Fast-growing Vega still aims to expand

helped to accelerate Vega's growth, and it now has mortgage advisers covering all Bayleys offices nationwide.

Ferreira says the major banks are closing branches around the country, but Vega wants to put its people back in local communities.

broking, although that's still the largest part of the business with about 65 advisers - up from 29 in March last year.

Fresh from a 20-year career in banking – Ferreira used to head BNZ's lending to small-to-medium-sized businesses – he joined One HQ, an IT and accounting roll-up business.

Within OneHQ was a small mortgage-broking business. When it was about nine months old, Ferreira made an offer in 2019 to buy that broking business and renamed it Vega.

In 2020, he sold a 50% stake to real estate firm Bayleys, a tie-up which

“These local communities all have real estate offices,” he says.

Vega has forged relationships with two other real estate firms - Eves, which operates in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Northland, and Aucklandbased Up - and is busy working to cement a fourth.

Ferreira says he's aiming to have mortgage brokers covering about 200 real estate offices by this time next year, up from 152 currently.

Vega is more than just mortgage

The firm also does insurance broking, with 18 insurance advisers; wealth management, including KiwiSaver; and a commercial-property development arm which helps finance businesses needing anywhere from $3 million to $200 million.

All up, the group has about 90 advisers and another 10 support staff.

Ferreira is a fan of the increasing regulation and education requirements for financial advisers.

“That to us has worked in our favour."

“The average mortgage broker these days is much more qualified than the average banker. We hold our people to a standard that I believe is pretty high.” ✚