At the time of writing, Labour's new foreign buyer ban has just passed through Parliament and while this signals that New Zealand is closing its doors to foreign investment, the same does not necessarily apply in reverse to New Zealanders looking to invest offshore. While doing so can be a logistically challenging exercise, it can also provide great rewards.  ... More 

In March 2013 I wrote a blog about the heavy handedness of the IRD, and that their tactics were the leading cause of bankruptcy in New Zealand. At GRA we have noticed that these tactics are getting markedly worse, and we are seeing significantly more IRD-led prosecutions.  How you react when the IRD is breathing down your neck will ... More 

I get asked this question on a regular basis. The answer is simple: yes you should pay the principal off your loan. But then the question arises, which loan should I pay first, investment or personal? And, how much should I pay? You should always pay off your personal loan first as this is non-deductible for tax purposes. Unlike ... More 

For most clients, 1 April signals the start of the new year for business and tax purposes, and the month of March brings opportunities to minimise tax and maximise cash surpluses for the coming year.  In order to implement any opportunities, first a business must be organised. By way of comparison, if you look at the extreme ends of ... More 

As you may be aware, there is a new law that requires all tenanted homes to be insulated by 1 July 2019. Anyone who owns rental property must ensure their properties are insulated to the required standard by this date. At GRA we’ve been getting a lot of questions about whether the cost of insulating a rental property is ... More 

It is a requirement in New Zealand for parties to provide their IRD numbers when buying or selling real estate (whether as an individual or through another entity such as a company or trust). Normally this does not pose any sort of problem. However, there will be significant issues if you are selling a property that has been generating ... More 

Here's something interesting … our money is about to get a facelift.  Initially introduced into New Zealand's money system in 1999, our bank notes have become a little dull.  New bright notes, however, are going to be the norm from October 2015 onwards. The notes will remain the same denomination but the colour of the notes will be more ... More 

It’s been an interesting start to 2017 with a much tighter credit market than what we have seen for most of the last decade. While the majority of the media have been concentrating on the fact that the market seems to have slowed since the 40% deposit rule introduction, I put more down to banks themselves pulling back in ... More 

At Property Ventures we are increasing our focus on new builds as investments because we see tremendous advantages from a financing perspective. Not only do investors get pristine new and low maintenance properties in better areas, they get the benefit of 80% LVRs and tax advantages from higher chattel depreciation.   These smart tax and finance benefits make investing ... More