About Us

The Overseas Investment Office (OIO) is a regulatory unit within Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) tasked with the administration of the Overseas Investment Act 2005, the Overseas Investment Regulations 2005, and sections 56 to 57J of the Fisheries Act 1996.

The Minister of Finance has designated LINZ as the regulating department and the Chief Executive of LINZ as the regulator. The regulator's powers and functions are delegated to certain staff in the OIO. The functions of the OIO include:

• Receiving and processing applications;
• Deciding applications under delegation;
• Advising the relevant Ministers on how applications should be determined;
• Consulting with relevant government departments and other agencies as appropriate;
• Compiling and making available statistics relating to applications; and
• Providing information about overseas investment to applicants and the public generally.

The OIO also monitors compliance with conditions of consent and enforces breaches of the Act and the relevant provisions of the Fisheries Act.

The Minister of Finance is the Minister responsible for the Overseas Investment Act 2005 and the Treasury is responsible for policy advice relating to the Act. The Minister of Finance and the Minister of Land Information decide sensitive land applications (although some decisions are delegated) and the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Fisheries decide fishing quota applications. The regulator (or the regulator's delegate) decides business (non-land) applications under delegation from the Minister of Finance.

Roles and Responsibilities

MANAGER OVERSEAS INVESTMENT OFFICE

Annelies McClure

Annelies heads the Overseas Investment Office within LINZ. She is a graduate of Victoria University of Wellington and in June 1990 was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in the High Court of New Zealand. Annelies joined the Overseas Investment Commission (now the Overseas Investment Office) in February 2004 and was appointed CEO and Secretary of the Commission in August 2005. Prior to joining the Commission, Annelies was a senior solicitor with Chapman Tripp Sheffield Young's Wellington office, and practised in the field of general commercial law.

TEAM LEADER APPLICATIONS

Amelia Longuet

Amelia's main responsibility is to oversee the processing of applications. Amelia is a lawyer and gained her legal qualifications from the University of Auckland. She has worked for major corporate entities and has a background in the commercial and financial industries. Any enquiries in respect of applications should be directed to Amelia in the first instance.

TEAM LEADER ADMINISTRATION

Peter Hill

Peter joined the Overseas Investment Commission (now the Overseas Investment Office) in 1984. Peter's prime area of responsibility is overseeing the post consent monitoring function of the Office.

SOLICITOR

Pedro Morgan

Pedro's key responsibilities include assisting with the Overseas Investment Office's monitoring and enforcement responsibilities and providing in-house legal advice on the Overseas Investment Act 2005 and other matters.

INVESTIGATIONS ANALYST

Estelle Cook

Estelle joined the Overseas Investment Office in August 2007. She graduated from Victoria University of Wellington with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts and was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in the High Court of New Zealand in 1998. Currently her primary role is in assisting with the Overseas Investment Office's monitoring and enforcement responsibilities.

APPLICATIONS ANALYSTS

David Turnbull

David joined the Office's predecessor (the Overseas Investment Commission) in September 2001. He has a background in the banking industry after having graduated with a Bachelor of Business Studies majoring in Financial Economics from Massey University in 1997. David's primary role in the Office is the processing and analysis of applications for overseas investment in New Zealand.

Catherine Barnes

Catherine joined the Overseas Investments Office in February 2007. She graduated from Victoria University with a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Commerce in 2007. Catherine's primary role is the processing and analysis of applications for overseas investment in New Zealand.

LEGAL SUPPORT OFFICER

Olwyn Smith

Olwyn is a qualified Legal Executive. She transferred to LINZ from the Reserve Bank when the Overseas Investment Office was formed, after having worked with the Commission as an Administrative Assistant since March 2004. Prior to that, she worked in an administrative role with Landcorp Investments Limited.

MANAGEMENT SUPPORT OFFICER

Jill Remnant

Jill provides administration assistance to the Office. Prior to joining the Office in May 2006, she worked for many years for private legal practices as Senior Legal Assistant and Practice Accountant. Jill has a Diploma in Teaching and has travelled extensively.