Who we work with
Our clients are typically founders, senior executives and family offices considering New Zealand as a primary or secondary residence. Most arrive with a clear capital range — somewhere between NZ$5M and NZ$30M — and a preference for active ownership over passive holdings. We work best with investors who want a hands-on team rather than a brochure, and who value straight answers over polished promises. If you already have a shortlist in mind, we will stress-test it. If you are starting from scratch, we will build it with you over a single, focused engagement.
Why active-investor residency over passive
Active Investor Plus rewards direct exposure to New Zealand businesses and growth-oriented managed funds with shorter holding periods than the older passive bond-and-equity routes. For most clients that pencils out better — capital works harder, the holding period is friendlier, and the underlying business often generates real income through the residency window. There is also a softer benefit: owning an operating business builds genuine ties to a community, employees and suppliers. That tends to count for more, not less, when permanent residence is being considered later. We help you weigh the trade-offs honestly rather than steer you toward the option that pays us best.
A note on franchise & fast-food businesses
Many overseas investors arrive expecting a franchise or fast-food acquisition to qualify. In practice, most do not. Immigration New Zealand looks at substance — real employment, verifiable revenue, premises, tax footprint and operator control — and a typical quick-service franchise often fails on operator-control restrictions inside the franchise agreement itself. Some franchise structures can work; many cannot. We will flag the franchise-specific conditions on any listing we present, and your immigration adviser will confirm whether the structure holds up for your file before you commit capital.
How we conduct due diligence
Before a business reaches your shortlist, our desk verifies the seller, requests three years of financials, checks key licences, reviews the lease, scans for supplier or customer concentration, and pressure-tests the asking price against comparable transactions. Once you enter exclusivity, an independent accountant and lawyer run formal financial, tax and legal diligence — Luxet’s desk review is a curation layer, never a substitute for that. Anything material we know about a listing is disclosed in the data room. We would rather lose a deal than recommend one we cannot stand behind six months after settlement.
Working with overseas investors
Most of our clients are based in India, the Gulf, Australia or South-East Asia, and many run the early stages of the process entirely from offshore. We work across time zones, host site visits when you can travel, and run video walk-throughs when you cannot. Fund-flow structuring, Overseas Investment Office consent where it applies, and cross-border tax sequencing are coordinated with your immigration adviser, lawyer and accountant so nothing falls between desks. You will always know who is doing what, in which week, against which deadline.
What happens after settlement
A deal closing is the start of the relationship, not the end of it. Once settlement is complete we stay in the loop through the operator handover, the first quarter of operations, and the early INZ reporting milestones. If you need help recruiting a country manager, opening banking facilities, or layering in a second acquisition once residency is granted, we are already across the file. Our fee for that ongoing support is fixed and agreed in writing up front — never an open-ended retainer.