The short answer
The five largest software and IT companies headquartered in New Zealand, ranked by reported number of employees, are Datacom, Xero, Vista Group, Trade Me and Orion Health. Datacom is the largest, with about about 6,000 employees (2024). We could verify five companies meeting our criteria, so this list is shorter than ten rather than padded with unverified names.
The five companies at a glance
| # | Company | Headquarters | Founded | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Datacom | Wellington | 1965 | about 6,000 (2024) |
| 2 | Xero | Wellington | 2006 | 4,242 (2023) |
| 3 | Vista Group | Auckland | 1996 | 700+ |
| 4 | Trade Me | Wellington | 1999 | 600 |
| 5 | Orion Health | Auckland | 1993 | 600+ |
Ranked by the most recent employee count stated on each company’s Wikipedia article or official website, checked 24 October 2026. Years in brackets show when that figure applies; companies without a stated figure are listed last.
The companies in detail
1Datacom
WellingtonDescribed as New Zealand’s largest technology company; provides consulting, cloud, data centre, custom software and payroll services across Australasia, Asia, the US and UK.
- Headquarters
- Wellington
- Founded
- 1965
- Employees
- about 6,000 (2024)
- Ownership
- Private (Evander Management and NZ Superannuation Fund)
2Xero
WellingtonMakes cloud accounting software for small businesses, used in more than 180 countries.
- Headquarters
- Wellington
- Founded
- 2006
- Employees
- 4,242 (2023)
- Ownership
- Public company (ASX: XRO)
3Vista Group
AucklandSupplies software for cinema exhibition, film distribution and analytics, used by cinemas in 116 countries.
- Headquarters
- Auckland
- Founded
- 1996
- Employees
- 700+
- Ownership
- Public company (NZX, ASX)
4Trade Me
WellingtonNew Zealand’s largest online auction and classifieds site, covering general items, vehicles, property and jobs.
- Headquarters
- Wellington
- Founded
- 1999
- Employees
- 600
- Ownership
- Private (owned by Apax Partners)
5Orion Health
AucklandSells healthcare software for data integration, population health management and precision medicine to providers in dozens of countries.
- Headquarters
- Auckland
- Founded
- 1993
- Employees
- 600+
- Ownership
- Private (owned by Healwell AI)
What this list tells us about New Zealand’s software industry
- Wellington is the main hub. 3 of the five companies on this list are headquartered there, with others in Auckland.
- A long track record. The oldest company here, Datacom, was founded in 1965; the youngest, Xero, in 2006.
- Founding wave. More companies on this list were founded in the 1990s (3) than in any other decade.
- Ownership mix. 2 of the five are publicly listed and 2 are subsidiaries of, or majority-owned by, other groups; the rest are independent private companies, cooperatives or state-linked organisations.
New Zealand at a glance
- Capital
- Wellington
- Official languages
- English, Māori and NZ Sign Language
- Currency
- New Zealand dollar (NZD)
- Population
- 4,993,923 (2023 census)
- GDP per capita (nominal)
- $48,071 (2023)
Economy. Services are the largest sector, followed by manufacturing, construction and farming.
Technology. New Zealand ranks highly for the development of its ICT infrastructure.
Country figures from Wikipedia’s article on New Zealand, checked 24 October 2026. Estimates are rounded and dated as stated there.
Working with software companies in New Zealand
- Time zone. New Zealand spans several time zones, from UTC+12:00 to UTC+13:45 across the year. Agree overlap hours in writing before a project starts.
- Data protection. Check which data protection law applies to any personal data you share, and put the obligations into your contract.
- Due diligence. Large companies on this list mostly sell their own products or enterprise services. If you need a development partner for a specific project, ask for case studies, interview the engineers and start with a short paid trial. Our guide on how to choose an IT staff augmentation company includes a free vendor scorecard.
- Budget. Typical 2026 hourly rates by region are in our IT staff augmentation cost and rates guide.
- Extra capacity. If you want developers to join your own team rather than outsource a whole project, our IT Staff Augmentation Services provide dedicated engineers who work in your time zone, tools and processes.
How we built this list
- Candidates. We started from Wikipedia’s list of companies of New Zealand, the country’s best-known technology firms and companies regularly named in the local and international business press.
- Scope. We kept companies whose main business is software, IT services or a software-based platform, and that are headquartered in New Zealand. Telecom operators, banks and hardware makers were left out, as were local offices of foreign groups. Companies founded in New Zealand but now headquartered abroad are listed separately when relevant.
- Verification. For every company we checked headquarters, founding year, ownership, size and whether it is still active against its Wikipedia article or, where none exists, its own official website, on 24 October 2026. Each entry links to the page we checked.
- Ranking. Companies are ranked by their most recently stated number of employees, the most comparable size measure available for public and private firms alike.
- No payments. No company paid or was asked to appear. iCreativez Technologies is itself a software and IT services company, so we do not include or rank ourselves on country lists.
Employee figures come from different years, are sometimes self-reported on company websites and sometimes count a whole group rather than one company, so treat the ranking as a guide to scale rather than an exact league table.
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Software companies in nearby countries
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest software company in New Zealand?
By reported number of employees, Datacom is the largest software and IT company headquartered in New Zealand, with about about 6,000 employees (2024). It described as New Zealand’s largest technology company; provides consulting, cloud, data centre, custom software and payroll services across Australasia, Asia, the US and UK.
Which city is the main software hub in New Zealand?
Among the companies on this list, Wellington is home to the most: 3 of the five are headquartered there.
What is the oldest software company in New Zealand on this list?
Datacom, founded in 1965 and headquartered in Wellington.
How did you choose the software companies in New Zealand?
We considered the best-known companies headquartered in New Zealand whose main business is software or IT services. We verified each one against its Wikipedia article or official website and ranked them by reported number of employees. No company paid to be included.
Why are there fewer than 10 companies for New Zealand?
We only list companies we could verify. Rather than pad the list with names we cannot confirm, we show five verified companies and suggest nearby markets.
What is the economy of New Zealand based on?
Services are the largest sector, followed by manufacturing, construction and farming. New Zealand ranks highly for the development of its ICT infrastructure.
What languages and currency are used for business in New Zealand?
The official languages are English, Māori and NZ Sign Language, and the currency is the New Zealand dollar (NZD).
Can I hire software developers to work with a team in New Zealand?
Yes. Many businesses combine local partners with remote developers. iCreativez Technologies provides dedicated developers and offshore teams that can work your hours; see our dedicated developers page or contact us.
Sources
All company details were checked on 24 October 2026 against these pages:
- Wikipedia: List of companies of New Zealand
- Datacom: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datacom_Group
- Xero: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xero_(software)
- Vista Group: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vista_Group_International
- Trade Me: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_Me
- Orion Health: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Health
- Wikipedia: New Zealand (country profile)
If you represent a company on this page and a detail has changed, contact us and we will review it. Related guides: top IT staff augmentation companies 2026 · staff augmentation vs outsourcing vs managed services.