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Personal Finance / opinion
Help us keep interest.co.nz free for all readers. We need your support keeping our service open to all, and there are great benefits if you do
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At interest.co.nz we’re passionate about free independent journalism bringing unfiltered business, financial and economic news to our readers. No government 'funding', no corporate spin, no hidden biases.

Our vision is simple: To see all Kiwis equipped with the latest financial information so they can be economically savvy. We do this by:

  • publishing up-to-date interest rate comparisons,
  • researching and analysing business, economic and financial trends, data and policies
  • delivering you fresh market intelligence to track how the NZ economy is performing
  • leveraging technology to find what you need to know, when you want it and channeling it to you in a variety of ways,
  • partnering with experts and analysts to provide savings and investment guidance, and
  • equipping you with extensive bespoke tools found nowhere else to manage your finances better.

Nothing’s for free, but we are!

As you know, access to almost all our content is free – there’s no paywall, no limited access, no gated content. 

At interest.co.nz, you get not only the news affecting your monetary future, but also our very comprehensive charts and calculator tools developed over a decade of research and refinement. These free tools help you make informed decisions about your financial future.

Sadly, advertising revenue for news organisations is not what it used to be and made worse by the pandemic. This makes it more difficult to sustain the business model millions of Kiwis have enjoyed for over a decade. That's why we're seeking your help, dear readers.

Out of the tens of thousands who visit our website every day, only a small number of people support us financially. These supporters pay $10/month or $100/year (or more) and get:

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In the future there will be more specialist tools that will empower investors, savers, and anyone with financial interests. We hope more of you will help out to keep interest.co.nz open access to all, instead of hiding our content and tools behind a paywall.

Support us, support open dialogue

One of our most popular and now unique features is our open comment section. Again, no paywall, no subscription needed. We Kiwis value our democratic freedoms, and that includes the right to voice your opinions and to be heard. It can’t be free speech if you’re paying to speak your mind.

At interest.co.nz, our forum for discussion is open and neutral.  It allows two-way communication that is increasingly rare. Yes, sometimes prone to vigorous debate. But it’s always with the aim of respectful exchange of ideas and points of view that will lead to a broader worldview and greater understanding.

We feel that in an increasingly polarised world, the best solution is more conversations, not less. Your financial support helps sustain this feature.

Keen? Here’s what to do

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Finally, thank you for your readership and support all these years. Without you, we wouldn’t have made it these 20+ years since our humble beginning.

We welcome your comments below. If you are not already registered, please register to comment.

Remember we welcome robust, respectful and insightful debate. We don't welcome abusive or defamatory comments and will de-register those repeatedly making such comments. Our current comment policy is here.

16 Comments

OK. Will do.

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Yeah I'll look to do so in the new year. The comments section here is probably the best in the NZ media and the light moderation hand is a welcome feature.

Just need to unlock comments on Covid articles again...

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Done ,Sir. Annual payment set up and happy new year to you and all your expert staff.

JimmyH. 

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Many thanks, Jimmy!

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I have been on this site for 6/7 years now and am happy to support it financially. I find it both interesting and useful. For example, right now I want to know the rates for a 6 month PIE TD and they are right here. 

Keep up the good work.

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Many thanks!

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So I'm not a huge wage earner and was supporting what I could afford $5 per month. I recently was told no add free for that so I've stopped supporting. Why put minimum at $10? I have only two other subscriptions. 

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Hi John, it's a minimum imposed by the service we use and we can't do much about that. Your past support is much appreciated - you are welcomed no matter your subscription (or non-subscription) status!

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Thanks for the great work David. Just signed up for a year. All the best for 2022.

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Much appreciated, NT!

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I would in theory support sites I read to maintain balance and temper bias. But NZ and especially NZ media agencies do not support access for people with disabilities and discriminate against them on both financial and social basis. How can I support something that is so harmful that friends and family have died young and it is killing so many families on a daily basis; being excluded and cut out of society has very real physical, financial, social and mental harms. It would be like supporting a real estate agent who promoted beneficiary bashing literally (and they do it on real terms by denying even those disabled families of high incomes housing leading directly to horrible health outcomes). It is hard to appreciate when you are lucky to have the means and ability just how painful to be on this site is and read the articles when I can point out which streets are literally covered in the blood of friends and family and which cities deny friends and family access to businesses, homes and workplaces (here's a hint it is all NZ cities and not so much the ones overseas).

 

The media is the driving arm of force behind the fist of outcomes. I would support your efforts to be independent, to promote financial knowledge and education but then as above how can I really offer anything to you when it is so harmful in all actions and promotion. When I have to repeatedly combat the ostracisation and exclusion of the most vulnerable NZders in the premise of many articles and the severe loss of culture (many lost here from all family roots) and community driven by them. Even on the basis of financial news, education, investment advice or even as an investor interested in the movements of the real estate market there is so much exclusion of disabled people that they don't get to suffer existence in your NZ very long. Right now there is no financial future for most disabled NZders and most live below the breadline (as in cannot afford bread or housing). What chance of a pay to inform or pay to educate model do they have when at the outset access to it is by in large denied. With near 50% of disabled youth not able to access basic education, employment or training even while the government likes to profess they do not discriminate against disabled learners (while denying them access to live an equitable life and charging them 100x more to get transport access to study). Banks are literally encouraged to remove access to disabled people through financial promotion and that has severe financial and long term harms.

 

If there was one thing I would change I would increase recognition and access to those most vulnerable of severe harm across this media site and many others in NZ but unfortunately we live in a NZ where a human life is not worth the cost to cremate it and definitely not worth an apology even when lost through direct negligence and policy designed to systemically ostracize them. So if a life is worth nothing how can any article, news site or company be worth more than a large proportion of vulnerable lives? If my families & friends lives are worth nothing to you how can I really afford supporting you when I am giving everything of mine towards them (as personal value is the only thing they have left). Even though I have the extreme luxury lately of being able to afford bread (and I realise how lucky I am to be in a position to afford bread, with odds like winning a lottery it has not always been that way in the past).

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Thank you for your comment.

You sound like you are very passionate about the status and conditions for disabled people in NZ. According to a welfare expert advisory group's report in early 2019, not enough is done for disabled persons to support them or to help them return to work either full-time or part-time, both by the government or by the employers in general.

You do not need to support us financially if it is not within your means or your beliefs, and we always appreciate you visiting our site. I wish you well and hope things will improve for this overlooked group of Kiwis.

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Happy to support such an excellent service!

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Much appreciated, Lou!

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Done, money well spent!

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You're a legend! Thanks!

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