Kia ora koutou
Today marks a significant step forward for the Government’s overseas investment reforms, with the introduction of the Overseas Investment (National Interest Test and Other Matters) Amendment Bill to Parliament.
The Bill - available at the Parliament website - will reform the Overseas Investment Act 2005 to simplify and speed up decision making for low-risk overseas investments, while providing the right regulatory tools to manage risks to New Zealand’s national interest.
Key changes include:
- consolidating the national interest, benefit to New Zealand, and investor tests into a single test for all assets other than farmland, fishing quota, and residential land (for which the existing consent pathways remain),
- revising the Act’s purpose statement to explicitly acknowledge the role of overseas investment in increasing economic opportunity, while continuing to acknowledge that it is a privilege for overseas persons to own or control sensitive New Zealand assets, and
- requiring that LINZ, as the regulator, grant consent under the national interest pathway within 15 working days unless there are ‘reasonable grounds’ to consider a risk to national interest may exist, in which case a ‘stage two’ full national interest assessment is required.
Read Minister Seymour’s press release on the Beehive website:
Going for growth with more overseas investment
Our overseas investment team has worked closely with the Treasury as the reforms have been developed, and we will continue to support the legislative process as the Bill progresses.
We encourage you to read the Bill and provide feedback on the proposed changes when the Select Committee process is underway.
The Bill is expected to be passed by the end of the year, and the new overseas investment regime implemented by early 2026.
We will continue to keep you updated through this pānui and through our website:
Reform of the Overseas Investment Act
Ngā mihi
Rebecca McAtamney
Head of Regulatory Practice and Delivery
Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand
Media contact
Email: media@linz.govt.nz