Investor Migrant update – April 2024

The Active Investor Plus programme has gained positive momentum, New Zealand continues to be a compelling country for investors and their families, paired with continued interest from potential investor migrants, along with a growing number of New Zealand companies and funds seeking investment, we are well placed to accelerate the flow of investor migrants.

Visa applications

As of 17 April 2024, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has received 52 AIP visa applications, of these applications:

• 20 are approved, with a resident visa granted

• 14 are approved in principle and now able to invest, working towards being fully approved

• 12 are in progress

• 6 have been withdrawn.

These investments reflect a committed investment value of over $500M into New Zealand, of which;

• 44%has been invested into direct investments

• 11% into managed funds

• 45% into listed equities.

We have seen continued strong interest from the US market which is almost certain to continue as the November presidential election draws closer. We have also seen a strong increase in interest and applications from Hong Kong; another part of the world facing a unique set of challenges. Given that Henley & Co estimate that 2024 could see up to 128,000 HNW/UHNWs seeking alternative residence or citizenship, it is clear that New Zealand is uniquely positioned to take advantage of increasingly mobile talent and capital.

In 2013/14 Immigration New Zealand commissioned research into why investor migrants chose New Zealand and although over a decade old, the key findings still hold true - perhaps even more so - in today’s more complex, fragile world.

The research found that investors highly valued New Zealand’s natural environment and quality of life, neither of which come as much of a surprise.

Perhaps of more interest is the value they place on our political stability, transparency and personal safety for them and their families. This research is reinforced by international data that places New Zealand very highly across measures including safety and security, economic opportunity, and quality of life.

When we consider that the Australian “Significant Investor Visa” (SIV) programme is not currently accepting any new applications, New Zealand’s attributes, coupled with a reduction in competition, position us extremely well in the minds of experienced, active investors looking for a residence option that provides access to unique investment opportunities and a chance to really contribute to New Zealand.

With the Australia SIV closed to applications we are hearing commentary that New Zealand is now investors number one choice, something we are leveraging and monitoring closely.

We have been working with Immigration New Zealand to inform and educate Australian immigration advisers about the Active Investor Plus visa, its process, and holding educational webinars.

As of 23 April 2024, there have been:

While most mainstream funds in-market have been approved several new funds continue to apply. A new fund of note is Elliptic which is backed by two US LP’s who are also applying for AIP as individuals.

We are starting to see Direct Investments apply for FastTrack approval as they have an “approved fund” investment. This is well received by the funds.

Enquires into funds from AIP Approved or 'Approved In Principle' are running around a third of all enquiries. The pipeline of companies applying remains strong.

Dylan Lawrence, our General Manager, recently spent several weeks offshore, joining our Minister for Space, Judith Collins, at the 39th Space Symposium in Colorado, USA. Together, they showcased investment opportunities within the New Zealand space sector. This journey proved highly successful, fostering connections with investors and garnering significant attention for New Zealand's investment prospects. For further updates on this event, follow us on LinkedIn to see insights from Dylan's trip.

Marketing activity is increasing, we are running targeted awareness, search and lead generation campaigns across UK, EU and the USA. Our focus on the US market is qualified by the above insights around both the political climate and reduction in competition and we hope to see increased interest from these regions.

We continue to engage with investors across a pipeline of partner, industry and hosted events. These event activations provide us with valuable networking and brand building opportunities.

The governments focus on FDI is welcome, paired with the ambition to double exports over the next 10 years means we remain highly focused in driving a high growth portfolio, accelerate the development of new subsectors – particularly space, aquaculture and renewables.