Profile
“Our mission is simple: we empower financial planners to spend more time building trust, deepening client relationships, and growing their business”
Chris Arthur, Bold Wealth
Paul Garner’s move from corporate banking to running his own business came from seeing a better way to help people with their finances. As a director and mortgage adviser at fast-growing MortgageLife, he delivers advice that is personal, transparent and built on long-term relationships.
Those habits now set the tone for his reputation, the firm’s early growth, and the loyalty of clients who return and refer others. In 2025, NZ Adviser named Garner to its Rising Stars list.
He considers building MortgageLife into a trusted name while helping hundreds of clients achieve their goals as his greatest career achievement to date. “Beyond the numbers, it is seeing clients come back for their next move or send family and friends our way. That loyalty is the real measure of success,” he says.
Growth has brought its own challenges. He now spends much of his time balancing scale with personal service. As the business flourishes, he is focused on maintaining the same hands-on approach that got him to where he is today.
“It means putting systems in place to keep the client experience consistent and investing in the right people, so every client still feels looked after,” Garner adds.
Over the years, he has learned that reputation builds quietly. Repeat clients and referrals show him the business is moving in the right direction. He calls those moments the real wins.
His professional strength comes from simplifying the hard parts of lending. He talks in plain language and pushes for understanding before decisions. That habit comes from experience across banking floors, back-office teams and adviser groups.
He paid attention to the people troubleshooting files, not just the ones approving them. He has spent time in the engine room, learning from the most experienced people, who are not always advisers or senior staff.
Mentorship shaped him as well. Senior bankers gave him their time and their candour. The biggest lessons were about managing people through uncertainty and keeping clients informed without overwhelming them. Garner applies the same approach, cutting out needless steps and keeping clients engaged at every stage.
Reliability sits alongside work ethic in how people see him. He says he does what he says he will do, and the industry has taken note. Colleagues describe him as consistent and deliberate, taking on each deal with the same intent regardless of size. His banking background keeps his advice anchored in what is realistic for each lender, not just what looks possible on paper.
Being named a Rising Star has shifted Garner’s priorities. As the youngest on the team, he finds it a bit amusing to be seen as a mentor, but he sees the recognition as a chance to support others.
He wants MortgageLife’s next phase to be defined by broader opportunity, not individual achievement. As he puts it, success comes from collective wins, and the goal now is to make more of them.
46c Stanley Street, Parnell, Auckland 1010
021 967 387
paul@mortgagelife.co.nz
linkedin.com/in/paul-garner-9ba390134
mortgagelife.co.nz
Paul Garner
Director and Adviser
MortgageLife
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“Whether I’m in a strategy session or a hiring meeting, I try to lead with understanding. Financial planners are under immense pressure, and so are our internal teams. The best way to earn trust is to truly listen”
Chris Arthur,
Bold Wealth
2015–2017
2017–2021
2021–2023
Present
2025
Assistant Manager at ANZ
2015–2017
Business Banking Manager at ANZ
2017–2021
2021–2023: Director at Wootlec Healthcare
2023: Adviser at Garner Mortgages
2021–2023
Director and Adviser at MortgageLife since 2024
NZ Adviser’s Rising Star
Present
IB’s Elite Woman award
IB’s Top Insurance Broker award
2025
Assistant Vice President and Senior Broker at MJ Hall & Company since 2018
Present
Milestones
Aug 2022
Milestones
Sept 2021
Feb 2022
Apr 2022
Jul 2022
Aug
2022
Suncorp Bank introduces Solar Home Bonus offer for customers who are choosing renewable energy for their homes
Sept 2021
Month-on-month market share growth commences
Feb 2022
Suncorp Bank wins the Canstar award for most outstanding value in investment loans
Apr 2022
Suncorp Bank wins Money Magazine’s Bank of the Year and Business Bank of the Year awards for the fifth year in a row
Jul 2022
Suncorp Bank’s turnaround times are the lowest they have ever been. The lender becomes Australia’s first certified carbon neutral bank for both its operation and transaction services
Aug 2022
Milestones
