This is a list of notable companies based in New Zealand, a country in Oceania. For further information on the types of business entities in this country and their abbreviations, see "Business entities in New Zealand".
New Zealand is a wealthy country, with a relatively high GDP per capita and a relatively low rate of poverty. Since the 1980s, New Zealand has transformed from an agrarian, regulated economy to a more industrialised, free market economy that can compete globally. Since 1984, government subsidies including for agriculture have been eliminated; import regulations have been liberalised; exchange rates have been freely floated; controls on interest rates, wages, and prices have been removed; and marginal rates of taxation reduced. The restructuring and sale of state-owned enterprises in the 1990s reduced government's role in the economy. Many of the largest companies lost ground and new enterprises were established.[1] New Zealand companies are dependent on international trade, mainly with Australia, the European Union, the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Canada. The major capital market is the New Zealand Exchange, known as the NZX.
95% of the companies entirely within New Zealand are classed as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).[2] The Financial Reporting Act 1993[3] defines a large company as one that satisfied at least one of two criteria:
Several of the largest firms are listed below:
| Name | 2022 Revenues (NZ$ million)[4] | Employees (globally) | Revenue per Employee(NZ$ thousand) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fonterra | 22,953 | 19,608 | 1171 | New Zealand's largest company. A dairy giant that controls 30% of the world's dairy exports. |
| Fletcher Building | 8,498 | 20,000 | 425 | Construction company, with a market capitalisation of over NZ$7 billion. |
| Woolworths NZ | 7,585 | 20,000 | 379 | Retail chain; wholly owned subsidiary of Australia's Woolworths Group |
| Air New Zealand | 2,734 | 8,860 | 308 | Flag carrier of New Zealand. |
| Spark New Zealand | 3,694 | 5,144 | 718 | Largest telecommunications company in New Zealand. |
This list includes notable companies with primary headquarters located in the country. The industry and sector follow the Industry Classification Benchmark taxonomy. Organisations which have ceased operations are included and noted as defunct.
For convenience, the word "Limited", which every company registered or re-registered under the Companies Act 1993 must have at the end of its name, is reduced to the common and universally recognised term "Ltd", which is a specifically permitted abbreviation under the Act. In the New Zealand registration system, unlike those of some other countries, the term "Incorporated" is restricted to societies (generally nonprofit) under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908.[5]