Pānui - April 2026

Welcome to Pānui for April 2026. The reforms to the Overseas Investment Act are now fully in effect and the new application and assessment processes are running smoothly. Thank you for working with us and responding to the changes we have made to our processes.

The Overseas Investment Team are working hard to meet the new timeframes the Government has set. Since the Amendment Act came into force, the average timeframe to grant consent under the new primary consent pathway is now four working days. We welcome feedback on how you are finding the new process, please email us at oio@linz.govt.nz

We are committed to maintaining these timeframes and meeting the Government’s expectations of us. There are ways that applicants and their advisors can get decisions as quickly as possible, including providing the right information and responding to requests for further information quickly. More detail about this is set out below.

Applications for investor class visa holders to buy or build a house worth more than $5 million are open and the process is working well. At the time of sending this edition of Pānui 13 applications have been granted for properties, predominantly in Auckland.

Under this pathway, investors must apply for consent before they complete the purchase, so any offer should be subject to gaining approval under the Overseas Investment Act. It is also important to note that land purchased under this pathway must be residential but cannot be classed as ‘otherwise sensitive’. More information about buying residential land and what would make land ‘otherwise sensitive’ is available on our website.

Ngā mihi

Dan White
Head of Regulatory Practice and Delivery
Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand

Help make assessments faster and smoother

The Government has challenged LINZ to make Overseas Investments Act assessments and decisions faster, so we give investors certainty sooner.

We have significantly reduced assessment times since reforms began in 2024, and we are committed to ongoing and sustained improvement.

Applicants and their advisors can assist in getting faster decisions by ensuring applications are complete, contain focused information and are of high quality.

Some common issues that we are seeing include:

• Absent or incomplete sections of application forms
• Including unnecessary background information or documents that have not been requested
• Providing ‘raw’ data that requires analysis to be understood
• Incomplete or inadequate ownership and control information, especially in cases involving trusts or investment vehicles with complex ownership structures.

Filing poor quality applications may cause delays for your clients. We are unable to accept incomplete applications, and our assessment timeframes can be paused or extended if we need to request further information or assess complex information that has been provided.

We suggest arranging a pre-application meeting or teleconference with us if your application is complex or if the process is new to you. We can provide advice on what a quality application looks like and highlight any issues or matters that may need to be addressed in your application.

If you want to book a meeting or teleconference email us with a brief description of your intended investment, your meeting attendees, and a proposed agenda. We will confirm whether a meeting or teleconference is appropriate and, if so, organise a time to meet with you in-person or online.

Residential Land Statement reminder

A Residential Land Statement must be completed by everyone buying residential land in New Zealand.

LINZ has issued a new Residential Land Statement as part of implementing the recent law changes. The updated statement and guidance for conveyancers and lawyers are available at the link below.

Residential Land Statement and Guidance for conveyancers and lawyers

The previous version of the Residential Land Statement can still be used until the end of September, but we encourage lawyers and conveyancers to start using the updated statement immediately.

Decision summaries

Benefit to New Zealand

202600015 - Sword Merger Sub, Inc.
202500799 - Koala Bidco, Pty. Ltd
202500673 - Auckland International Airport Limited
202500823 - Fletcher Concrete and Infrastructure Limited
202600039 - Vinci Construction New Zealand Limited
202600037 - Sojitz Capella Corporation 2 B.V. (Capella) and Waikeria B.V. (Invesis)

Primary consent pathway – Business decision

202600153 - Strontium NZ Investments Limited
202600151 - CW Leasing NZ Pty Ltd
202600169 - NZ Hotel Operations Wellington Ltd and NZ Hotel Operations Queenstown Ltd

Primary consent pathway – Sensitive land

202600201 - Cornerstone Infrastructure Partners Group (CIP) and SPV2

Production forestry

202600205 - Sustainable Forestry New Zealand Limited
202600207 - Sustainable Forestry New Zealand Limited
202600206 - Sustainable Forestry New Zealand Limited

Residential land development

202600002 - NZ Healthcare Holdco Limited
202500826 - Firstmiznz Limited Partnership
202500850 - Bupa Retirement Villages Limited

Significant business assets only

202600007 - SL Future Limited
202600075 - Inspire Impact SPV No.1 Pty Ltd as trustee of the QPIT Sub Trust H
202500759 - Pantheon Infrared Digital Core Plus JV Holdco Limited
202500793 - TECA Lorien NZ BidCo Private Limited
202600055 - Bourns, Inc.

Exemption – Discretionary

202500824 - Aspiring Limited Partnership
202500835 - Goodman Property Services (NZ) Limited
202500844 - Perennial Roots LP

See Register: Discretionary exemptions

Exemption - Farm land advertising

202600056 - Withheld under s9(2)(b)(ii) of the official Information Act

See Register: Exemptions from farm land advertising requirements