Are you interested in starting a business in New Zealand? If YES, here are 50 small business ideas and investment opportunities in New Zealand that you can start.
Okay, having provided a detailed analysis of the legal requirements, market feasibility and every other thing it takes to start a business in New Zealand and a series of industry-specific sample business plan templates. Let us now look at possible business opportunities that exist in New Zealand.
Best Business ideas in New Zealand
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Business solutions
Following the global awareness that New Zealand is a very good place to do business in, new businesses; especially those owned by foreigners, are springing up in the country. And since most of these businesses would require experts to help them settle down fast and connect well with consumers, there are opportunities for professionals that offer various services that help new businesses thrive.
So, if you are a business consultant, or a marketer, or a business plan developer, and so on, you have a large market to serve in New Zealand.
Wastes are inevitable, and this is true everywhere. From sewage and refuse to non-biodegradable wastes like plastic and glass. There is a dire need for waste recycling facilities in New Zealand, just as is the case in many other countries. If you have a solid background in waste management or recycling, opportunities await you in New Zealand.
One of the ever-thriving businesses, agriculture has always been a money-spinner in New Zealand. And with increasing awareness of the benefits of organic farming, there is booming demand for agricultural products developed organically.
You can start a small farm and grow fruits and vegetables organically. You will make steady profit because there is always huge demand for these products as well as meat and dairy products. So, you may want to start rearing animals for their meat and milk, too.
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Tourism
Annually, several thousands of tourists visit New Zealand on vacation. And this happens throughout the year. So, there’s no specific season for this. Investors can tap from the huge potential in the tourism sector by starting businesses that cater to tourists; with respect to hotels, home stays, transport services, tourist guide services, restaurants, etc.
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Healthcare equipment
The healthcare sector in New Zealand keeps growing at a steady rate. But there now seems to be a shift in demand from healthcare services to healthcare devices, equipment, and machinery. So, if you have a background in healthcare, you can start a business that sells healthcare solutions such as medical equipment, medical software, devices for diagnosis, and so on. And you can render your services as well.
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Retail
Retail stores sell everywhere, even in countries where there is still competition. So, starting a retail business in New Zealand, where there’s little competition, is a very smart move that will enrich you in the long term. To keep abreast of current trends, your store must offer e-commerce services that allow customers to place and receive their orders without leaving their locations.
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Tech devices
Smartphones, tablet computers, and PCs are always in high demand in New Zealand. If you start a business that imports high quality technology devices, you will have a large market to cater to. So, it’s another hot business opportunity.
Because many businesses in New Zealand are using the web to hunt for customers, businesses need to up their game in order to win more customers than their competition. To achieve this goal, businesses are hiring the services of online marketing experts.
If you are a copywriter, a web designer, an SEO expert, or some other online marketing expert, there are many opportunities for you in New Zealand.
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Processed foods and snacks
As is the case in many other countries, New Zealand is a good market for processed foods and fruits as well as snacks. So, businesses that manufacture these foods or that import them would thrive well in the country.
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Maintenance services
If you are a mechanical engineer, an electrical engineer, a plumbing expert, or some other professional, you can start a business that renders maintenance services. There is increasing demand for maintenance services in New Zealand as more individuals and businesses are now realizing that maintaining assets and facilities costs much less than repairing or replacing them.
It is often said that looking good is good business and this saying is true especially for residents of New Zealand. Looking good starts from having a fit body which is why people register in fitness centres to keep fit and stay healthy. If you have a flair for the fitness industry, you can start a fitness centre and make money from subscriptions that members would pay regularly.
Plumbing is an essential part of a home. You will know this if you have ever had a clogged pipe or maybe a leaking pipe. Plumbers are also one of the major building contractors because a house construction is not complete without plumbing.
Another business you can start is in the financial sector. You can offer tax preparation and advisory services, financial management, business consultancy, business plan preparation or help people source for business loans to start up new businesses.
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Uniform designs
You could design uniforms for schools, hospitals, factories and industries. This is a very worthwhile business in New Zealand. It is one way to make good money. However, you will need to acquire sewing skills that will help you leverage fully on the business.
If you love working with children, you can start a day care centre where people can drop off their children while they go off to work. If you are thinking of starting on a low-scale due to lack of funds, you can become a nanny or babysitter until you can afford to start your own child care centre.
Recruitment agencies offer a very essential service by linking the unemployed with those who need to employ. You can start your own home-based online recruitment agency. This is cheaper and easier to start as interviews and tests for jobs can now be conducted online.
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Gaming Bar
Residents of New Zealand love sports especially football and you will agree with me that watching football alone at home is boring. People prefer to watch their football where they can meet with other football fans, share their excitement and discuss details of the match.
You can start a construction company and start helping people to bring their dream homes to a reality. However, you would need to have a degree in a construction related field like engineering or building technology to start such a business.
There is so much movement going on a daily basis in New Zealand. People going to work, kids going to school, people struggling to meet up with appointments and several other categories of people who need to be at one place or the other.
The challenge is that not everybody owns a car. So you can help those who do not have cars to reach their destinations by starting a taxi service.
Of course, residents of New Zealand need to eat. You can make money from investing in the agricultural sector and cultivating food crops for sale in the market or cash crops for export. All over the world, agriculture is known as a veritable way to make money because of the need for people to eat food that will nourish their bodies.
The property market in Auckland is really booming. You can take advantage of this and invest in the real estate industry. Real estate will always be one of the smartest ways to make millions within a twinkle of an eye. If you think you have a passion for this trade then you may want to consider starting a property investment business.
A lot of people are setting up businesses in New Zealand but so many people are scared of losing their investments. You can start helping people feel more confident about their investments by starting a business coaching service. You can organize business seminars, write books about how to be a smart investor and generally earn money from passing on business knowledge to other people.
If you are interested in the property industry in New Zealand but you cannot afford the capital, you can become a real estate agent and then when you have made enough money, you can become property developer yourself.
You can also start producing your own magazine. You can write on any niche you have a passion for like health, business, fashion or fitness. Do not just think you can start a magazine publishing business without being vast. One of the things that you can do to be vast is to read far and wide – especially other magazines.
Another business you can start in New Zealand is to start selling cars. You may start a used car dealership or sell new cars depending on how much capital you can afford. There isn’t a person who doesn’t like to be conveyed by cars to a place, and this is because of the convenience that it brings. Therefore, if you have a penchant for automobile, then you can look at starting a car dealership business.
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Dress making
Dress making is another booming business in New Zealand. You can start your own clothing line and produce ready-to-wear clothing’s for sale. You can also open a boutique for selling clothes and other fashion items. Be sure you learn the ropes before venturing into the trade.
If you would prefer an online based business instead, you can become a social media owner. Social media platforms such as facebook, Twitter, whatsapp and what have you started really small. Today they are a force to reckon with. You too can join the league of social media moguls if you have the passion for it.
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Water Business
This is yet another lucrative business that you can start in New Zealand. Water business is in different categories, you can own a water refill station where people can come and purchase clean water or you can start making bottled table water for sale. You can first of all undertake some research so that you can be conversant with what you are going into.
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Waste disposal
Waste management is a money spinner these days. There are so many secondary uses of waste material other than dumping them somewhere to decay. Waste can be recycled or even used to make bio-fuel which is a popular alternative source of energy for cooking.
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Facility Management
Business resources like equipment, money and even human resources need to be properly managed and maintained regularly, so that they can be put to efficient use.
This is what facility managers do. They help to put resources to judicious use and help to prolong the useful life of equipment. There is increasing demand for facility managers all around the world and its one of the businesses you can start in New Zealand.
- Solar Energy Consultant
As a solar consultant, you can basically conduct a home inspection and give clients a report on their solar options for their particular home and site. This can range from full-fledged general solar installations that generate electricity to simple solar walkway lighting.
You might want to start by working in a solar products company to become knowledgeable in the solar energy field. However, to be a consultant, it is often best not to be affiliated with any one company or product and be able to recommend products and options across the field of solar energy.
Most tax preparation franchises offer courses, seminars, and training to get you ready to work for them. You will learn a lot about tax preparation while working for them before going out on your own. There is a lot of educational support out there to learn tax preparation and all its complexities.
And there are lots of individuals and businesses willing to spend a few hundred dollars a year to have someone else prepare their taxes and keep watch for tax breaks or tax burdens on their behalf.
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Taxidermist
Today’s world of taxidermy isn’t exclusive to preserving real specimens. Taxidermy also refers to recreating a specimen using completely artificial materials.
Taxidermy schools where you can learn the trade are located almost throughout the country, typically as courses over several weeks specializing in certain levels of expertise, from beginner to master’s level. Like any enterprise, there are taxidermy conventions that you can attend and learn about the latest techniques and materials.
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Upholstering
If you have a knack for sewing, upholstery repair might be a perfect business for you. One of the best ways to learn how to upholster is to get some discarded upholstered furniture and start tearing it apart. Many books and some videos are available to help you learn this trade.
Often furniture ready for upholstering will also need repairs. Have a list available of furniture repair people you can recommend to your customers. Or you can take the piece in, have repair people you work with do this work for you, and add it to the overall cost. You can also learn to do this work, especially minor repairs, yourself.
Almost everyone has a few boxes of books stashed away in the house somewhere. Why not make a business out of them? In order to gain customers–especially repeat customers–you will need to have some regular shop hours.
Make your shop known for something-a specific category (or two) of books, having some first editions for sale, all paperbacks a dollar and all hardcovers two bucks, and/or a swap program. Maps, illustrations, postcards, greeting cards and magazines are good side-lines to include in your shop.
You will need to be up-to-date on wedding trends and fads, dress styles, colour trends–almost everything under the sun! Offer your customers an ala carte menu of services, from helping pick flowers, the wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses to picking the venue and hiring the caterer.
Before you open your wedding planning business, shop at all the wedding shops, and even pretend you are a bride-to-be to see what kinds of services the wedding gown shop provides and how they treat potential customers. You need to know every detail of the business to give the accurate impression that you are the go-to person for anyone planning a wedding.
Every household has a number of appliances, large and small. You can work on your own or on contract with appliance stores to cover their warranty service calls–or, best of all, you can do some of each. Plan to start slow and build your customer base on recommendations and referrals based on work well done.
Consider developing relationships with contractors to be the go-to person to install appliances in newly constructed houses.
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Computer Trainer
If you are proficient in both Macintosh and PC, you should offer training in both types of computers. You could probably make a living helping seniors learn how to use the internet and e-mail to keep in touch with their loved ones, who are now commonly spread around the country.
Err on the side of caution in this business. People do not want to know all the details about what makes a computer work. If you overload them with information from the beginning by explaining bits, bytes, and megapixels, they will stick to their paper and pencil forever.
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Desktop Publisher
You can use desktop publishing software to create newsletters, magazines, books or even marketing materials. You can create the content for your desktop publications, or you can pay a writer to create the content for you. Alternatively, you can advertise your desktop publishing services to design and create newsletters and books for others with their content.
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Fence Installations
Fences are everywhere. And they don’t last forever, so they need to be repaired and replaced with a certain amount of frequency. The most common fence material is wood. However, vinyl has become a popular fence choice due to its longevity and relative freedom from maintenance.
Wrought iron is another common fencing, especially in urban environments. You can have fun shopping for vintage wrought iron fencing at salvage yards.
Despite the proliferation of the internet, print media is here to stay for the foreseeable future! Fliers, newsletters, magazines, information sheets, letters and advertisements are just a few of the types of print media that businesses hire freelancers to create for them.
Websites and online advertising need graphic design services as well. Even if your expertise is only in design, offer the works for potential clients, including the editorial creation and the printing and even mailing of the final piece. You can line up regular freelancers for those parts of the job you can’t do.
Finding a niche is the best way to start out in the gift basket business. Are you a dog lover, horse lover, or exercise guru who could put together baskets that hold the things that people with this interest would like? Do you already create a product that a gift basket could be built around?
Have you made your own soaps for the past 10 years? A gift basket that included one or two of your soaps, hand lotion, a scrub brush and manicure kit could be a lovely basket to receive.
Create an arsenal of cleaning products that can clean almost every kind of product (paint, chalk, markers) from every kind of surface (cement, wood, and pavement). The best way to conduct a graffiti service is to offer a subscription-like arrangement.
Once a month or whatever interval makes sense for your clients, go around to their property and clean off the graffiti. Charge them a monthly or quarterly fee and make it simple for everyone–they don’t have to think about graffiti, and you just do your job.
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Hairstylist
Hairstyling is a popular business that can be quite lucrative. Generally a home based hairstylist business is likely to be started by someone who has already has a cosmetology career and wants a change. If you already have your cosmetology training and license, and loads of experience under your belt working in a hairstyling salon, you probably have a following that will follow you right home without any hesitation.
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Herbal and Farm stand
You need to decide whether you will sell your herbs as live plants, picked or cut in bunches and packed, or dried. If you plan to market to cooks instead of gardeners, you will want to sell your herbs either fresh cut and packed in sealed bags, or dried and sold in baggies.
You can also consider a “pick-your-own” arrangement; however, be aware that herbs are more delicate than most P.Y.O products. You may save your garden a lot of strife and your plants a lot of wear and tear if you do the picking.
If you have a knack for this type of work, a degree won’t be necessary. Most people want their yards tidied up in the spring, their lawns mowed in the summer, their leaves removed in the fall, and their shrubs and driveways ready for winter snow.
You will also want to offer garden work such as spring planting of annuals and perennials; vegetable garden preparation, planting and fall clean-up; pest control and watering. You can offer tree care service. There is plenty to do in the yard that has nothing to do with plants: stone wall restoration, fencing, irrigation system installation.
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Massage Therapist
You will want to become certified in massage therapy to be able to effectively market your services. Courses that lead to certification include not only information on human anatomy and physiology and the effects that massage has on both, but also on how to make a business out of the field of massage.
You could do either a massage therapy certification program or an associate’s degree and stay within the $5,000 scope of this book.
Lots of people who are moving want to hire someone to do the heavy lifting for them. You can leave the large-scale, long-distance moving to the big moving companies. Your work can be the local, moving-across-town or to the town-next-door jobs.
These are the ones that people start off thinking perhaps they could do themselves, and it will be your job to convince them otherwise. Your signs around town will tempt them to let you take care of that part of the move, while they are busy taking care of those other 500 items on their list.
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Music Lessons
You want to stick to the instrument(s) you know, but you may be a skilled enough musician to offer lessons on several different instruments, or those in a particular class, e.g., stringed or woodwind. You can decide to take on individuals or classes, depending on space and availability of instruments.
Public schools are continually reducing their commitment to art and music classes for students, so you can try to work with the public school system to supplement their efforts in those areas.
Making money as a photographer can be done in a number of different ways. You can specialize in one area, the most common being weddings. There are niches you can explore for photography: portraits of people and their pets, families, and homes; photographs of holiday events, birthday parties or Christmas cards; the possibilities are endless.
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Rugging
You will need to learn how to work with all kinds of carpet fabrics, from synthetic to wool carpets. Decide whether you will take on valuable antique carpets and family heirlooms; if so, you will want to get specialized training in how to handle these carpets and the specialized ways of cleaning them.
Learn how to get tough stains and odours out of carpets–such as dog and cat odours–and your services will be in great demand.