The Best Free Resource for NZ R&D Funding — And Why You Don't Need Us
What Founders Want has published a comprehensive NZ Government Support Directory for 2026. Here's what's in it, how to use it directly, and an honest take on when it makes sense to get help.
There's a free resource you should bookmark before you do anything else: the NZ Government Support Directory 2026 published by What Founders Want.
It's a clean, well-organised directory of every active government support programme available to NZ businesses right now — grants, co-funding, tax credits, advisory services, export guarantees, equity investment, and more. Over 20 active programmes across multiple government agencies, updated to reflect the disestablishment of Callaghan Innovation on 1 December 2025, with those programmes now managed by MBIE Innovation Services at funds.business.govt.nz.
If you've ever wanted to understand the full landscape without wading through government websites, this directory is the place to start.
What's in It for R&D Businesses
The directory covers the full R&D funding stack:
New to R&D Grant — 40% co-funding up to $400,000 for companies undertaking their inaugural R&D project (you fund the other 60%). This is the most relevant programme for businesses doing formal R&D for the first time.
R&D Tax Incentive (RDTI) — The 15% tax credit on eligible R&D expenditure. Minimum $50,000 annual spend, $120m cap. You file directly with Inland Revenue and MBIE — no intermediary required.
R&D Experience Grant — Funds a student intern for a 400-hour R&D project at living wage (~$11,580 + GST). Low barrier, good for early-stage businesses.
R&D Career Grant — Covers six months of a graduate's first R&D salary ($30,000 for master's graduates, $35,000 for PhDs). Useful if you're hiring your first dedicated R&D hire.
He Ara Whakahihiko Capability Fund — Up to $6.5m for two-year capability partnerships for Māori-facing and research organisations.
There's also the NZ Institute for Advanced Technology (NZIAT) on the horizon — $231m committed over four years, expected to launch around July 2026, aimed at deep-tech incubation.
The Regional Business Partner (RBP) Network is the recommended entry point for most of these programmes. Some — including the Management Capability Voucher — can only be accessed through an RBP Growth Advisor assessment.
You Don't Need a Consultant
Let's be direct: you can access every one of these programmes without hiring us or anyone like us.
MBIE doesn't charge to apply. The RDTI supplementary return is filed with your income tax return. General Approval applications go directly to MBIE. The New to R&D Grant is assessed by Innovation Services. None of this is gated behind a consultant relationship.
The cost of going direct is your time and the opportunity cost of learning systems that are not your core business. That's a real cost — but it's a choice, not a requirement.
What We Actually Do
When businesses come to us, they're not paying for access. They're paying to not have to think about it.
The schemes are not complicated to understand at a surface level — the WFW directory does a good job of that. They get complicated in the detail: which activities actually qualify under the RDTI's statutory R&D definition versus the RDLTC's accounting-based definition; how wage intensity is calculated across a group; what MBIE considers sufficient technical documentation; how to handle grant-funded costs; when retrospective General Approval makes sense versus when it doesn't.
Getting the broad strokes right is straightforward. Getting the claim right — maximising what's eligible, documenting it in a way that survives scrutiny, timing the filings correctly — is where most first-time claimants run into problems.
We're not the gatekeepers of these programmes. MBIE deals directly with founders. What we do is sit between you and the complexity so you can focus on the R&D rather than the claim.
Start with the Directory
If you're trying to understand the landscape before committing to anything, start with the What Founders Want directory. It's the best single-page overview of NZ government support we've seen, and it's free.
If you get to the point where you know what you're eligible for but don't want to manage the process yourself — or if you want a second opinion on whether your claim is structured correctly — that's when it makes sense to talk to us.
Either way, go read the directory first.