What Southpac Group does

Southpac Group is a privately held fiduciary services firm headquartered in Tauranga, New Zealand, founded in 1982 as the first licensed trustee company in the Cook Islands. The group operates three wholly owned trustee subsidiaries across the Cook Islands (Southpac Trust Limited, 1982), Nevis (Southpac Trust Nevis Limited, 2000), and New Zealand (Southpac Trust NZ Limited, 2013), with a New Zealand holding entity (Southpac Group Limited, 2016) providing liaison services. The firm administers 750+ active trusts and 1,000+ LLCs (as of 2022-2023), serving ultra/high-net-worth individuals, entrepreneurs, high-risk professionals, and a network of professional intermediaries including attorneys, CPAs, and family offices globally.

The firm's core product is the Cook Islands asset protection trust, which the company helped architect through its instrumental role in drafting the Cook Islands International Trusts Act 1984 and subsequent amendments. Southpac administers a full stack of wealth structuring vehicles, including offshore trusts (Cook Islands, Nevis, New Zealand Foreign Trust), LLCs with charging order protection, International Business Companies, and Nevis Multiform Foundations, often layered together for multi-jurisdictional asset protection. The firm's proprietary expertise includes the Jones Clause (Exceptions to Trust mechanism) and senior-staffed service delivery: qualified attorneys admitted across multiple jurisdictions lead client engagements directly. Supporting services include multi-jurisdictional accounting, banking and investment introductions to private banks and SEC-registered advisors, and corporate director/protector/nominee services.

The business model combines recurring annual fees (full-service packages starting at US$7,000/year, plus bank account maintenance of US$500-$1,200/year) with one-time entity establishment fees and per-transaction charges (US$700-$950). Distribution is exclusively direct, via website consultation requests and a tiered referral partner programme targeting professional intermediaries worldwide. Marketing is content-led (educational publications, SEO across multiple domain properties, seminars and webinars). The firm employs 30+ people globally, was recently led through a leadership transition with Mike Arand appointed CEO in August 2025 and Matthew Smith moving to Director: Business Development in April 2025, and remains independent with no external institutional ownership.

Name

Southpac Group

Legal name

Southpac Group Limited

Website

https://southpacgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southpac Group is a privately held fiduciary services firm, founded in 1982, providing offshore trust administration, asset protection structuring, and multi-jurisdictional wealth planning across the Cook Islands, Nevis, and New Zealand for ultra/high-net-worth individuals, entrepreneurs, and professional intermediaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Offshore Trust and Asset Protection Services

NAICS

Trust, Fiduciary, and Custody Activities (523991), Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

akta.pro primary industry

Fiduciary Agency & Trustee-for-Hire Services (FSAAANAL)

Keywords

• Offshore trust services
• Asset protection trusts
• Fiduciary services
• Estate planning services
• Wealth structuring solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Tauranga

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Trust and Entity Renewal Fees: Annual fees charged for ongoing trust and entity administration services, including trustee services, registered agent, corporate management, protector, compliance, account establishment, account maintenance and accounting services. Time spent on professional and administrative attendances is charged at hourly rates in six-minute units.
2. Entity Establishment Fees: One-time fees for establishing trusts, companies, foundations, or other entities. Entity establishment fees are subject to change and become payable following initial compliance review and upon invoice issue.
3. Transaction-based Services: Fees for specific trustee transactions including accepting assets into trust, opening bank accounts, entering into third-party agreements, or making distributions. Most charges range from US$700 to US$950 per transaction depending on complexity.
4. Fixed Fee Agreements: All-inclusive fixed fee trust packages covering specified services for an annual fee. Available starting at US$7,000 per year, with individually-priced products available at lower cost. Bespoke all-inclusive packages can be negotiated.
5. Bank Account Services: Fees for establishing bank accounts (approximately US$1,500 to US$2,000 depending on bank) and annual account maintenance fees (US$500 to US$1,200 depending on custodian).
6. Tax Return Filing Services: Filing services for Simplified Tax Returns on behalf of Nevis companies at US$250 per filing. Full tax return preparation for entities tax resident in Nevis (33% on worldwide income).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Southpac Group establishes and administers offshore asset protection trusts (Cook Islands, Nevis, New Zealand), limited liability companies, international business companies, and foundations for ultra/high-net-worth individuals, entrepreneurs, and family offices. The firm also delivers ancillary trustee, fiduciary, accounting, and banking-introduction services across three premier offshore jurisdictions under a 'white-glove' institutional-grade service model.

Product overview

Southpac Group offers a comprehensive suite of institutional-grade offshore wealth structuring and fiduciary services designed for high-net-worth individuals, entrepreneurs, and family offices. The portfolio centers on purpose-built asset protection trusts (Cook Islands Trust, Nevis Trust, New Zealand Foreign Trust) as the core protective vehicle, supplemented by flexible corporate structures (Nevis LLC, Cook Islands LLC, International Business Companies, Foundations) that can be held within or combined with trusts for operational control. Additional services include investment and banking facilitation, multi-jurisdictional accounting, and professional fiduciary services. The company operates a modular delivery model allowing clients to purchase individual services or all-inclusive fixed fee packages starting at US$7,000 per year, with bespoke solutions available.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cook Islands Trust Flagship offshore asset protection trust established in the Cook Islands under purpose-built legislation (International Trusts Act 1984), providing the highest level of creditor protection, foreign judgment non-recognition, and multi-generational wealth preservation for ultra/high-net-worth individuals and families.
• Nevis Trust Offshore asset protection trust established in Nevis, modeled on Cook Islands legislation with strong corporate privacy, charging order protection for LLCs, and favorable creditor protection rules for international clients.
• New Zealand Foreign Trust Mid-shore trust solution combining New Zealand's stable OECD-member reputation with favorable trust laws for wealth management, succession planning, and international clients seeking jurisdictional diversity.
• Nevis LLC Limited Liability Company offering in Nevis with superior charging order protection, frequently combined with trusts to provide operational control alongside asset protection for business owners and investors.
• Cook Islands LLC Versatile Cook Islands limited liability company structure blending operational flexibility with limited liability protection, often used as an underlying vehicle with trusts for operational and investment purposes.
• International Business Company (IBC) Traditional offshore corporate entity available in Cook Islands and Nevis, offering privacy, administrative simplicity, and suitability for holding companies and international investments.
• Nevis Multiform Foundation Civil-law foundation structure in Nevis that can take on characteristics of a trust, company, or partnership, providing bespoke structuring options particularly for clients from non-common-law jurisdictions.
• Trustee and Fiduciary Services Professional fiduciary services including corporate directors, protectors, foundation council members, and nominee services for the establishment and ongoing management of trust, LLC, IBC, and foundation entities.
• Investment and Banking Services Facilitation of introductions to vetted SEC-registered investment advisors and private banks in premier jurisdictions including Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Nevis, Belize and the USA, helping clients establish tailored managed or self-managed investment portfolios and banking custody.
• Accounting Services Multi-jurisdictional accounting services preparing periodic financial statements and special-purpose reports to international standards, including Simplified Tax Return filing for Nevis companies at US$250 per filing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Litigation settlements reduced from $25M claims to $2M actual payment
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SEC-Registered Investment AdvisorscoreOthersSouthpac facilitates introductions to SEC-registered investment advisors for clients seeking tailored managed or self-managed investment portfolios. Investment relationships are carefully vetted and monitored for performance against benchmarks.
• Private Banking PartnerscoreOthersSouthpac maintains relationships with private banks in premier jurisdictions including Switzerland, Cook Islands, Liechtenstein, Austria, Nevis, Belize, and USA. The Head of Banking and Investment manages these relationships and facilitates introductions for clients seeking secure custody and banking solutions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Trident Trust: Global multi-jurisdictional trust, corporate, and fund administration firm with offices across major offshore centers. Highly comparable as a direct competitor in offshore trust administration, fiduciary services, and private client structuring for HNW and institutional clients.
• Sovereign Trust Group: Independent offshore fiduciary and corporate services group offering trusts, company formation, and wealth structuring across multiple jurisdictions. Closely comparable to Southpac in serving UHNW individuals with cross-border asset protection and estate planning structures.

Broad incumbents

• JTC Group: Large, listed global provider of fund, corporate, and private client services including trust administration. Comparable as a scaled incumbent offering overlapping fiduciary and trust services, but operating at materially greater scale and breadth across jurisdictions.
• TMF Group: Global provider of compliance, accounting, and fiduciary services across 125+ jurisdictions. Comparable via its trust and corporate services line, though its offering is far broader and not specialized in offshore asset protection.
• Maples Group: Leading offshore legal and fiduciary services group in Cayman, BVI, and Ireland. Comparable in providing offshore trust and fiduciary services alongside investment funds and legal advisory — broader scope but directly overlapping in core private client trust work.
• IQ-EQ: Global investor services group providing fiduciary, fund administration, and corporate services. Comparable as a multi-jurisdictional fiduciary competitor serving private clients and family offices with trust and corporate administration services.
• First Names Group: Multi-jurisdictional trust, corporate, and fund administration provider serving private clients and family offices. Directly comparable in fiduciary and private wealth services though operating across a broader footprint than Southpac.
• CSC (Corporation Service Company): Global corporate services and fiduciary provider with private client services including trust formation and administration. Comparable as a scaled fiduciary competitor, though its core business is broader corporate and entity management services.
• Appleby: Major offshore law firm offering fiduciary, trust, and corporate services from Bermuda, Cayman, BVI, and other jurisdictions. Comparable in providing high-end offshore trust and fiduciary services alongside legal advisory for UHNW clients.

Emerging players

• Sterling Offshore: Specialist offshore company formation and fiduciary services firm focused on Cook Islands, Nevis, and BVI structures. Comparable as a niche competitor in the same offshore jurisdictions with similar asset protection and LLC structuring offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInnz.linkedin.com/in/mike-arand-5a72068
• Xx.com/_southpacgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southpac Group