In this episode of Recorded At Red Nine, Andy Rowe sits down with mortgage advisor and Fresh Moni founder Willie Leota.

Willie shares his powerful story growing up in a family of seven kids sleeping in a garage, learning the hard lessons of money, and eventually building a career in banking and finance.

Today, he’s on a mission to help Pacific and Māori communities better understand the financial system through his platform Fresh Moni — a financial education podcast and platform designed to make money conversations more accessible.

From cultural differences around money to the realities of home ownership in New Zealand, this conversation explores how financial knowledge can transform lives.

We talk about:

• Growing up with seven kids sharing a garage

• Why Western financial systems can be difficult for Pacific communities

• Lessons learned working in banking

• Why people who look wealthy often aren’t

• The mission behind the Fresh Moni podcast

• Why home ownership in New Zealand isn’t impossible

🎙 Hosted by Andy Rowe

📍 Recorded at Red Nine Studios – Christchurch

Recorded At Red Nine explores the stories of people building businesses, ideas and communities across Canterbury.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction

01:10 What is Fresh Moni?

02:00 Why Pacific communities struggle with finance

04:00 The cultural difference around money

06:40 Growing up with seven kids in one house

09:00 Discovering there was another way to live

12:00 Lessons learned working in banking

15:00 Why wealthy people don’t always look wealthy

18:00 Playing rugby in Scotland

20:00 Reconnecting with culture in Samoa

23:30 Understanding his parents’ struggles

25:00 The mission behind Fresh Moni

26:00 Advice for starting a business

27:00 Advice for getting your first mortgage

29:00 The biggest myth about buying property

30:20 Where to find Willie

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.