Ginger Group

Who we are: -

Ginger Group is a Support Services Company for Financial Services organisations and Advisers.

The Group’s genesis was the result of three distribution organisations recognising the added value of combining their resources to achieve a common goal.

Each of the three companies has unique qualities and features and all three recognised how these could be complimentary.

Professional Investment Services (NZ) Ltd – One of the original distribution groups in New Zealand.

Professional Investment Services (NZ), formed in 2001, originally focused on financial services, investments and the relationships with accountants throughout New Zealand. Over the years, supported by a very powerful Australian parent, Professional Investment Services developed some of the best systems and business processes available in our industry.

Minerva Group Ltd was started in 2007 with a small number of advisers in Auckland, Waikato, and Bay of Plenty.

The Minerva Group focused on knowledge and education, especially around business insurance issues and developing and managing their advisers’ own businesses.

Brokers Independent Group Ltd (BIG) began in 2004.

BIG has consistently focused on bringing new people into the industry and providing the training and support to help members become very successful.  In fact, “time to think BIG”, resulted from Kevin and Nicola Smee’s business, Solutions Financial Services Ltd, overflowing with capacity and senior brokers wanting to emulate Solutions, by developing their own successful brands with their own team of brokers.

BIG was the place for them, as it supported advisers wanting to build their own professional brand, but still retain the valued support, training and access to a group that were willing to share knowledge, experience and had a true sense of community- it was “time to think BIG”.

The story unfolds…

In mid 2009, Brent Wright and Maurice Trapp, foundation partners of Minerva Group, recognised an opportunity to join forces with PIS (NZ) Ltd. The systems, processes and resources that were available through PIS added significant value to Minerva. Also their association with accountancy practices was a model that Minerva itself was in the process of developing. So, instead of re-inventing the wheel, Brent and Maurice started discussions, quickly moved to a hand shake agreement, and have progressed the relationship by developing a Joint Venture Company.

While the ink was still drying, Maurice and David Whyte – who was acting as a consultant to BIG – discussed the benefits that each of our distribution groups were providing for our members.

The consensus emerged that instead of competing in the same market, we should join forces and co-operate. Our aims, goals, and objectives are basically the same. We support recruitment and development of new people into our industry. We recognise that the future of the financial services industry lies in education and training. We understand that all advisers want better systems and processes around sourcing their clients.  We appreciate that advisers need to create more time to interact with clients.

It makes a great deal of sense for us all to unite.

This we have done, with our common values of Care, Share and Dare to be Different, and the idea began to gain momentum.

The result today is a new business – Ginger Group.