M&A Forecast 2022

  • Publications and reports

    11 February 2022

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What's on the horizon for merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in New Zealand? MinterEllisonRuddWatts' market leading Corporate team discusses trends and makes predictions for the year ahead.

Early in 2021 we predicted New Zealand’s comparative success due to its COVID-19 response favouring acquisition activity. But nothing prepared us for the volume and pace of deal-making that followed.

In our fifth annual M&A Forecast, we look back on the biggest year for M&A activity on record. We examine the factors driving the activity in the market and how these factors will continue to play a key role in deal transactions in the coming year.

We predict that 2022 will see:

  • a continuation of high deal volumes and M&A activity across many of the country’s sectors;
  • the focus remaining on deal activity in the healthcare, technology and financial sectors, with the food and beverage sector also beginning to attract interest;
  • large international investors continuing to see New Zealand’s market as highly desirable as global competition increases;
  • an increase of local, privately owned mid-market companies deciding the time is right to bring their businesses to market;
  • growth in sustainable finance products and a rise in distressed financing;
  • a settling in period following changes to the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) regime in 2021; and
  • buyers paying greater attention to local case law surrounding warranty protection and the remedies available to them when there is a breach.