Resources for New Zealand researchers
At FR&C we specialise in prospect research on individuals, companies, and foundations for clients in charities, the arts and education.
The list below is a summary of research resources in New Zealand, intended to assist not-for-profits wanting to know the key resources for prospect research in these areas. We decided to publish this for free here on our website to make the knowledge we've acquired in many years of prospect research available to NZ not-for-profits. Resources you have to pay for are marked ($)
Please help us add to the resource - use the contact page or email us and tell us what we've missed!
Note on business information: many of these are excellent research resources, but many of them include a proportion of out of date information; we advise that wherever possible you always re-verify business directory information with a primary source, eg the website of the relevant company.
Resources for researching individuals and businesses
Researching businesses
NZ Companies register
Official companies register for information on businesses and shareholders
https://companies-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/
Coys
Search engine with essentially similar info to the official companies register, simplified and a bit easier to access.
https://coys.co.nz/
opencorporates
This can also be useful for company information
https://opencorporates.com/companies/nz
NZ Stock Exchange
https://www.nzx.com
The National Business Review ($)
Publish the NBR rich list and all business news
https://www.nbr.co.nz/
Kompass ($)
Business directory
https://nz.solutions.kompass.com/g/about-us
Katalyst Business ($)
Business directory
https://www.katalystbusiness.co.nz/
Deloitte Top 200 businesses annual lists: Deloitte Top 200 and Deloitte Top 30 financial institutions
https://www.top200.co.nz/dynamic-business-indices/
New Zealand White and Yellow pages
www.whitepages.co.nz and https://yellow.co.nz
Researching individuals
Dictionary of New Zealand biography
Historical dictionary of NZ biography
https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies
The National Business Review ($)
Publish the NBR rich list and all business news
https://www.nbr.co.nz/
NBR Rich list ($)
https://www.nbr.co.nz/rich-list
Who’s Who in New Zealand 2019 ($)
Can purchase a pdf copy for NZ$225 . We’ve had varying reports on how useful/comprehensive this is and have not tested it.
www.api-publishing.com
Honours lists
https://dpmc.govt.nz/our-programmes/new-zealand-royal-honours/honours-lists-and-recipients
NZ Companies register
Official companies register for information on businesses and shareholders Also includes links to company documents: remuneration can be found for senior execs and directors in some reporting companies.
https://companies-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/
Insitute of Directors NZ
Some branches publish lists of new members on the site (names only)
https://www.iod.org.nz
New Zealand Business Hall of Fame
List of nominees past and present ‘’who have made a significant contribution to the economic and social development of New Zealand’’
http://www.businesshalloffame.co.nz/
Death records
Council websites: Auckland example:
https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/cemeteries/Pages/find-burial-cremation.aspx
Some newspaper websites also have recent records
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron register of members’ yachts and motor yachts
http://www.rnzys.org.nz/boat-registers/
Professions
High Court judges
https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/the-courts/high-court/judges
FindLaw New Zealand (Thomson Reuters)
Searchable database of law firms searchable by location and specialisations
https://www.findlaw.co.nz
Auckland District Law Society
Lawyer search, NZ wide, with contact details
https://www.adls.org.nz/find-a-lawyer/
NZ Medical Register
Limited value as does not list contact details
https://www.mcnz.org.nz/support-for-doctors/list-of-registered-doctors/
Property
Property values
Terranet ($)
Offers search by an individual’s name for a list of all current and previously owned properties, listed under their name. Can also search company name. Can purchase report which will tell you how much the property was purchased/sold for, and anyone else associated with the property.
http://www.terranet.co.nz/
Homes NZ
Search by address gives a map of the street that the house is in with last price sold/sale history for property and neighbouring properties.
https://homes.co.nz/
QV.co.nz
Rating valuation and sale history on residential property
https://www.qv.co.nz/
NZ Post
Search bar can be used to check correct postal address.
https://www.nzpost.co.nz/tools/address-postcode-finder
Researching philanthropy/trusts and foundations
New Zealand Charity Register
https://www.register.charities.govt.nz/CharitiesRegister/Search
And this link for advanced search by category or for trustees
https://www.register.charities.govt.nz/AdvancedSearch
NB search on an individual’s name gives you all the foundations they are or have been trustee for – for current list of trustees, search by the foundation name
Trust and Foundation giving: 2014 survey and explains types of foundations in NZ
http://philanthropy.org.nz/trust-and-foundation-giving/
Generosity NZ – givUS service ($)
Formerly ‘Fundview’ – directory of funders
https://generosity.org.nz/giv-us
Strategic Grants ($)
Provide their GEMS subscription grant services to NZ NFPs
https://www.strategicgrants.co.nz/
Philanthropy NZ website has a list of its grantmaker members (tho no information on them)
https://philanthropy.org.nz/grantmaker-members/
Trustee companies
Trustees Executors
https://www.trustees.co.nz/Charities
Perpetual Guardian (administers ?580 charitable trusts)
https://www.perpetualguardian.co.nz
Link to 2019 granting schedule:
https://www.perpetualguardian.co.nz/assets/resources/MASTER-Online-Granting-Schedule-2019-16-April-r.pdf
Public Trust
https://www.publictrust.co.nz/grants/charitable-trusts-by-sector
NZ Community Trust
http://www.nzct.org.nz/
Community Operations (Dept of Internal Affairs)
https://www.communitymatters.govt.nz
Administer a number of grant making programs
At FR&C we specialise in prospect research on individuals, companies, and foundations for clients in charities, the arts and education.
The list below is a summary of research resources in New Zealand, intended to assist not-for-profits wanting to know the key resources for prospect research in these areas. We decided to publish this for free here on our website to make the knowledge we've acquired in many years of prospect research available to NZ not-for-profits. Resources you have to pay for are marked ($)
Please help us add to the resource - use the contact page or email us and tell us what we've missed!
Note on business information: many of these are excellent research resources, but many of them include a proportion of out of date information; we advise that wherever possible you always re-verify business directory information with a primary source, eg the website of the relevant company.
Resources for researching individuals and businesses
Researching businesses
NZ Companies register
Official companies register for information on businesses and shareholders
https://companies-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/
Coys
Search engine with essentially similar info to the official companies register, simplified and a bit easier to access.
https://coys.co.nz/
opencorporates
This can also be useful for company information
https://opencorporates.com/companies/nz
NZ Stock Exchange
https://www.nzx.com
The National Business Review ($)
Publish the NBR rich list and all business news
https://www.nbr.co.nz/
Kompass ($)
Business directory
https://nz.solutions.kompass.com/g/about-us
Katalyst Business ($)
Business directory
https://www.katalystbusiness.co.nz/
Deloitte Top 200 businesses annual lists: Deloitte Top 200 and Deloitte Top 30 financial institutions
https://www.top200.co.nz/dynamic-business-indices/
New Zealand White and Yellow pages
www.whitepages.co.nz and https://yellow.co.nz
Researching individuals
Dictionary of New Zealand biography
Historical dictionary of NZ biography
https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies
The National Business Review ($)
Publish the NBR rich list and all business news
https://www.nbr.co.nz/
NBR Rich list ($)
https://www.nbr.co.nz/rich-list
Who’s Who in New Zealand 2019 ($)
Can purchase a pdf copy for NZ$225 . We’ve had varying reports on how useful/comprehensive this is and have not tested it.
www.api-publishing.com
Honours lists
https://dpmc.govt.nz/our-programmes/new-zealand-royal-honours/honours-lists-and-recipients
NZ Companies register
Official companies register for information on businesses and shareholders Also includes links to company documents: remuneration can be found for senior execs and directors in some reporting companies.
https://companies-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/
Insitute of Directors NZ
Some branches publish lists of new members on the site (names only)
https://www.iod.org.nz
New Zealand Business Hall of Fame
List of nominees past and present ‘’who have made a significant contribution to the economic and social development of New Zealand’’
http://www.businesshalloffame.co.nz/
Death records
Council websites: Auckland example:
https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/cemeteries/Pages/find-burial-cremation.aspx
Some newspaper websites also have recent records
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron register of members’ yachts and motor yachts
http://www.rnzys.org.nz/boat-registers/
Professions
High Court judges
https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/the-courts/high-court/judges
FindLaw New Zealand (Thomson Reuters)
Searchable database of law firms searchable by location and specialisations
https://www.findlaw.co.nz
Auckland District Law Society
Lawyer search, NZ wide, with contact details
https://www.adls.org.nz/find-a-lawyer/
NZ Medical Register
Limited value as does not list contact details
https://www.mcnz.org.nz/support-for-doctors/list-of-registered-doctors/
Property
Property values
- Auckland Council: rates calculator which also gives current capital value for properties. Search by address.
Terranet ($)
Offers search by an individual’s name for a list of all current and previously owned properties, listed under their name. Can also search company name. Can purchase report which will tell you how much the property was purchased/sold for, and anyone else associated with the property.
http://www.terranet.co.nz/
Homes NZ
Search by address gives a map of the street that the house is in with last price sold/sale history for property and neighbouring properties.
https://homes.co.nz/
QV.co.nz
Rating valuation and sale history on residential property
https://www.qv.co.nz/
NZ Post
Search bar can be used to check correct postal address.
https://www.nzpost.co.nz/tools/address-postcode-finder
Researching philanthropy/trusts and foundations
New Zealand Charity Register
https://www.register.charities.govt.nz/CharitiesRegister/Search
And this link for advanced search by category or for trustees
https://www.register.charities.govt.nz/AdvancedSearch
NB search on an individual’s name gives you all the foundations they are or have been trustee for – for current list of trustees, search by the foundation name
Trust and Foundation giving: 2014 survey and explains types of foundations in NZ
http://philanthropy.org.nz/trust-and-foundation-giving/
Generosity NZ – givUS service ($)
Formerly ‘Fundview’ – directory of funders
https://generosity.org.nz/giv-us
Strategic Grants ($)
Provide their GEMS subscription grant services to NZ NFPs
https://www.strategicgrants.co.nz/
Philanthropy NZ website has a list of its grantmaker members (tho no information on them)
https://philanthropy.org.nz/grantmaker-members/
Trustee companies
Trustees Executors
https://www.trustees.co.nz/Charities
Perpetual Guardian (administers ?580 charitable trusts)
https://www.perpetualguardian.co.nz
Link to 2019 granting schedule:
https://www.perpetualguardian.co.nz/assets/resources/MASTER-Online-Granting-Schedule-2019-16-April-r.pdf
Public Trust
https://www.publictrust.co.nz/grants/charitable-trusts-by-sector
NZ Community Trust
http://www.nzct.org.nz/
Community Operations (Dept of Internal Affairs)
https://www.communitymatters.govt.nz
Administer a number of grant making programs