AH Media is a reference publication covering digital strategy for New Zealand financial services firms. It is written by Alex Hayes, a former web designer who spent twelve years building sites for accounting practices, financial advisors, and wealth management firms across NZ.
This is not an agency. There is nothing to buy. The publication exists because the same questions kept coming up -- and the answers were worth writing down properly.
Alex Hayes spent twelve years designing websites for accounting firms and financial advisors across New Zealand. Somewhere around year eight, the conversations became more valuable than the websites -- the same misconceptions, the same inherited mistakes, the same gap between what financial professionals needed and what the web industry sold them. AH Media started as a way to scale those conversations. The design work wound down. The writing did not.
The pattern was always the same. A firm would commission a website redesign. During discovery, the real problems would surface: a compliance page that no one had updated since the FAP licensing regime changed, a contact form that leaked enquiries into a shared inbox no one monitored, a homepage written by a marketing agency that had never worked in financial services. The website was rarely the actual problem. The thinking behind it was.
After enough of these conversations, it became clear that the sector needed a resource -- not another agency pitch deck, but a straightforward reference that financial professionals could consult when making decisions about their digital presence. Something written by someone who had sat in the room with compliance officers and practice managers and IT committees, and understood why the standard web industry advice so often missed the mark.
AH Media launched in 2024. The design client list wound down. The writing did not.
Alex Hayes is former financial services web designer, now the one writing it down. Based in New Zealand, Alex has worked with firms ranging from sole-practitioner financial advisors to mid-tier accounting practices with multiple offices. The experience is hands-on: briefing designers, migrating content, arguing with hosting providers, explaining to partners why their website needed HTTPS before the FMA made it a conversation.
Alex does not take design clients any more. The publication is the focus now -- translating twelve years of accumulated sector knowledge into practical guidance that financial professionals can actually use.
Insights from real engagements with real firms, not theoretical web design commentary.
The web industry sells financial firms a lot of things they do not need. We ask whether it actually works.
We present the trade-offs and trust the reader to choose. Not decisions made for you -- decisions made better.
Advice developed in and for the NZ market. NZ hosting, NZ privacy law, NZ-scale firms.
AH Media does not accept sponsored content, paid placements, or affiliate arrangements. No vendor pays for coverage. No agency gets preferential treatment. When a platform or provider is recommended, it is because it performed well in real engagements with real firms -- not because someone sent a press release.
This is also not professional advice. AH Media publishes analysis and commentary about digital strategy for the financial services sector. It is not a substitute for legal, compliance, or financial advice. Firms should always consult their own professional advisors before making decisions.
Questions, corrections, or topic suggestions are welcome at alex@ahmedia.co.nz.
