New Funding Explorer Makes $400m in Business Support Easier to Find

Hosted on business.govt.nz, the Funding Explorer gives business owners access to 15 funding opportunities offered by seven government agencies in one searchable location.

New Zealand businesses now have a simpler way to find government financial support, with an upgraded Funding Explorer bringing together grants, funds and equity schemes worth around $400 million each year.

Hosted on business.govt.nz, the Funding Explorer gives business owners access to 15 funding opportunities offered by seven government agencies in one searchable location. Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Cameron Brewer said the change is designed to cut the time businesses spend searching across separate government websites and make it clearer which programmes could match their needs.

Funding Search Built Around Business Needs

Rather than expecting business owners to know which government agency manages a particular programme, the Funding Explorer lets them search according to their sector and what they want to achieve. Businesses can look for support related to commercialising an idea, improving productivity, carrying out research and development, or entering new export markets.

The approach is intended to make funding easier to understand for owners who may know what their business needs but have little knowledge of how government support is organised. Brewer said businesses are focused on running their operations, employing people and finding opportunities to grow, leaving little reason for them to spend hours working through multiple government websites.

Seven Government Agencies Bring Funding Into One Place

The upgraded tool was developed following a cross-government review examining how business funding could deliver a stronger impact on growth. That review identified a fragmented system where available support could be difficult for businesses to discover, prompting seven agencies to work together on a more straightforward way of presenting funding opportunities.

Brewer described the cooperation between the agencies as an important part of the upgrade, noting that businesses are generally less concerned about which department manages a fund than whether they qualify to apply for it.

Manufacturers Back Easier Access to Support

Business organisations were shown the Funding Explorer before its launch, including Advancing Manufacturing Aotearoa. Chief executive Catherine Lye supported the tool as a practical way to remove a barrier faced by manufacturers, particularly businesses that may be unaware of government programmes that could support investment or expansion.

The Funding Explorer joins existing business.govt.nz services including ONECheck and the Employment Agreement Builder. The government business platform recorded 6.2 million interactions during the past 12 months and reported a 91 per cent user satisfaction score.

Less Time Searching, More Time Growing

The government expects easier access to funding information to help businesses spend more time on investment, employment, innovation and exports rather than navigating different public-sector websites.

For small businesses and manufacturers with limited time and resources, having relevant funding opportunities collected in one place could make government support easier to discover and give more firms a chance to identify programmes suited to their next stage of growth.