2026 – Capital Markets and Investment

Capital Markets & Investment – Thriving beyond turbulence

New Zealand is forging a reputation as a “future haven” — smart trade architecture; disciplined crisis management around fuel and supply chains; stable Governments and just far enough away from international conflict to be seen as a safe environment for investors.

New Zealand firms, investors and financial institutions are “staring through” the current international volatility sparked by the Iran fuels crisis as they stake out a more confident future.

That’s obvious in interviews and thought-leadership articles in the 2026 New Zealand Herald’s Capital Markets and Investment report.

Precinct Properties’ George Crawford identifies international storm clouds have a silver lining when it comes to investment in the firm’s capital partnerships, particularly in Auckland. Auckland Business Chamber CEO Simon Bridges points to how the international appetite for the new golden visas is sparking investors from across the globe to pony up billions of dollars to invest into New Zealand.

It’s not well-known but New Zealand is also in the midst of the greatest wealth transfer in its history — much more could be done. And there is much more to do to accelerate KiwiSaver as the economic engine it should be to provide for Kiwi retirements, as Fraser Whineray lays out in his KiwiSaver 2.0 campaign.

Jamie Gray takes a look at what the US bull run means for New Zealand investors alongside a report from Graham Skellern, which shows Kiwi blue chips are holding steady.

With Kiwi unicorns like Rocket Lab, Halter and Crimson Education attracting international interest — the time was opportune for Andrea Fox to take a good look at the capital flowing into Kiwi innovation. Compellingly, entrepreneurs who have generated single-digit millions are now investing in the next generation of entrepreneurs — not simply renovating or retiring. It is a positive story as more and more of our early-stage companies go global.

We report on how Cabinet Minister Todd McClay has set bold ambitions for Invest New Zealand. Inaugural CEO Robert Wall talks to Tim McCready in his first interview since returning home after a two-decade stretch offshore in global markets.

The crisis has impacted.

Liam Dann explores if Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman can steady the RBNZ through the oil shock — as interest rates are forecast to increase.

There is a sense that Nicola Willis has taken a measured approach in her third Budget putting aside further funds to ensure more “timely, temporary and targeted” support is available if the crisis endures.

But there are tensions: Political analyst Richard Harman identifies how politicians — including Willis — keep dodging NZ’s capital problem, choosing to look after the public purse first instead of changing the tax settings for KiwiSaver as advocated by the OECD which would increase the investment pool at a faster clip.

Economist Cameron Bagrie applauds the end of the “sugar hits” and election-year lolly scrambles which have characterised prior Budgets, and Craig H. Stobo identifies how government borrowing is crowding out private sector borrowing.

Enjoy the reading.

Fran O’Sullivan

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