Pānui - August 2025

Kia ora koutou

I hope you are enjoying the longer days and looking forward to warmer weather as we head into spring next week.

This week we’ve released three new guidance documents on:

• investments in the grocery sector
• the definition of “associate”, and
• how the alternative monetary threshold regime works.

All three of these documents respond to frequently asked questions from investors or lawyers.

You can read more and find a link to the new guidance below.

We’re also releasing the updated thresholds for Australian investors for 2026. From 1 January 2026, the threshold for Australian non-government investors will be $676m (2025: $650m) while the threshold for Australian government investors will rise to $142m (2025: $136m).

This month we’ve also refreshed our digital dashboards, providing a big-picture view of decision summaries current to 30 June 2025.

Ngā mihi

Rebecca McAtamney
Head of Regulatory Practice and Delivery
Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand

Update to threshold for Australian investors

On 1 January 2026, the significant business assets threshold for Australian investors will increase. The threshold will increase to:

• NZ$676 million, if the investor is an Australian non-government investor (2025: $650m), and
• NZ$142 million, if the investor is an Australian government investor (2025: $136m).

You can find out more about the changes on our website: Investing in significant business assets (SBA)

New factsheet - Investing in the grocery sector

Greater competition in the grocery sector is a policy priority for the New Zealand Government. In support of this aim, it is supportive of foreign-owned firms seeking to enter or grow to compete in the sector.

Some (but not all) grocery sector investments will need consent under the Overseas Investment Act. For those that do need consent, the process is relatively fast and simple, as grocery sector investments generally make compelling cases for consent. No grocery sector consent has ever been declined.

This guidance clarifies the process, requirements, and options available for overseas grocery firms to meet obligations under the Overseas Investment Act.

The new guidance is available here: Grocery sector investments under the Overseas Investment Act 2005

New factsheet – Alternative monetary thresholds

Investments in “significant business assets” under the Overseas Investment Act 2005 are usually subject to a $100m threshold. However, New Zealand has agreed alternative monetary thresholds in free trade agreements with some of our key trading partners. The effect of the alternative monetary thresholds is to increase the screening threshold for some investments involving investors from those countries.

However the rules are different for different countries, and this guidance will help you navigate how the rules may assist your clients.

The new guidance is available here: Alternative monetary thresholds

New factsheet – “Associate” of an overseas person

The definition of associate prevents an overseas person from circumventing the Act by having a third party (normally a New Zealander) buying on their behalf. However, some investors, lawyers and other professionals take a risk averse position and avoid structures that could potentially “be seen” as involving an associate relationship. In many cases, the concerns expressed have been unfounded.

This guidance seeks to clarify LINZ’s approach to the definition of associate, and give investors, lawyers and other professionals more confidence when deciding how to structure their investments.

The new guidance is available here: What is an associate of an overseas person?

Refreshed digital dashboards

The latest data on approved overseas investment consents is now available on our interactive dashboards.

The visual dashboards present data current up to 30 June 2025, providing a big-picture view of the decision summaries we publicly release each month. The dashboards can be filtered according to such things as decision pathways and regions, and are presented in both graph and map form.

Our overseas investment dashboards

Decision summaries for July

Decision summaries are published the month after a decision is made. The latest decision summaries are listed here, including standing consent notifications.

Benefit to New Zealand

202500364 - Kauri Forestry LP

202500339 - Kauri Forestry LP

202500368 - Coherent Hotel Limited

Special Forestry

202500352 - Kauri Forestry LP

202500388 - Trelinnoe Forest LP

202500406 - Ingka Investments Forest Assets NZ Limited and Ingka Investment Managements NZ Limited

Significant business assets only

202500385 - SBI Regional Bank Holdings Co. Ltd and SBI Holdings, Inc.

202500249 - Anglesea Hospital Limited

Exemption - Farm land advertising

202500340 - Alliance Group Limited