New Zealand’s Active Investor Plus Visa: The $5 Million Gateway to Global Residency

A New Era for Global Investment Migration: New Zealand has redefined its approach to attracting global capital through the introduction of the Active Investor Plus (AIP) Visa—a sophisticated residency-by-investment framework tailored for high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) and global investors. Introduced in 2025, the AIP Visa modernizes and replaces the earlier Investor Visa categories, streamlining access for serious capital while tightening oversight to ensure alignment with New Zealand’s strategic economic priorities.

For investors, this program is more than a pathway to residency—it’s a gateway into one of the world’s most politically stable, environmentally pristine, and innovation-driven economies.

The Investment Blueprint: Growth and Balanced Categories

Under the revised framework, the AIP Visa offers two distinct investment categories—each with different thresholds, timelines, and privileges that align with an investor’s profile and appetite for involvement.

The Growth Category, with a minimum NZD 5 million capital commitment, focuses on injecting funds directly into high-potential New Zealand-managed funds or private equity vehicles—investments that spur innovation, jobs, and sustainable economic growth.

Meanwhile, the Balanced Category doubles the commitment to NZD 10 million but offers broader asset flexibility, including bonds, listed equities, and even qualified philanthropic giving.

Market Signals: Strong Global Demand

By 15 December 2025, 491 applications had been received for the AIP visa, representing NZD 2.91 billion in potential new capital inflows. Of these applications:

• 400 were under the Growth category.
• 91 were under the Balanced pathway.
• 129 visas have been formally approved (30 Balanced, 99 Growth).

These numbers reveal a clear preference among applicants for the Growth Category—a more targeted and capital-efficient entry route, likely favored by venture-oriented investors.

Top applicant nationalities include investors from the United States, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, the UAE, and Australia. This global mix signals robust confidence in New Zealand’s stability and investor-friendly governance.

The Institutional Backbone: Invest New Zealand’s Pre-Approval Framework

A key innovation of the AIP visa program is Invest New Zealand’s “Approved Managed Funds” list, which provides verified vehicles pre-qualified for visa purposes. This pre-approval approach enhances transparency and gives investors confidence that their capital deployment aligns with AIP visa rules.

Notably, many of these funds are New Zealand Limited Partnerships (NZLPs) managed by some of the country’s premier asset firms. Key sectors represented include:

• Private equity and venture capital (Movac, Icehouse Ventures, 2040 Ventures, Altered Capital, Pacific Channel).
• Private credit and infrastructure (Amber Infrastructure).
• Agriculture, technology, and renewable energy-focused funds that align with New Zealand’s long-term economic sustainability agenda.

This structure ensures that every fiat deployed through the AIP program contributes to national innovation rather than speculative markets.

A Flexible Path: Physical Presence and Tax Efficiency

Perhaps the most attractive element for global elites is the light-touch residency requirement.

• Growth investors need to spend just 21 days in New Zealand over three years.
• Balanced investors need 105 days over five years.

This flexibility allows global investors to maintain their international business presence while securing residency rights in New Zealand—a country widely ranked for safety, governance, and livability.

Importantly, this minimal presence threshold means most investors avoid triggering full New Zealand tax residency, a clear incentive for internationally diversified portfolios. However, those investing through New Zealand Limited Partnerships (NZLPs) must meet local tax filing obligations on partnership-related income. Depending on their home jurisdiction, foreign tax credits can mitigate double taxation—another reason the regime appeals to globally mobile HNWIs.

Real Estate Access: A Major Incentive Shift

In a landmark policy update, the New Zealand government amended the Overseas Investment Act 2005 (OIA), allowing Active Investor Plus visa holders to purchase or build residential property valued above NZD 5 million.

This change, expected to take effect in early 2026, provides a new layer of lifestyle and wealth preservation appeal to the AIP visa. While such property does not count toward the qualifying investment total, it offers elite investors—many of whom seek family-use estate holdings—a legal and streamlined ownership mechanism.

The consent process under the OIA is highly efficient, with approvals anticipated within five working days, provided all conditions are met. Each investor is permitted to own one qualifying residence under this rule; any additional property purchases must follow standard consent procedures.

Why the World’s Richest Are Looking to New Zealand

For ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs), residency decisions are no longer just about tax optimization—they are about institutional stability, quality of life, and jurisdictional trust. New Zealand’s AIP framework stands out for:

• Political and judicial integrity.
• Low sovereign risk.
• World-class education and healthcare systems.
• Direct innovation access in agri-tech, green energy, and advanced manufacturing.

Combined, these elements position New Zealand as both a refuge and a frontier—a low-volatility economy ideal for wealth preservation and family relocation, yet dynamic enough to offer active growth participation through capital deployment.

Evolving Oversight: Invest New Zealand and Immigration NZ Coordination

While the AIP Visa ecosystem is still maturing, both Invest New Zealand and Immigration New Zealand play distinct yet complementary roles.

• Invest NZ pre-approves Growth Category investments, ensuring capital flows toward productive sectors.
• Immigration NZ governs due diligence, eligibility, and compliance, maintaining foreign investment integrity.

This dual-agency design ensures program stability while protecting New Zealand’s economic sovereignty—an aspect that differentiates the AIP visa from more open-ended “Golden Visa” programs elsewhere.

AIP Visa by the Numbers

Below is an executive summary table showcasing the policy’s measurable attributes and early data performance:

Active Investor Plus Visa by the Numbers

Strategic Openness, Measured Control

The Active Investor Plus Visa is not a “buy-your-passport” scheme—it is a well-designed partnership model, where capital curation and economic impact go hand in hand. With disciplined capital thresholds, robust fund accreditation, and targeted tax advantages, New Zealand sets a new benchmark for what a responsible residency-by-investment program should look like.

For global investors navigating geopolitical uncertainty, the AIP Visa offers both stability and sophistication: a long-term gateway into one of the world’s most admired democracies—and one of the last true safe harbors for wealth, innovation, and family continuity.