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Members get access to special rates to get to your first home faster. Pick an Accelerator and pick up some speed.
We help you take your savings and lend it directly to major Kiwi companies. These companies pay high interest rates to borrow money to use as capital. Banks typically lend them your money to earn this high rate. They take a cut and give you the rest.
At Aera, you get the full amount, giving you higher returns on your savings with us. Banks make money off your savings. We want you to make money off your savings.
Rates shown are targeted rates and may change. Please click here to review the full Accelerator Account disclaimer. Click on "Learn more" on the individual Accelerator above for specific information on its underlying assets and how it works.
Timeline assumes the couple commences saving for a deposit and compares Aera's on-call Deposit Accelerator account rate (5.75%) with generally available on-call savings rates as at February 2024.
House purchase price saving assumes that by purchasing a property sooner, the price will have been subject to lower price growth over time. This calculation is based on the future purchase price growth range based on the historical 30 year compound growth rate of 6.8% (REINZ).
Target property starting price assumed to be March 2023 REINZ median Auckland house price ($1,000,600).
Sarah and David are assumed to earn $150,000, approximately the average household Auckland income ($153,000 as at March 2023, Corelogic/Infometrics).
Sarah and David are assumed to contribute 6% of gross salary to Kiwisaver, compounding 5% per annum gross and contribute a monthly deposit savings rate of approx 15% of gross income ($1875 per month).
Past performance of house price appreciation is not indicative of future performance. House price valuations may go up as well as down.
Sign-Up Credit unlock: you unlock a credit amount equal to the amount of your first deposit, up to $500.
Direct Deposit unlock: Automatic payment must be at least monthly in three consecutive months.
6 Months Milestone unlock: 6 month credit requires 6x monthly deposits of an average at least $1000 a month.
Our Accelerator accounts let you purchase bundles of Underlying Assets which can include asset types like corporate bonds or retail managed funds. These are publicly available assets that you can access directly if you so choose. Using an Accelerator account to make a purchase has the same risks as buying those same underlying assets through any other method.
This means there is no guarantee that the value of any Underlying Asset you buy will increase, and you may lose the money you start with. Aera does not provide any financial advice or recommendations in relation to your choice of any Accelerator account. You should seek independent legal, financial, taxation and other advice when considering the use of an Accelerator account and whether it it suitable for your needs.
Our full terms are available here and are to be read in conjunction with the product disclosures shown when opening an account.
The Overnight Deposit Accelerator is perfect for when you need fast access to your funds. With a 1 day notice period, your funds are never out of reach.
Thirty is great for when you’re ready to commit funds for slightly longer and roll them over. With a 30 days notice period, your funds can be stowed away earning higher interest but still close at hand.
The underlying assets in a Thirty account consist of a mix of cash and short-dated bonds. When a large institution or government entity wants to borrow funds they often issue a bond. These entities are responsible for repaying those bonds over time as well as paying out a return which can be higher than what you might get from cash in a bank account.
Aera makes putting your cash to work through a mix of these types of assets easier by breaking down this complexity into a daily return. This gives you the benefit of achieving a potentially higher return when compared to having your funds just sitting in a bank account.
Aera’s Thirty accelerator is a portfolio of cash (20%) and short-dated bonds issued by Infratil Limited IFTHC 12/29 (40%) and Fletcher Building Limited FBI190 03/25 (40%), (”Underlying Assets”).
The Underlying Assets are held by Aera 22 Nominee Limited as bare trustee on behalf of you, the customer.
When you transfer money into Aera Thirty you will automatically be allocated Underlying Assets. You do not need to do anything further to start generating a return.
Aera Thirty has a notice period that is advised to you at the time of opening the account.
This means that there will be a delay between when you advise us to transfer out of the Underlying Assets to your Everyday account and the time that your money is available to you. The Notice Period is intended to cover expected bank and payment processing times however any unexpected delays due to reasons outside of Aera’s reasonable control will be advised to you as soon as practicable.
The Targeted Daily Rate is a variable per annum rate that may go up or down depending on the performance of the Underlying Assets. The rate applicable for each day will be clearly shown on the relevant Aera Thirty page linked from your home screen, and final interest amounts will be deposited to your account daily.
Three is great for when you’re ready to commit funds for slightly longer and roll them over. With a 3 day notice period, your funds can be stowed away earning a higher return but still close at hand. The underlying assets in the Aera Three accelerator are a mix of managed funds that we hold on your behalf.
Ninety is great for when you’re ready to commit funds for slightly longer and roll them over. With a 90 days notice period, your funds can be stowed away earning a higher return but still close at hand. The underlying assets in a Ninety account are a mix of cash and corporate bonds.
The aera Member's app
Instantly open everyday spending accounts, save with our Accelerators™, unlock Deposit Credits, send people money and pay bills.
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Start saving in minutes for your first home deposit.
Protection and Security
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peace of mind
Your funds are held securely in trust with large, reputable New Zealand registered banks and financial custodians.
Aera is not a registered bank, we are a savings app to help supercharge your first home dream. Created for first home savers on a mission to accelerate their first home deposit timeline, our Accelerators can give you some of the best rates and flexibility in the market.
Add funds into assets that can provide better results than leaving money in standard savings products.
We facilitate access to leading lenders, insurers and home builders all in one place
Up to $10,000 towards your deposit becomes available when you use Aera services to secure your first home.
FAQs
Through our savings products, Aera lets members add funds into assets that provide different returns than leaving their money in a standard savings accounts. Things like government or bank bonds, managed funds and wholesale cash accounts can provide higher returns than you may ordinarily get.
When you receive financial advice through an Aera affiliated financial advisor they are registered and qualified to give this advice. Advice will always include a disclosure statement which sets out the scope of advice and appropriate information on their qualifications.
Aera Accelerator™ savings accounts are not considered financial products where a licence is required.
We are however regulated in accordance with NZ laws, and are a registered financial services provider in NZ (FSP1003388 and FSP1003389 on the NZ Financial Services Provider Register) under the New Zealand Financial Service Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Act 2008.
When you load funds into your Aera account or Accelerator™ accounts they are held on trust for you by Aera 22 Nominee Limited (the “Trustee”). “On trust” means that the funds are separate from Aera and can only be used as directed by you. The funds are held in major New Zealand bank accounts and financial institutions depending on the Accelerator options you select.
You can only redeem credits when you ultimately use Aera’s services to complete your first home purchase. For example, Aera facilitating the best mortgage, insurances or purchase of a brand new home for you. The more of Aera’s services you use, the more credits you may be eligible to redeem.
You “unlock” credits along your savings journey, and whatever credit balance you have unlocked and are eligible to redeem can only be used towards your first home deposit and has no other value.
Deposit Credits do not expire as long as you are an active saver and member of Aera, steadily working towards your first home goal. Any unlocked credits have no value other than contributing to your first home deposit at the point of purchase so long as you have utilised the relevant Aera services and all terms and conditions are met.
They may be deemed inactive if you stop saving with us for a period of three months, however may be reactivated again just by starting your savings again and hitting milestones again.
