Open banking arrival means third parties can help with budgeting, loans and power bills - Diana Clement

Opinion byYour Money and careers writer for the NZ Herald·NZ Herald·19 Sep, 2026 09:00 PM4 mins to readDiana Clement is a freelance journalist who has written a column for the Herald since 2004. Before that, she was personal finance editor for the Sunday Business (now The Business) newspaper in London.‌Open banking is cutting paperwork for loans, investments and hardship claims.For years, using third-party financial apps in New Zealand meant breaking your bank’s terms of service and handing over private passwords.Not anymore. Driven by new law, open banking has quietly arrived, giving Kiwis a safer, seamless way to budget, borrow and build wealth without the traditional paperwork. After years