Total annual liquidations have historically been more than 2000 per year from 2003 until 2016, and upwards of 3000 in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
In 2025 total liquidations were 2,867, a 13.5% increase from 2024. Although continuing the upwards trend that started in 2022, the increase is significantly smaller than the 37% jump seen from 2023 to 2024.
Interestingly, December 2025 had 286 liquidations which is the second highest December figure on record since 2001, surpassed only by December 2008, which had 351 liquidations.
In 2023 there were a total of 1827 liquidations in New Zealand, and in 2024 there were 2503 liquidations. 2025 showed another sustained increase of 13.5% higher than 2024.
Since 2001, there has only been two years, (2011 and 2013) where there were more company removals registered than company incorporations.
At the end of 2025 there were a total of 744,378 companies registered in New Zealand. In
December 2025 there were substantially more removals, 7,628, than incorporations, 4106.
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