Marketing or growth for paid acquisition and brand refreshes.

Yes, marketing and growth borrowing is an established segment in the NZ market, served by alternative lenders, NZ-bank unsecured products, and major-bank term loans where security is available. Lenders treat it as a higher-scrutiny purpose because the return on the spend is uncertain compared with asset or stock purposes.

Indicative amounts run $15,000 to $250,000 unsecured for established trading businesses, with property-secured term loans running larger for multi-year growth programmes. The lender typically sizes the facility against monthly turnover, trading history, and the attribution data accompanying the application.

Indicative rates on unsecured marketing-purpose loans commonly sit in the 12% to 22% per annum band. Property-secured term loans through major banks price below the band; specialist short-term unsecured loans for harder profiles can price above. Final rate is subject to the lender's credit assessment.

A line of credit is widely chosen for recurring monthly ad spend or rolling agency retainers because interest is charged only on the drawn balance and the facility revolves with the campaign rhythm. A term loan is widely chosen for a one-off rebrand, website rebuild, or 12-month brand campaign with a defined cost and a longer payback profile.

NZ lenders typically look at trading history (12 to 24 months), monthly turnover stability, bank-statement quality, director credit files, and the attribution data on the marketing plan itself. Customer acquisition cost (CAC), tracked-conversion data, and a downside scenario commonly carry weight on larger applications.

Interest on a loan used wholly for business marketing purposes is generally deductible against business income in New Zealand, subject to the accountant's confirmation. Marketing expenditure itself is generally treated as a deductible operating expense in the year incurred under standard NZ tax rules, again subject to the accountant's confirmation on the specific position.

GST on NZ-resident agency invoices, signage, and other supplies that include GST is typically claimable in the next GST return where the business is GST-registered, subject to the accountant's confirmation. GST treatment of ad spend on offshore platforms (Meta, Google) varies and is generally handled under the imported services GST rules, again subject to the accountant's confirmation.

Common terms run 6 to 36 months and are typically matched to the expected payback profile. Tactical campaigns with 4 to 6-month payback fit a 6 to 12-month loan or a line of credit. B2B SaaS pipeline builds with 12 to 18-month payback typically fit a 24 to 36-month term loan.

On a term loan or short-term loan, the schedule continues regardless of campaign performance, so the borrower wears the cash impact through reduced margin or other working capital. On a line of credit, the drawn balance carries forward into the next cycle with continuing interest. Default scenarios follow the standard unsecured-loan path of late fees, credit-file marks, and personal-guarantee enforcement.

Standard documents are NZBN, business owner ID, the last 6 months of business bank statements, and a brief on the marketing plan including channels, budget split, and expected duration. Larger applications above $100,000 commonly add management accounts, a marketing plan with target CAC and payback, and a downside scenario.

First-year businesses face a materially harder application because the trading history that lenders rely on has not been demonstrated. A small unsecured loan against the directors' personal trading history is sometimes available, and equity or family-and-friends funding more commonly funds the first 6 to 12 months of marketing in the NZ market.

The right answer depends on the unit economics, the timing of the spend versus the revenue, and the cost of capital. Where the campaign payback is faster than the loan term and CAC is well understood, borrowing typically supports faster growth without diluting equity. Where the unit economics are uncertain, the accountant or growth advisor conversation usually settles whether to test smaller from cash flow first.