Get AML Ready Now

What Australian agents can learn from New Zealand's anti-money laundering rollout – before July 2026 arrives.

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Elite Agent Editor
January 17, 2026

THOUGHT LEADERS
REAL ESTATE REIMAGINED

This week: Samantha McLean sits down with Richard Manthel, founder of AMLHUB and the man who's helped thousands of New Zealand agents navigate what Australians are about to face.

Put 50 real estate agents in a room. Ask them if they've seen anything suspicious in the last five years.

Half the hands go up.

That's what Richard Manthel discovered when New Zealand brought real estate under anti-money laundering laws in 2019. Agents would know something was off. They just didn't have a framework to do anything about it.

Now Australia's turn is coming. July 2026 – that's when Tranche 2 finally starts in real estate.

The biggest lesson from across the Tasman? It wasn't the paperwork that tripped people up.

"A lot of the senior management didn't really engage fully in AML," Richard says. "They created a weak AML culture in the business."

The firms that struggled weren't missing software. They were missing leadership.

  • The $20 million example: How money actually moves through real estate – and why your trust account is more attractive than you might think

  • The DIY trap: Why building your own compliance program can create systemic failures that haunt you for years

  • The January target: Richard's timeline for having your ducks in a row – hint: it's not June

Plus, much more.
– Samantha McLean

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