Private Equity Outlook 2026 

What’s in store for New Zealand’s Private Equity market in 2026? Andrew Beagley, BDO National Private Equity Leader and Daniel Martin, BDO Deal Advisory Partner, sat down with business journalist, Madison Malone to discuss their perspectives for the year ahead. 

View their insights in this brief video, read more below, or reach out to our BDO Private Equity team for expert help.

New Zealand’s Private Equity market at a glance

New Zealand’s private equity (PE) market experienced a quieter year in 2025 amid challenging conditions but remains competitive with firms eager to deploy capital. The presence of Australian PE firms and new domestic investors is increasing market activity and providing a range of options for businesses to access private capital.

Market activity and challenges

PE firms have been actively engaging with businesses, although closing transactions has been difficult in recent times due to macroeconomic factors. Over the past two years, PE firms have been concentrating on optimising their existing portfolio companies through what has been a challenging economic climate. Whilst, we have seen lower new platform investments (due to the economic climate), bolt-on acquisitions for existing portfolio companies have kept activity levels high.   

Outlook for acquisitions and exits

2026 is expected to be a year when M&A conditions improve enabling firms to deploy capital more actively, with a few transactions already in progress. Furthermore, with improving conditions, PE firms are also likely to consider exiting certain investments, leading to increased overall PE activity. The increasing number of firms actively investing in the New Zealand provides a range of options for businesses to source capital and is anticipated to heighten competition for quality businesses. 

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