More than 700 wealthy foreigners have applied for New Zealand residency under its Active Investor Plus “golden visa” scheme over the past 14 months, the Financial Times reports — up from just 115 in the previous three years combined. Applicants must invest a minimum of NZ$5m in local funds, companies, or charities within three years; a second tier requires NZ$10m invested over five years in passive assets such as bonds, drawing a further 127 applications. Since the scheme was overhauled in April 2025 — easing rules on property purchases, investment options, and required time spent in the country — applicants from North America, Europe, and Asia have committed NZ$4.8bn ($2.7bn) in total. Americans account for 277 applications, with Californians particularly active; the FT calls it “becoming a badge of honour in Silicon Valley,” citing Lachlan Nixon, founding partner of venture capital firm Motion Capital.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the scheme is helping attract foreign capital and reverse a “brain drain” as young New Zealanders emigrate for economic opportunity, crediting the inflows for boosting local start-ups with both capital and expertise. Geopolitical uncertainty has added to the country’s appeal for the safety and remoteness golden-visa applicants cite. The report notes mixed outcomes for such schemes elsewhere — Ireland, Malta, and Australia have all cancelled theirs over weak uptake or abuse concerns — while New Zealand-based groups such as the Mountain Club, a private members’ club, are now organising events aimed at deepening new arrivals’ investment in the country; its chief executive, Peter Fullerton-Smith, described the goal as turning a NZ$5m investor into a NZ$500m one.
References
Financial Times — ‘Every dollar is mobile’: California’s rich snap up New Zealand ‘golden visas’
