Where I’m Investing in New Zealand Right Now (2025)

Thinking about investing in property? You might wonder: “Where is the best place to invest in New Zealand right now?”

And while I often publish screeds of data … a lot of people say to me: “Come on, Andrew, just tell me what your top places are to invest right now.”

After all, picking the right city to invest in is just as important (if not more) than picking the right property.

So here are my personal top three picks of the best places to invest … and why I’m putting my money in these locations.

#1 – Auckland

Right now, my main focus is  Auckland.

Why? Because Auckland property prices got absolutely pummelled in the last downturn. 

Supply outstripped demand. So, both developers and homeowners had to accept lower prices. 

That’s why property prices dropped 24% from the peak to the trough.

Usually, Auckland has lower rental yields than the rest of the country. That’s because house prices are high. But today, the yields in Auckland are comparable to Christchurch’s. That’s rare.

On top of that, I expect that Auckland’s housing supply won’t grow as fast.

In January 2025, Auckland Council released a plan to tax developers more. 

These are called developer contributions. And developers have to pay them to build more new homes. 

On average, the developer contribution per unit will go from $21,000 to around $50k under this plan.

But wait, there’s more. Watercare (the people who manage the water pipes) are stopping developers from building. 

They’re making it tougher for developers to connect their toilets, showers and drains to the city’s water system. And if you can’t build a working toilet … that house can’t be built. 

This extra cost and paper-pushing will make building new townhouses harder and more expensive. 

So, as these things happen, we could see a housing shortage in a few years. I want to get ahead of that.

Right now, many investors are fearful. They are worried about vacancy rates and high-interest costs. 

But I believe this is the time to be greedy when others are fearful.

So, all the factors working against buyers in Auckland today are why I’m investing there now.

That’s why Auckland is my number 1 pick. 

More from Opes:

• Top 5 places to invest (Article)
• Top 5 places NOT to invest (Article)
• Best places to invest for under $500k (Article)

#2 – Queenstown

Queenstown is on my radar. But (and this is a big but) only if the price is right.

The demand is there, but development is severely restricted. It’s hard to find land and even harder to get builders. That limited supply makes it an attractive market.

That said, I think people overpay for Queenstown properties. They bank on short-term profits through Airbnb. 

I think that’s risky.

We’ve seen cities around the world crack down on short-term rentals. If New Zealand follows suit, some investors could be caught out.

Does that mean that Airbnb is a bad choice? No, not necessarily. 

And I’m not saying don’t Airbnb – I’ve spoken to lots of investors who successfully use Airbnb with their investment properties. 

What I am saying is that I would never buy a property that only works on Airbnb.  

For me, a property must work as a normal rental first. If you want to Airbnb it later, that’s a bonus.

Property investment is a long-term game, and Airbnb is still a relatively new concept. I’d never treat a long-term asset with a short-term mindset.

If the numbers stack up, Queenstown is a solid option—but I’d invest cautiously.

#3 – Christchurch

Finally, Christchurch remains an attractive option for one key reason: it’s cheap.

You can still buy:

• A house in the $700k’s
• A townhouse in the early $500k’s

Affordability matters. 

It makes properties easier to rent out and easier to sell later.

On top of that, Christchurch is still undervalued. Prices there are 6.46% lower than we’d expect them to be.

If you’re on a budget, Christchurch is a strong investment choice.

Why have I picked these 3 locations?

These are the places I’m putting my own money right now.

Of course, there are other places you could invest — you don’t have to take my word for it. 

And if you want to dig into the numbers yourself – you can use Area Analyser. This is a new tool we released that allows you to get free data about any property market in New Zealand. 

But, after looking at this data, these are my top 3 picks.