Afterburner AI teams up with Link Financial Group to deploy advanced automation tools, cutting adviser workloads and enhancing client service in New Zealand’s evolving financial industry.
Afterburner AI has formed a significant partnership with Link Financial Group aimed at revolutionising the way financial advisers operate in New Zealand. This collaboration will see Link’s extensive network of advisers, loan writers, and administrators gain access to Afterburner’s advanced suite of automation tools designed to reduce administrative burdens and enhance client service delivery.
Historically, up to 80% of financial advisers’ working hours have been consumed by repetitive tasks such as mortgage recommendations, drafting mortgage applications, financial statement analysis, compliance documentation, and preparing client communications. Afterburner’s platform automates these processes, reducing tasks that previously took between 10 minutes to two hours down to seconds. According to the company, their technology has already been utilised more than 500,000 times, saving an estimated 6,000 hours across its user base. For instance, financial statement analysis time has been slashed from 60 minutes to just 60 seconds, while drafting mortgage recommendations now takes around five seconds instead of half an hour.
Industry insight highlights the growing demand for diversified financial services, including mortgage lending, insurance, KiwiSaver, and holistic wealth advice as economic activity shows early signs of recovery. This partnership comes as advisers are expected to face increased workloads. Geoff Christopher, Co-Founder of Afterburner AI, said the collaboration is a milestone that strengthens the capabilities of smaller advisory practices, enabling them to compete with larger firms by simplifying compliance and service delivery. He emphasised that freeing advisers from administrative drudgery allows them to focus more effectively on client outcomes.
Josh Bronkhorst, CEO of Link Financial Group, reiterated this vision by underscoring the importance of client-centric service, expressing that advisers join the industry to help Kiwis achieve financial goals rather than spending their days on paperwork. The integration of Afterburner’s tools is therefore seen as essential infrastructure to meet rising client expectations and service standards.
Afterburner AI is also preparing the launch of its Generation 2.0 feature release, which promises to expand automation capabilities by integrating new data sources such as iOS call recordings, voice memos, and video meeting transcriptions. This will create a unified data lake to manage audio, video, and documentation, further enhancing the drafting of expert-level communications and reducing advisers’ time spent on correspondence with clients and banks.
The company is broadening its reach beyond mortgage broking into life insurance, investments, and wealth management advice. This expansion reflects a wider trend seen within the financial advisory industry where AI and automation are increasingly leveraged to streamline workflows, reduce busywork, and help advisers concentrate on personalised client advice. Industry reports note that similar AI-driven platforms are transforming processes for financial professionals globally, improving operational efficiencies and compliance amidst regulatory pressures.
The partnership between Afterburner and Link Financial Group is not isolated; it fits into a broader shift across Australasia’s lending and financial advisory sectors, where firms such as LoanOptions.ai are also collaborating with AI companies to digitise and automate loan processes, enhancing end-to-end client experiences with seamless backend automation.
Overall, this partnership signals a clear move towards embedding AI deeply within financial advisory practices, not just to reduce administrative workload but to fundamentally change service delivery and compliance standards, enabling advisers to deliver better outcomes for their clients while operating more efficiently in an increasingly complex financial environment.
- https://channellife.co.nz/story/link-advisers-to-gain-ai-tools-as-afterburner-boosts-efficiency – Please view link – unable to able to access data
- https://channellife.com.au/story/link-advisers-to-gain-ai-tools-as-afterburner-boosts-efficiency – Afterburner AI has partnered with Link Financial Group to provide Link’s network of financial advisers with technology aimed at reducing administrative workloads and enhancing client service delivery. This collaboration will grant hundreds of advisers, loan writers, and administrators access to Afterburner’s suite of automation tools. The platform automates tasks such as mortgage recommendations, drafting mortgage applications, financial statement analysis, completion of bank handover forms, compliance documentation, and preparation of client communications. Historically, these processes have accounted for up to 80% of advisers’ weekly working hours. With Afterburner’s tools, activities that once took between 10 minutes and two hours can now be completed in a matter of seconds. Financial professionals have already used Afterburner’s tools more than 500,000 times to generate credit applications, automate bank documentation, and complete compliance requirements. The company reports estimated time savings of approximately 6,000 hours across its user base. Specific tasks have seen reductions in processing time, such as financial statement analysis falling from 60 minutes to 60 seconds and drafting a mortgage recommendation dropping from 30 minutes to 5 seconds. The partnership comes as advisers respond to signs of increasing economic activity and the expected rise in demand for mortgage lending, insurance, retirement savings, and other financial services. Afterburner’s technology aims to allow smaller advisory practices to compete with larger firms by simplifying compliance and service delivery. The platform also responds to industry pressures, with regulatory bodies requiring improved compliance standards amid ongoing adviser capacity constraints. The company says its tools enable advisers to focus on client outcomes, rather than on repetitive data entry and administrative compliance. Josh Bronkhorst, CEO of Link Financial Group, says the adoption of Afterburner’s technology will support the network’s commitment to client-centric service. Afterburner is preparing to launch its Generation 2.0 feature release, which will offer integration with new data sources such as iOS call-recording, voice memos, and video meeting transcriptions. The new version will introduce a unified data lake for audio, video, and documentation. It will also automate the drafting of expert-level communications, further reducing the time advisers spend on correspondence with clients and banks. The adoption of Afterburner is increasing, with the company expanding its reach from mortgage broking into life insurance, investments, and broader wealth management advice.
- https://helm.news/2025-11-24/afterburner-ai-link-financial-group-launched-ai-tools-nz-advisers-cutting.html – Afterburner AI has partnered with Link Financial Group to equip New Zealand financial advisers with AI tools that reduce administrative work, speeding up tasks like mortgage recommendations and financial analysis from minutes to seconds. The partnership aims to improve client service amid rising demand for financial advice and has saved an estimated 6,000 hours across users. The platform is expanding beyond mortgages into insurance and wealth management, with a new Generation 2.0 update set to integrate voice and video data for automated, expert-level communications.
- https://inaitoday.com/loanoptions-ai-and-afterburner-ai-form-strategic-alliance-to-transform-digital-lending-space-across-australasia/ – LoanOptions.ai and Afterburner AI have formed a strategic alliance to transform the digital lending space across Australasia. The partnership aims to streamline the loan process by automating backend processes, from serviceability calculations and document refilling to compliance checks, thereby eliminating traditional paperwork and empowering advisors with a seamless end-to-end digital lending experience.
- https://www.cfp.net/for-cfp-pros/continuing-education/continuing-ed/2025/07/09/13/40/2ea77e96-6005-4e42-be8a-325526508011 – This session explores automation and artificial intelligence (AI) in the financial advisory industry, focusing on advanced ways to revolutionize processes and scale businesses using affordable, easy-to-use tools for small and medium-sized businesses. It covers how AI and automation solutions can help streamline workflows, reduce busywork, and allow advisors to focus on clients.
- https://fasttrackr.ai/resources-for-financial-advisors – FastTrackr AI offers resources for financial advisors, discussing how vertical AI embedded across the advisory lifecycle can transform wealth management. The platform automates back-office tasks, accelerates onboarding, and elevates planning conversations, addressing adoption barriers and providing examples of metrics to monitor, such as time-to-onboard and net revenue per employee.
- https://www.theexpertcfo.com/helpful-ai-tools/ – This article highlights eight AI tools that help CFOs save time, including Concourse, which links directly to ERP systems and automates high-effort finance tasks like forecasting and reconciliation, saving between 150 to 300 hours monthly on average. It also mentions Drivetrain, which offers scenario modeling and variance analysis, and ChatGPT, which assists in creating financial narratives and standard operating procedures.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
10
Notes:
The narrative was published on 24 November 2025, with no earlier versions found. The report is original and timely, with no evidence of recycled content.
Quotes check
Score:
10
Notes:
Direct quotes from Geoff Christopher and Josh Bronkhorst are unique to this report, with no earlier matches found. This suggests original or exclusive content.
Source reliability
Score:
8
Notes:
The report originates from ChannelLife New Zealand, a reputable industry news outlet. However, the author, Melania Watson, is not widely known, which slightly reduces the source’s reliability.
Plausability check
Score:
9
Notes:
The claims about Afterburner AI’s partnership with Link Financial Group and the benefits of their AI tools are plausible and align with industry trends. Similar partnerships and AI integrations in the financial sector have been reported, such as the collaboration between Afterburner AI and LoanOptions.ai to automate mortgage lending in New Zealand and Australia. ([mpamag.com](https://www.mpamag.com/nz/news/general/ai-firms-partner-to-automate-mortgage-lending-in-nz-and-australia/547762?utm_source=openai))
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
The report is original, timely, and plausible, with no significant credibility risks identified. The partnership between Afterburner AI and Link Financial Group is consistent with industry developments, and the direct quotes appear unique to this report.