NZMBA chief executive Darren Pratley says the strategic plan for the year is focused on the needs of members and generating supplier benefits will help members get more value out of their membership.

"There's also work being done on exactly how the membership is made up - we're looking at categorising members."

He says this will involve an education and membership pathway  to start from April with three levels of membership, the first being a standard NZMBA member, secondly a certified NZMBA member for those who have done the mortgage papers and finally an authorised financial adviser (AFA) member.

The idea is that people who have done the higher levels of education have the ability to progress their way within the membership so they can show their client they have done those extra levels of training, whereas being in the registered space doesn't necessarily do that.

"It's a third party endorsement for the customer as part of your marketing programme.

In the regulation space, the association is developing industry standard documents that meet legislation requirements and on the education side CPT point training will be offered.

Pratley says it will also be rolling ahead with its involvement with Adviserlink and John Melton to encourage an up-skilling environment.

He believes the most important thing for mortgage brokers to understand under regulation is what competence looks like.

"If you haven't got anything that's a formal qualification, then you need to think about getting something that can help prove your competency.

"Longevity in the industry now doesn't necessarily mean you've got a level of skill."

The other big focus for the NZMBA after a disruptive year around regulation is a return to focusing on growing members businesses.

Pratley says the NZMBA will be launching a road show on growing business in April.

As Pratley has stepped down from the NZMBA general manager position as he takes up work with TNP, the association is currently looking for a replacement.

The NZMBA conference will be on August 4 & 5 in Christchurch.