Brands

The companies redefining New Zealand — from deep-tech and food innovation to media and aerospace. Each one earned its place.

All Food-tech Agritech Aerospace Media

Les Mills International

Fitness

Les Mills licenses group fitness programmes like BODYPUMP to more than 22,000 clubs across 110 countries, built by the Mills family from a single Auckland gym.

lesmills.comAuckland, New Zealand

ecostore

Consumer Goods

ecostore makes plant-based home and body care products from its carbon-zero factory in Auckland, founded in a Northland eco-village and now selling across Australasia and Asia.

ecostore.comAuckland, New Zealand

Simplicity

Fintech

Simplicity is the not-for-profit KiwiSaver provider Sam Stubbs built to prove low fees and long-term thinking could outperform the industry, now managing over $11 billion.

simplicity.kiwiAuckland, New Zealand

Allbirds

Consumer Goods

Allbirds is the merino wool shoe company Tim Brown co-founded from New Zealand, built on natural materials and listed on the Nasdaq.

allbirds.comSan Francisco (co-founder from NZ)

42 Below

Food & Beverage

42 Below was the premium New Zealand vodka brand Geoff Ross and Justine Troy built from a Wellington garage and sold to Bacardi for NZ$138 million.

42below.comWellington, New Zealand

My Food Bag

Food & Beverage

My Food Bag delivers weekly recipe kits to New Zealand homes, co-founded by Cecilia Robinson and listed on the NZX in 2021.

myfoodbag.co.nzAuckland, New Zealand

Auror

Technology

Auror builds crime intelligence software that connects retailers and police, turning scattered incident reports into patterns that prevent retail crime.

auror.coAuckland, New Zealand

Vend

Technology

Vend was the cloud point-of-sale system Vaughan Fergusson built from Auckland, used by retailers in 140 countries before its sale to Lightspeed for NZ$455 million.

lightspeedhq.comAuckland, New Zealand

Ethique

Consumer Goods

Ethique makes solid beauty bars that replace plastic bottles, founded by Brianne West in her Christchurch kitchen and now sold in more than 20 countries.

ethique.comChristchurch, New Zealand

Xero

Technology

Xero is the cloud accounting platform Rod Drury built from Wellington, now used by millions of small businesses across the world.

xero.comWellington, New Zealand

Rocket Lab

Aerospace

Rocket Lab designs and launches orbital rockets from New Zealand, making it one of only a handful of companies in the world with a proven launch vehicle.

rocketlabusa.comLong Beach, California (launch site: Mahia Peninsula, NZ)

Trade Me

Technology

Trade Me is New Zealand's largest online marketplace, built by Sam Morgan from a flat in Wellington in 1999 and now used by most of the country.

trademe.co.nzWellington, New Zealand

Sharesies

Fintech

Sharesies made share investing accessible to everyday New Zealanders, letting anyone invest from as little as one cent in NZ, Australian and US markets.

sharesies.nzWellington, New Zealand

Crimson Education

Education

Crimson Education helps students worldwide gain admission to top universities, built from Auckland by Jamie Beaton when he was still a teenager.

crimsoneducation.orgAuckland, New Zealand

ZURU

Consumer Goods

ZURU grew from a Waikato farm shed into one of the world's largest toy companies, family-owned with no outside investment, run by the Mowbray siblings.

zuru.comCambridge, New Zealand (HQ: Hong Kong)

Kea Aerospace

Aerospace

Kea Aerospace builds solar-powered drones that fly in the stratosphere for months, delivering satellite-quality imagery over farms, forests and coastlines at a fraction of the cost.

keaaerospace.comChristchurch, New Zealand