Programme Overview
New Zealand has a long history of welcoming investor immigrants, and the Active Investor Plus Visa — which replaced the former Investor 1 and Investor 2 visa categories in 2022 and was then substantially overhauled in April 2025 — represents the most current iteration of the country's investor immigration framework. The April 2025 reforms simplified the regime into two investment categories, lowered the entry threshold, removed the English-language requirement, and significantly relaxed the physical-presence obligations.
The programme is designed with a clear policy objective: to direct foreign capital into active, growth-oriented investments in New Zealand businesses, rather than relying solely on passive instruments. The reformed framework offers a higher-risk Growth category weighted towards direct and managed-fund investment, and a lower-risk Balanced category that permits a wider mix of assets (including bonds and property) at a higher investment level.
For internationally mobile high-net-worth individuals — particularly those from Asia-Pacific markets, or those seeking an English-speaking base with exceptional environmental quality and political stability — New Zealand permanent residency and citizenship represents a premium long-term option.
Investment Requirements: The Two Categories
Since the April 2025 reforms, the Active Investor Plus Visa offers two distinct investment pathways. Applicants choose the category that fits their risk appetite, capital, and the amount of time they are willing to spend in New Zealand.
Growth category — from NZD 5 million over 3 years
The Growth category is the higher-risk, lower-capital route. The minimum investment is NZD 5 million, held for a minimum of three years, in qualifying higher-risk assets — direct investments in New Zealand businesses and managed funds investing in such businesses. Passive instruments such as bonds and residential property do not qualify under this category, reflecting its growth-capital objective.
Balanced category — from NZD 10 million over 5 years
The Balanced category requires a higher minimum investment of NZD 10 million, held for a minimum of five years, but permits a broader and lower-risk mix of assets — including bonds, listed equities, commercial property, and philanthropy, alongside the higher-risk options available under the Growth category. This category suits investors who prefer a more conservative allocation and are comfortable committing more capital for longer.
Under both categories, the qualifying investments must be maintained for the relevant holding period, and applicants report their investment status to Immigration New Zealand.
Visa Duration and Residency Requirements
The Active Investor Plus Visa is granted as a resident visa with conditions tied to the chosen category's investment-holding period (three years for Growth, five years for Balanced). The April 2025 reforms substantially relaxed the physical-presence requirement:
Minimum physical presence (Growth category): The primary applicant must spend a minimum of 21 days in New Zealand across the 3-year period.
Minimum physical presence (Balanced category): The primary applicant must spend a minimum of 105 days in New Zealand across the 5-year period. This requirement can be reduced by investing above the NZD 10 million minimum (for example, NZD 11 million reduces it to 91 days, with further reductions at higher amounts).
These thresholds are meaningful but not onerous — neither category requires full-time residence in New Zealand. The qualifying investments must be maintained throughout the relevant period; significant divestment without replacement could affect visa compliance. Regular reporting of investment status to Immigration New Zealand is required.
Permanent Residency and Citizenship
Permanent Residency (PR): After meeting the investment and physical-presence requirements over the relevant holding period, applicants may apply for a Permanent Resident Visa. Permanent residency grants the right to live and work in New Zealand indefinitely, without restriction.
New Zealand Citizenship: Available after 5 years of holding a resident visa, provided the applicant has been physically present in New Zealand for at least 1,350 days across the 5-year period and at least 240 days in each of those years, and meets character and English-language requirements. Dual nationality is permitted — New Zealand does not require renunciation of existing citizenship. (Note: the relaxed physical-presence thresholds of the Active Investor Plus visa mean most investor migrants will need to spend considerably more time in New Zealand than the visa minimums to satisfy these citizenship presence requirements.)
The New Zealand Passport
The New Zealand passport provides visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to approximately 185 countries as of 2026, consistently placing it among the most powerful passports globally (typically ranked in the top five to seven on the major passport indices). Access includes the United Kingdom, the full Schengen Area, the United States (under the ESTA programme), Canada, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and virtually all OECD states.
For investors from countries with more restricted travel documents, the New Zealand passport is one of the most coveted outcomes of any investor immigration programme worldwide.
The Transitional Residency Tax Concession: New Zealand's Distinctive Advantage
New Zealand's tax treatment of new immigrants offers one of the most valuable transitional concessions of any major English-speaking destination:
The transitional residency exemption: New residents who have not been New Zealand tax residents for the preceding 10 years benefit from a 4-year window during which foreign-sourced passive income is exempt from New Zealand income tax. This covers interest, dividends, and rental income from overseas sources — precisely the income types that most high-net-worth investors have in abundance.
The scope of this exemption is genuinely significant. A UK national who relocates to New Zealand, bringing with them a substantial portfolio of UK equities generating dividends, UK rental properties generating rental income, or foreign interest income, can structure affairs so that this income falls outside New Zealand taxation for the full four-year transitional period.
This does not, of course, affect the investor's home-country tax obligations — UK nationals who genuinely break UK tax residence will need to manage their UK tax position separately. But for those who are definitively exiting the UK tax net and establishing New Zealand residency, the transitional exemption provides a meaningful planning window.
After the 4-year transitional period, New Zealand taxes residents on worldwide income, similar to Australia and the UK.
New Zealand's Tax System: Overview for New Residents
Beyond the transitional exemption:
Income tax: Progressive rates from 10.5% (income to NZD 14,000) to 39% (income above NZD 180,000). There is no separate capital gains tax in New Zealand — gains from investment assets are generally not taxed unless they arise from a profit-making scheme, property held within the Bright Line period, or trading activities.
Bright Line Test on property: New Zealand introduced the Bright Line Test to tax residential property gains. As of 2026, the test applies to residential properties sold within 2 years of acquisition (reduced from 10 years by the 2023 government change) — gains on properties sold within 2 years are taxable as income; longer-held properties are generally not subject to income tax on the gain.
No inheritance tax, no gift tax, no wealth tax: New Zealand is an attractive jurisdiction for estate planning purposes.
GST: 15% Goods and Services Tax applies to New Zealand consumer purchases.
UK-New Zealand DTA: A Double Taxation Agreement exists between the UK and New Zealand, providing treaty protection for UK-source income held by New Zealand residents.
New Zealand: Quality of Life and Practical Considerations
New Zealand's appeal as a long-term residence destination is genuine and well-documented:
Environment: Clean air, dramatic landscapes (mountain ranges, fjords, geothermal regions, white sand beaches), world-class outdoor recreation, and an environmental quality that consistently ranks among the world's best.
Political stability: A stable Westminster-style parliamentary democracy with strong rule of law, an independent judiciary, and consistently high rankings in governance and transparency indices.
English-speaking: English is New Zealand's de facto primary language; Māori (Te Reo Māori) holds official status alongside English.
Proximity to Australia: A 3-hour flight to Sydney or Melbourne, with a Trans-Tasman agreement providing New Zealanders and Australians with essentially unrestricted rights to live and work in each other's countries.
Infrastructure: World-class in main cities (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown), though the country's geographic isolation and small population mean that some specialist services (healthcare subspecialties, international cultural institutions) are more limited than in London, Sydney, or Singapore.
Connectivity: Air New Zealand and partner airlines provide good connectivity to Asia, Australia, and the US West Coast, though long-haul travel times are significant from New Zealand's remote South Pacific location.
How Global Investments Can Help
Global Investments advises high-net-worth individuals and families on the Active Investor Plus Visa application process, from initial eligibility assessment through to qualifying investment selection, Immigration New Zealand engagement, and transitional residency tax planning.
We work with specialist New Zealand migration advisers, fund managers with NZ-qualifying investment products, and international tax specialists with expertise in the UK-New Zealand DTA and the transitional residency concession.
Contact our team for a confidential consultation on New Zealand investor immigration.
New Zealand immigration regulations and tax rules may change; this guide reflects conditions as of June 2026. Investment values may go down as well as up. New Zealand citizenship requires genuine physical presence and long-term commitment. Professional legal, migration, and tax advice is essential.
This guide is for general information only and does not constitute legal, financial or immigration advice. Programme details, investment thresholds, and eligibility requirements change; always verify current requirements with a qualified immigration lawyer and financial adviser before making any investment or application. Investment values can fall as well as rise.