Can an Australian buy property in Queenstown?

Short answer: Generally, yes. Australian citizens can buy a house or land with a residential or lifestyle category in Queenstown without Overseas Investment Act consent, even if they live in Australia. Consent is still needed if the land is sensitive for another reason and they aren't ordinarily resident in New Zealand.

Australian citizens are in a significantly different position from most overseas buyers under New Zealand's overseas investment rules.

Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) confirms that an Australian citizen can buy residential property in New Zealand without applying to the Overseas Investment Office. In practice, that means an Australian citizen can generally buy an ordinary house, apartment or residential section in Queenstown.

But there is an important exception

Being Australian doesn't mean every New Zealand property can be bought without further checks.

The property still needs to be checked to see whether the land is sensitive for some reason other than simply being residential land. That can happen because of:

  • the type and area of the land, for example non-urban land over 5 hectares
  • being on certain islands
  • adjoining a lake bed (land over 0.4 hectares) or the coast
  • adjoining reserves, conservation land or other protected land (land over 0.4 hectares)

If residential land is also otherwise sensitive, an Australian citizen who isn't ordinarily resident in New Zealand needs consent. Farmland and other non-residential sensitive land need consent regardless. In December 2025, LINZ reported court action against an Australian citizen who bought 91 hectares of Hawke's Bay farmland without it.

This can be particularly important in the Queenstown Lakes area, with its lake-edge sections, lifestyle blocks and rural land.

What about Australian permanent residents?

The rules depend on your exact status:

  • Australian permanent residents who are ordinarily resident in New Zealand can buy residential or lifestyle land without consent.
  • Australian permanent residents who aren't yet ordinarily resident can apply for consent to buy or build one home to live in. You must then live in it and spend more than 183 days a year in New Zealand until you become ordinarily resident.

For buying a home, "ordinarily resident" means you have lived in New Zealand for at least the last 12 months and been present for more than 183 days of them.

If you're an Australian permanent resident rather than a citizen, check your position before you sign an agreement. The same rules apply to Singaporean citizens and permanent residents.

Buying from Australia

You don't need to be physically in Queenstown to complete a property transaction.

Your New Zealand lawyer can advise you on the agreement, investigate the title and property, handle the conveyancing and complete settlement. Every buyer of residential land also completes a Residential Land Statement, which your lawyer prepares with you.

For Australian buyers, though, the best time to get advice is before the agreement becomes binding.

Talk to us about your situation

Mactodd advises Australian buyers considering residential, commercial or investment property in Queenstown and Central Otago, from our offices in Queenstown and Cromwell. We'll confirm whether you're an overseas person under the Act, check the land, and coordinate with your Australian advisers. Send us the listing or draft agreement before you sign.

Call 0800 228 110 or request a call back. You can also read more about our overseas investment work.

Related guides

Sources

This is general information only. Each purchase depends on the details of the property and the buyer.