Research and development in New Zealand
Research and development (R&D) is considered by our government to be a key driver in our country’s growth. So who funds it, how much do they spend and what are the key areas being funded?
Research being conducted at the Malaghan Institute
Dr Mattie Timmer and PhD student Anna Win-Mason carry out research at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research.
In 2025, Aotearoa was ranked 4th in the world for innovation potential in biotechnology. The New Zealand Government created the New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science by merging AgResearch, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, Plant & Food Research and Scion into a single organisation. This reflects a major focus on biosciences and the bioeconomy. Find out more about biotech in New Zealand.
Who funds research and development in New Zealand?
Funding for R&D in New Zealand comes from diverse sources. Stats NZ figures for 2024 show funding amounts from key contributors:
New Zealand business: $4.04 billion
New Zealand government: $1.03 billion
Tertiary education: $1.34 billion.
Major funders in the private sector include Fonterra, Xero and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare. Government agencies include Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, Health Research Council and Royal Society Te Apārangi. Additional funding comes from overseas organisations and philanthropic organisations.
Show me the money!
This sounds like a lot of money, but how does New Zealand’s spending compare with other countries?
New Zealand’s total R&D spending hit a record in 2024, with more than $6 billion in investment. This represents 1.54% of GDP. This is on par with advanced similar-sized countries such as Norway and Ireland but below the world average of 2.67%.
Research strengths in New Zealand
New Zealand has a wide variety of research strengths. As of 2024, the top five areas receiving funding are:
health
manufacturing
information and communication services
animal and plant production and primary products
the environment.
Who’s doing all this work?
Most of New Zealand’s R&D is done by 42,000 full-time researchers, postgraduate students, technicians and support staff. That’s 1 out of every 120 people you meet. Find out more in our Working in STEM topic.
Related content
Visit our biotechnology topic. Use the filters to narrow your search.
Introducing Innovation curates our resources on contemporary stories of New Zealand innovators and innovations.
Useful links
Find out more about the biotech sector in New Zealand by going to the BIOTECHNZ website.
See the biotechnology information on the Careers.govt.nz website.
Read Stats NZ's Research and development survey: 2024.
The figure.nz website features numerous charts and tables that look at specific aspects of Aotearoa New Zealand’s R&D stats.
