Pānui - October 2025

Kia ora koutou

I am very sad to report that a long-standing member of our overseas investment family passed away recently. Peter Hill had more than 50 years in the Public Service, more than 40 years working for the Overseas Investment Commission and in the overseas investment team at LINZ, and nearly ten years leading LINZ’s Official Information Act practice.

Many of you will have worked with Pete, and we’re sure you’ll miss him as much as we will.

We are rapidly nearing the end of 2025, so we’d like to remind investors of assessment timings during the New Zealand summer holidays.

While this doesn’t mean your application won’t be worked on during this time, you should take this into consideration if you require a quick decision.

If you require a decision during the holiday period, or if your application will require a national interest assessment, please get in touch with us now to discuss timing.

Ngā mihi

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

In memory of Peter Hill

Pete will be remembered as a kind and welcoming man who was always happy to share his passions, knowledge and experience with those around him.

Pete started work at the Reserve Bank in 1973 and had been working in the overseas investment area since 1974. He moved to LINZ when we took over the overseas investment function in 2005.

Pete had an enormous impact on both the overseas investment regime and LINZ’s approach to the Official Information Act.

In the overseas investment area, Pete contributed more than 40 years to protecting New Zealand’s interests. He worked on many of the largest transactions in New Zealand’s history, including the asset privatisations in the 1980s and 90s, and helped to shape the Overseas Investment Act as we know it today.

It’s a real testament to Pete’s legacy that, despite not working in overseas investment for nearly 10 years, he’s still asked for by name by lawyers and investors who know of his contribution over the years.

Pete contributed nearly ten years more in the Official Information Act area. The balance between transparency and the need to protect information is a difficult one that Pete balanced extraordinarily well.

Please feel free to contact Pedro Morgan if you wish to share your memories of working with Pete.

‘One home to live in’ consent holders must live in the properties they buy

As the property market picks up ahead of Christmas, we think it is a good time for a refresher on the consent conditions for ‘one home to live in’ pathway buyers. If a buyer does not meet all the conditions below they may have to sell the land and could face penalties.

Everyone who is named in the consent must:

• move into the property and live in it as their main home within the time specified in the consent, which is usually within 3 months of taking ownership of the property (i.e., settlement) or, if building a house, within 3 months after construction is completed, and
• be present in New Zealand for at least 183 days in each 12-month period starting from the date consent is granted, and
  continue to hold a New Zealand residence class visa or continue to be an Australian or Singaporean citizen or permanent resident. survey.

It is important that the consent holder moves into and lives in the home. They cannot rent it out to someone else as this is in breach of the consent conditions.

If a home buyer (consent holder) becomes a New Zealand citizen or becomes ordinarily resident in New Zealand these conditions stop applying.

An example of how the ‘one home to live in’ conditions work:

If a consent holder bought a house relying on a consent and settled the purchase on 30 June 2025, they would need to move into the property by 30 September 2025.

If they were granted consent on 1 June 2025, they would have to be in New Zealand for at least 183 days between 1 June 2025 and 31 May 2026 (the first relevant period). If they did not become a New Zealand citizen or ordinarily resident in New Zealand during the first relevant period, then further relevant periods would apply until they did. The next relevant period during which they must be in New Zealand for at least 183 days would be between 1 June 2026 and 31 May 2027.

You can read more about buying residential property to live at:
Buying residential property to live in

Overseas investment customer survey

Thank you to everyone who participated in our overseas investment customer satisfaction surveys earlier this year. The survey went out to customers who contacted us between January and April, and we have been really pleased with the feedback received.

Checking in regularly with customers is an important part of our work to better understand our performance and make improvements. We have decided to run the survey twice yearly going forward.

If you contacted the overseas investment team with a query in July or August this year, you will receive an email from us soon with a link to the survey. Survey links will be sent to people who contacted us by email and through the online contact form:
Contact us

We are also happy to receive feedback on our services or processes at any time.

Decision summaries for September 2025

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

202500460 - P.F. Onings B.V
202500468 - Hampshire (NZ) Limited
202500464 - CDL Land New Zealand Limited
202500465 - CDL Land New Zealand Limited
202400837 - Oceana Gold (New Zealand) Limited
202500399 - Delmec Unlimited

Significant business assets

202500479 - YTLHS (Auckland) Pte Ltd and RW Auckland Limited
202500537 - ASB Bank Limited

Special forestry

202500413 - Future Forests NZ Limited
202500499 - Ingka Investments Forest Assets NZ Limited and Ingka Investments Management NZ Limited

Residential land development

202500442 - Metlifecare Limited

Exemption - Discretionary

202500341 - Fisher Funds Management Limited

Exemption - Farm land advertising

202500359 - Datagrid New Zealand Limited Partnership