ABOUT THE AWARDS

Recognising success by net return to the New Zealand economy for businesses earlier in their international growth journey. As a guide, entrants will have up to five years’ history of international operations with growth and total annual revenue under $5 million.

Recognising success by net return to the New Zealand economy for businesses established in their international growth journey. As a guide, entrants will have over five years’ history of international operations with growth and total annual revenue between $5 million and $25 million.

Recognising success by net return to the New Zealand economy for businesses established in their international growth journey. As a guide, entrants will have over ten years’ history of international operations with growth and total annual revenue over $25 million.

Recognising businesses that excel in storytelling and marketing to an international audience and are helping to make Aotearoa New Zealand famous for more good things.

Recognising where an exporter has focused on driving measurable sales or leads growth online.

Recognising success in developing and commercialising innovation in international markets, incorporating intellectual property, strategy, processes, and monitoring.

Recognising organisations that embed sustainability into the fabric of their business, achieving international growth while having a positive impact on people and the planet.

Recognising the value of having a capital strategy that successfully utilises investment capital and partnerships to accelerate international growth of New Zealand businesses.

Recognising international Māori businesses whose values and ways of working contribute to the growth of the Māori economy.

Recognising women leaders with the skills and perspectives to lead from a uniquely New Zealand perspective, while maintaining a broad global outlook.

Taking part in the NZIBA is a strengthening process and gives your business the chance to:

Nominations are now closed for the 2025 NZIBA.

A nomination is a great way to show recognition for a business or leader you believe is worth celebrating. All award categories are open for nomination – a nomination is required for Inspiring Women Leaders and Māori Excellence in Export. All other categories can be entered directly without nomination.

The nomination process takes approximately 5-10 minutes.

The NZIBA is open to any New Zealand business that sells goods or services in international markets. There is no cost to submit an entry.

To enter the NZIBA all entrants must:

All entrants must also demonstrate:

NZTE is delighted to continue our partnership with ExportNZ aligning regional award programmes with the NZIBA. This alignment allows us to champion and support regional winners who will be automatically shortlisted for the New Zealand International Business Awards.

Please note that where entry criteria differ, our assessment partners KPMG review applications and map to the most appropriate category and the applicant is advised of the decision.

This year, the following award categories will align:

Don't have a regional awards programme near you? 

If you don't have a regional awards programme near your business, you can enter the NZIBA directly.

Remember, all New Zealand businesses are encouraged to enter both general and specialist categories.

The New Zealand International Business Awards, run by NZTE every second year, celebrate the success of our international export businesses – of all sizes, and across all sectors.

The NZIBA is open to any New Zealand business that sells goods or services in international markets. There is no cost to submit an entry.

To enter the NZIBA all entrants must:

All entrants must also demonstrate:

Absolutely. We encourage it. Each specialist category has different criteria and requires a separate entry – so choose wisely, focus your efforts, and make sure you really stand out before committing to extra entries.

Yes, each question allows a response up to 500 words. Focus on what's important and keep track of your word count – if your response is too long, only the first 500 words will be judged.

Yes! You can upload supporting images or graphs as high-resolution attachments. If you want to include video or online content, please include the video or web link in your response to the question. Don't forget to provide passwords if needed for download links.

Download 2025 Entry Guide

As the largest New Zealand-owned bank, Kiwibank is proud to partner with the New Zealand International Business Awards. Aligning with our purpose to make Kiwis better off, we believe business can be a force for good and we’re proud to recognise those who share that belief. These awards celebrate the ambition and impact of Kiwi businesses shaping our future and taking Aotearoa to the world.

At Kiwibank, we offer expert support and tailored tools to help businesses grow with purpose. This is business banking for better. This is Kiwi.