Business grants and support in New Zealand: what's real

“Is there a grant for that?” is one of the most common questions New Zealand owners ask, and the honest answer is usually “not for that exactly”. Grants exist, and some are genuinely valuable, but they’re aimed at specific activities — capability, research and development, the primary sector, Māori enterprise, people moving off benefits into business. In a funding remix, they’re a bonus layer that sweetens the mix, not the piece that carries it.

What grants and support actually exist?

These are the main programmes listed on business.govt.nz (updated July 2025). Check eligibility details with each provider before relying on any of them.

Programme	Who it’s for	What it offers
Regional Business Partner Network	Businesses with fewer than 50 full-time employees, operating commercially in New Zealand	Free registration, advisers, networking, and co-funded management capability training (business pays at least 50%)
MBIE innovation services	Businesses doing research and development or commercialising innovation	Grants and incentives, including the New to R&D Grant, R&D Career Grants and R&D Experience Grants
Ministry for Primary Industries	Primary sector businesses and food and beverage manufacturers	Grants and co-investment for export, sustainability and productivity
Te Puni Kōkiri — Māori Development Fund	Iwi and Māori businesses and organisations	Support for productivity of Māori assets and co-investment in infrastructure
MPI — Māori Agribusiness Extension	Māori collectives with collectively owned land	Programme to lift land productivity
Work and Income — Flexi-wage (self-employment)	People receiving a benefit who are starting or growing a business	Advice and some financial support, including set-up costs
Work and Income — Business Training and Advice Grant	People on benefits starting a business	Help with business adviser and training costs
Business Mentors New Zealand	People with new business ideas	12-month volunteer mentoring (registration fee applies)

business.govt.nz also points to a Funding Explorer search tool that matches businesses with available government funding.

How do NZ grants usually work?

A few patterns run through almost all of them:

• Co-funding. business.govt.nz notes many programmes are co-funded and you’ll be expected to put in your own money too.
• A specific purpose. A grant is money given for a specific purpose that you don’t have to pay back — not general working capital.
• Evidence. Expect to show a business plan, a financial track record for established businesses, and a strong case for the support.
• A gateway. business.govt.nz advises that a good first step is usually your regional business partner or local chamber of commerce, and that some grants can only be applied for after that conversation.
• Timing. Some grants reimburse costs after you’ve spent the money, so you still need to fund the activity first.

What won’t grants cover?

Almost never: stock, wages, rent, fit-outs, vehicles, tax bills, buying a business or general expansion. If your goal is one of those, look at the other alternatives and the worked mixes under remix by goal.

How do you use a grant in a remix?

1. Build the mix without it. Make sure the goal is funded by pieces you control or can arrange.
2. Identify the activity a grant might fit. Training for your management team, a genuine R&D component, a primary sector productivity project.
3. Talk to your regional business partner before committing money.
4. Fund the activity first if the grant reimburses, and treat any grant received as a reduction in your facility or a top-up to your buffer.

Illustrative example: a Waikato food manufacturer

Illustrative only; no real business.

A food manufacturer plans a $350,000 upgrade: a new production line, a new product with a novel preservation process, and management training for a growing team.

• Equipment finance on the production line.
• Regional Business Partner co-funding for management capability training — the business pays at least half.
• An MBIE innovation conversation about the R&D component of the new process.
• A business loan for installation, packaging development and working capital.

The grants reduce costs at the edges; the equipment finance and loan carry the core of the goal. If you’re building a mix like this, you can ask a real person about the loan piece — no credit check to start.

What about the R&D tax incentive?

Research and development tax support exists alongside grants, but eligibility rules are specific and best checked with your accountant and Inland Revenue. Don’t build your funding mix on an assumed tax credit; treat it like a grant — upside once confirmed. For tech projects more generally, see the tech and systems upgrade remix.

Where do grants sit in the order of funding sources?

Early in the planning and late in the money. Ask about them at the start, because some require a conversation before you spend. But plan as if they won’t arrive, and slot them in when confirmed. The page on ordering your funding sources shows how. Newer businesses should also read the young business stack, and if a bank has already said no, the bank loan alternatives stack.

Need the piece a grant won’t cover?

Most goals still need something more substantial than a grant. When you’ve identified the gap, tell us about it. There’s no credit check to start, your enquiry stays with a real person rather than being circulated among lenders, and we’ll talk through whether a loan or another piece fits. Please be accurate on the form, including any grant you’re expecting, so we can size the right piece first time.