🇳🇿How to verify a supplier in New Zealand
To verify a supplier in New Zealand, look the company up for free in the official New Zealand Business Number Register (NZBN, MBIE) with the Companies Register behind it and confirm it is registered and currently active. The registry returns the registered entity name, the 13-digit NZBN, the entity type in the registrar's own words (NZ Limited Company, sole trader, partnership), the registration date, every previous name the entity has traded under, and the company number that opens the full filing history on the Companies Register.
The official registry
- Registry
- New Zealand Business Number Register (NZBN, MBIE) with the Companies Register behind it
- Company ID
- NZBN (13 digits); limited companies also keep a company number
- Cost
- Free basic lookup
- Active status
- The status line reads "Registered" for a live entity and "Removed" once it is struck off; a previous-names list is normal and not a warning by itself, but a name changed shortly before an approach is worth asking about.
- The NZBN register is wider than the Companies Register: sole traders and partnerships have an NZBN too, so a New Zealand supplier without a company number can still be checked here.
- New Zealand is outside the EU, so VIES does not apply; the tax number to ask for is the IRD number.
- Both the public search and the government API are free, which is why every New Zealand card on this site can carry a state-sourced fact rather than a self-declaration.
Before you sign: five asks no registry can answer
The register proves the company exists and who signs. It says nothing about whether the supplier survives a bad quarter, a fire or a key person leaving. Serious suppliers answer these five asks without friction; hesitation on any of them is information too.
- Business continuity: what happens to your order if their plant loses power, a strike hits or their systems go down? Ask for the plan, not a reassurance.
- Liability insurance: is product or professional liability insured, with which insurer and to what ceiling? A certificate of insurance is a one-page email for a real firm.
- Exit terms: how do you terminate if it goes wrong, what notice and fees apply, and how do you get your tooling, molds or data back?
- Support in numbers: ask for response and resolution times as figures, not adjectives. A supplier who commits to hours in writing has a support process; one who writes fast support does not.
- Named people: who exactly runs production and who owns your account? Continuity of a named team matters more than a polished sales deck, and employee-review sites often show whether that team stays.
General commercial hygiene, not legal advice.
Verify it in four steps
- 1
Open the New Zealand Business Number Register (NZBN, MBIE) with the Companies Register behind it
New Zealand Business Number Register (NZBN, MBIE) with the Companies Register behind it is the official government record of companies in New Zealand. Basic name or number search is free.
- 2
Search the exact legal name or ID
Search the supplier's registered name or its NZBN (13 digits); limited companies also keep a company number. If the name does not match cleanly, treat it as a red flag, it may be a trade name, a different entity, or wrong.
- 3
Confirm it is active, not struck off
The status line reads "Registered" for a live entity and "Removed" once it is struck off; a previous-names list is normal and not a warning by itself, but a name changed shortly before an approach is worth asking about.
- 4
Check it makes what it sells
A real factory carries a manufacturing activity code and a consistent trade history; a middleman reselling everything is the most common mismatch.
This is a factual pointer to public records, not legal advice. For the full method, see the 7 checks that separate a real supplier from a scam.
We do this check for you
On every New Zealand company we list, we show what the open record says, each linked to its free public source so you can re-check it yourself, no paid badge. And we go past the big directories to the local and craft makers who are too small for them but real, then verify and sort them, so you find genuine New Zealand suppliers, not just the loudest.
New Zealand suppliers by sector
Every company on these pages shows what the open record says about it, each fact linked to its free public source.
Related guides
Questions
Is checking a New Zealand supplier free?
Yes. A basic name or number lookup in the New Zealand Business Number Register (NZBN, MBIE) with the Companies Register behind it is free. Some full official extracts are paid, but confirming a company exists and is active costs nothing.
What ID does a New Zealand company have?
Its NZBN (13 digits); limited companies also keep a company number. Ask the supplier for it, then confirm it in the New Zealand Business Number Register (NZBN, MBIE) with the Companies Register behind it and check the registered name matches.
How do I know a New Zealand supplier is a real manufacturer, not a reseller?
The registry's activity code is the tell: a manufacturing code means a real maker, a wholesale or retail code means a trader. The NZBN register is wider than the Companies Register: sole traders and partnerships have an NZBN too, so a New Zealand supplier without a company number can still be checked here.