The state, which is located on the islands in the Pacific area - 268 680 sq km, population - 4 252 000, the official languages - English and Maori, currency - Novo Zelandsky Dollar (NZ $).
Legal system is based on English law.
| Advantages | - It is not perceived as the country with low taxes - Political and regional stability - High standard legal and banking operations - No currency control - No Capital Gains Tax - Accountancy statements - should be prepared only year end account, no monthly accountancy statements |
| Disadvantages | - To avoid New Zealand corporate tax the company must carry out its activities as trustee of a trust with no New Zealand settler, beneficiaries or New Zealand source income and not in its own right - Year end account should be prepared - Auditor's conclusion required if a company shareholders are not New Zealand residents - High surtax - 33 % |
| Corporative legislation | Ltd companies incorporated according to Companies Act 1993 |
| Form of company | Private limited company (hereinafter - company) |
| Taxation | Corporate Tax. Corporate tax is paid by limited companies on their profits.Corporate tax rate for non-resident shareholders - 33 % Withholding tax Non-resident withholding tax (NRWT) is deducted from New Zealand income received by non-residents. The types of income and the rated of NRTW are: - dividends 30 % - interest 15 % - royalties 15 % NRWT can be reduced to nil in certain circumstances, e.g., if there is no permanent establishment in New Zealand |
| Name of company | - Must end in Limited or Ltd - Restriction on sensitive names indicating a connection with e.g. certain professions, royalty government etc. |
| Equity capital of the company | No requirements in respect of the minimum |
| Shares | Only registered shares with par value |
| Shareholders | One legal entity or natural person, recommended NZ resident |
| Directors | One legal entity or natural person, any nationality |
| On the territory of New Zealand there has to be: - registered office - registered agent - secretary |
- Required - Not Required - Not Required |
| Publicly accessible information | Accounts, Certificate of Incorporation, directors, shareholders, registered office, issued share capital, articles of organization |
| The financial year | - This is the period covered by the accounts - For a new company, it starts on the date of incorporation, regardless of when the company actually starts doing business - For a company which has previously delivered accounts, it starts from the day after the period covered by the earlier accounts |
| Reports | Every limited company must submit accounts even if it has not traded Contents of the accounts. The accounts and reports must include: - a directors' report - a profit and loss account - a balance sheet |
| Audit | If 20% of its shares or a majority of Directors are residents outside New Zealand, a company account must be audited |
| Agreements on the avoidance of double taxation | Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America |
| Financial year ending on | Look for: Annual support of companies |
| Costs of registration of company | Look for: Costs of registration and service |
| Possibility to purchase a ready-made company | Yes, look for: Ready made companies |