Summer services update
About the standalone investor test
The standalone investor test can be used to assess the suitability of the individuals and entities that make up an investor or a wider investor group before they make an investment application.
When an investor has met the standalone investor test, then – provided nothing material has changed since meeting it which would make the investor unsuitable to invest in New Zealand – that investor will be deemed to have met the investor test when they make future consent applications.
Meeting the investor test ahead of a consent application may be beneficial to an investor who is planning a transaction that may need to be completed quickly, or who wants some certainty before entering negotiation.
Assessment criteria
The standalone investor test is assessed using the same criteria and rules as the investor test applied as part of an application for consent.
Intended applicants
The standalone investor test is designed to be used by overseas persons who have not yet met the investor test brought in on 22 March 2021.
An application can include one or more overseas persons – entities, individuals, and associates of the overseas person – who together are contemplating an overseas investment transaction or a series of related transactions. Each overseas person will be assessed against the investor test individually.
Investing on behalf of an overseas person
Subsequent consent applications
Each time you apply for consent you will be asked to make a statutory declaration that there have been no changes in your circumstances since meeting the investor test. If nothing material has changed you will have met the investor test component of that application.
Assessment timeframes
The time taken to assess your application for a standalone investor test will vary depending on the number of overseas persons that have applied and the information disclosed.
Fees
Find information on the OIO fees framework and the fee for a standalone investor test application.
An investor’s subsequent consent application can be discounted to reflect the investor test fee paid upfront if nothing has changed since their standalone investor application was assessed.
Apply
See the 'Apply' section for information and resources to help you apply for a standalone investor test online. We recommend you seek expert legal advice before doing so.
Legislation
The Overseas Investment Act 2005 provides the ability for investors to meet the investor test if the criteria have previously been satisfied and there have been no further changes.
Overseas Investment Act 2005, s29A (as inserted by section 19 of the Overseas Amendment Act 2021)