citizens and those looking to move to New Zealand under the Investor Visa Program. 

James enjoys helping high-net-worth individuals and families to build better futures for themselves and those closest to them. Financial advice allows people to identify and focus on the things that are important to them and James is passionate about providing clarity, confidence and a clear plan going forward.  

James is a Chartered Accountant (CA) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce. He lives in Christchurch with his family and loves skiing, mountain biking and cycling.

Email: james@cambridgepartners.co.nz

Michael brings a wide professional experience to his financial planning role, building on over 20 years experience in the financial services profession.  While initially studying towards becoming an accountant, he ‘saw the light’ and has never looked back, building on this knowledge in a career in financial planning.  After working for a professional trustee company for 11 years, he joined Rede Advisers as a director and shareholder in 2007. 

Michael’s professional experience has been based on building long term relationships with clients as well as the legal and accounting profession.  In this increasingly complex world, personal relationships are invaluable and often inter-generational.  Michael's focus is to provide clients with comfort that they are making the best financial decisions for them and their families through financial education, advice and planning.  

Email: michael_shears@rede.co.nz