When Plan B is to Invest in Kiwis

We have all dreamed at some point of having a plan B. Start from scratch in another place, if possible safe, with quality of life and good services. Starting from the premise that we have more than enough capital to choose a destination on the map. Even if we had to go far, far away...

Last June, an event was held in Barcelona organized by Greener Pastures, a migration advice agency that was looking for clients to sell precisely this dream to. In your case, the key to entry is the Active Investor Plus visa, a program designed to establish yourself in New Zealand. The basic principle is that to get a residence permit in the southern country you must first invest.

The menu offers two options. The first is to allocate the money to riskier investments, such as managed funds or direct investment in New Zealand companies. It requires a minimum outlay of about 2.5 million euros for at least three years. As a curiosity, there is the possibility of investing in one of the country's most iconic assets: kiwis, through the Kiwi Fruit Fund, which promises returns of between 8% and 12%. The second option directs capital toward lower-risk assets, including bonds, real estate developments, and even philanthropic activities. In this case, the toll amounts to a minimum of five million euros for five years.

The process is fast: the average approval time is just 36 working days. Once it has been verified that the investment has been kept intact during the scheduled periods, the funds can be liquidated (or not) and apply for permanent residence for life, without the obligation to spend a minimum number of days per year in the country.

The southern country needs to raise capital and offers a visa in exchange for investments

With this regulation, the islands have captured a total of 2,130 million euros in just over a year. The first category (the highest risk) has accounted for 83.3% of total applications, compared to 16.7% for the balanced modality (bonds and real estate). In volume, 734 applications have been received. The map by nationality is led by far by the United States (252 applications), followed by China (125). So far, about six Spanish citizens have shown interest in establishing their roots in New Zealand.

Mischa Mannix-Opie, a representative of Greener Pastures, recalls that some 165,000 millionaires in the world are expected to move this year, which would mark the largest cycle of private wealth migration in modern history. "Affluent families are increasingly looking for geographical diversification and a wider range of options for future generations," he explains. "The meeting in Barcelona was attended by senior executives from various companies, many of them based in Europe and accustomed to working with residency acquisition programs by investment, such as those in Portugal or Malta. The event was going to be held in Dubai, but with the conflict in the Middle East it was moved to Barcelona."

Are these investors looking for a tax haven or is there something more? "These citizens have access to our education system by paying tuition fees as residents and to our free public healthcare system. For most of them, what really appeals to them is the New

Zealand lifestyle: a slightly quieter, more balanced pace, where you live a lot outdoors," says Mannix-Opie.

It goes from a minimum of 2.5 million to 5 million, from agricultural funds to real estate

For New Zealand, this immigration system is a round business. "We attract successful entrepreneurs who have networks of contacts that help a small country grow. As an exporting nation with limited financial resources, we need to attract that capital," says the advisor.

"The isolation and our location are a real attraction, because we are far from everything that is happening in the world." Pay to believe.