Why Japanese investors are looking to regional NZ
Saturday, 11 July 2026
Many Kiwis hold a gloomy view of New Zealand right now, but overseas investors see the country very differently, and that’s driving renewed interest in regional property, Property Brokers says.
Executives from the provincial-focused real estate agency recently took a trip to Tokyo for the 2026 LeadingRE Asia Pacific Forum and Investor Exchange, and it highlighted to them how much New Zealand stands out as a destination in the current geopolitical climate.
LeadingRE is an elite, invite-only global network of over 500 independent real estate agencies, and the Tokyo forum was focused on exploring cross-border investment opportunities.
Property Brokers managing director Guy Mordaunt said at the forum there was a lot more overseas interest in investing in New Zealand than there had been for a long time.
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For many years New Zealand was not the easiest place for overseas parties to invest, but the new “golden visa” for investors, and a change to the foreign buyer ban to allow holders to buy homes valued over $5 million had made a difference, he said.
“But now, even more than that it’s the country’s safety and stability, and long-term fundamentals that are attracting international investors.
“New Zealand offers something increasingly valuable: we have a stable political environment, a lack of corruption, transparent property rights, a world-class primary sector and resilient regional economies.”
In the current geopolitical climate, the country stood out, and with its biggest industries - agriculture and tourism - “going gangbusters”, it was an attractive place these days, he said.
There were people from 20 different countries, including China, at the forum, and Mordaunt said there was a surprising amount of pessimism from many people about their own markets.
Interest in New Zealand was particularly high among delegates from Australia, where there had been a lot of tax changes, and Japan, where a slow economy was prompting a search for other options, he said.
“It’s interesting because back in the 1980s there was a lot of Japanese investment in New Zealand, but it faded under the radar with China becoming a focus and the difficulties of investing here.”
Following the forum, Property Brokers hosted LeadingRE Japan member Manabu Suzuki on a trip to New Zealand to explore regional investment opportunities on behalf of Japanese investors.
Mordaunt said they had taken him to look at a variety of regional opportunities, particularly in the commercial and rural space, to promote the benefits of bringing Japanese capital to New Zealand.
Nothing replaced face-to-face relationships when building international confidence, as people invested where they had confidence, and confidence was built through trust and relationships, he said.
“Having Manabu experience the regions we represent, meet our people and see the opportunities firsthand is an important step in connecting international investors with regional New Zealand.'
Suzuki would provide feedback on where further connections could be built with Japanese investors, and at the same time Property Brokers was working to convert increased Australian interest into transactions.
“We've spent time in Australia building relationships, and talking with people wanting to spend money here. Now, there's some quite big transactions in process, and we’re hoping they come to fruition.”
Property Brokers, which is family-owned, has 88 branches around the country, but has a focus on provincial markets. It has a strong presence in the rural market, and is involved with about 25% of rural sales each year.
Mordaunt said they were seeing strong confidence in the rural sector, improving rental affordability across many regions and sustained demand for quality residential and commercial assets.
Those fundamentals resonated strongly with international investors looking for stable, long-term opportunities, he said.
“Going forward there will be challenges for investors for the reasons we all know. There's so many unknowns about what's happening in the world, but New Zealand is well placed to handle those challenges.”
There is recent precedent for Japanese investment in New Zealand opportunities.
Design-build giant Takenaka Corporation was involved in the purchase of a 27.5 hectare site at Jack’s Point, Queenstown in April. The company plans to develop a multi-million dollar, luxury lodge on the site.
And New Zealand is home to Still, a company owned by the multibillion-dollar Tokyo stock exchange listed Benesse Corporation. Benesse is owned by the Fukutake family, and Still’s founder is Hideaki Fukutake.
Still is best known as the owner of the World of WearableArt show, but the company is on a mission to start or acquire 100 New Zealand companies.