Joanne Chen

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Joanne Chen – Squirrel Actuary and BDM

About Joanne

Mortgage Adviser | FSP No. 305426
Squirrel Mortgages Ltd | FAP Licence No. 136364

Jo is one of Squirrel’s founding team members with over two decades in financial services and specialist lending. She leads our Chinese market strategy across both mortgage advisory and investment, and is one of New Zealand’s few actuaries active in the development finance space — bringing rare technical know-how to complex, high-value deals.

A qualified investment adviser and active property developer, Jo combines first-hand project experience with strong networks in the Chinese community to connect capital with premium opportunities.

When she's not crunching numbers, Jo is out exploring the world — she’s visited over 40 countries and counting, always on the lookout for the next adventure!

WeChat: NZProperty23 | 微信

Qualifications

Post grad Dip. Finance, NZ Certification in Financial Services.

How Jo is paid

Jo is a salaried adviser and is paid the same no matter which lender you choose, so there's no pressure or bias toward any particular option. At a company level, Squirrel is paid either upfront or through a combination of upfront and trail commissions by its lenders and insurance providers.

In most cases, her services are completely free, however there may be some occasions where she might need to charge a fee. For more information, please head to our mortgage advice disclosure page.

Jo's commitment to you

As a licensed financial adviser, Jo follows the rules set out by the Financial Markets Conduct Act and the Code of Professional Conduct. This means she must put your interests first, act with care, skill and diligence, be competent and ethical and treat you fairly. Jo has no relevant convictions, bankruptcies or disciplinary actions to disclose.

Squirrel Mortgages Limited holds a Financial Advice Provider Licence issued by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA).

If you’re unhappy with the advice or service you receive and want to make a complaint, you can view our complaints process here.

Jo's profile was last updated: September 2025


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Joanne Chen – Squirrel Actuary and BDM

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James

New Zealand

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Fantastic to deal with, makes everything very effortless and provides great advice

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Jason

New Zealand

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Kyle was so helpful. Gave us ideas to restructure our mortgage we have not thought about. Very informative and professional! We will certainly use again and recommend his services.

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Hayley

New Zealand

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Amazing service, Matt made it easy, hassle free and was very efficient. He provided the best option to suit my requirements. Extremely happy with the service and will definitely use Squirrel again in the future.

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Rutger K

New Zealand

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Easy and straightforward. Had all my questions answered