National Business Review

What National Business Review does

National Business Review (NBR), operating under the legal name The National Business Review, is a privately held, subscription-based business news publication headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. Founded in 1970 and trading under the tagline "The Authority since 1970," it serves executive-level business professionals, investors, and corporate decision-makers with independent journalism across finance, investment, economics, tech, law, and politics. The platform runs on an online news publishing and digital subscription management system delivered via web (nbr.co.nz), iOS and Android apps, RSS, and email newsletters, with tiered individual subscriptions from NZ$29.95/month (smartphone-only) to NZ$499/year (premium online) and volume-discounted group plans for 10–100 corporate seats.

NBR monetizes through a diversified subscription stack that includes its flagship NBR Premium Online Subscription, the annual NBR Rich List (now in its 40th edition profiling 150 individuals and NZ$129 billion of collective wealth), NBR Marketplace for luxury property listings (bundled at NZ$999/year), and emerging multimedia formats including NBR Video and The NBR Podcast. A free premium access program for verified New Zealand university students (valued at NZ$499) is positioned as a reader-development initiative rather than a revenue channel. Distribution is single-country/domestic, targeted at SMBs/individuals through self-serve channels and at enterprise customers through direct sales of group plans, with no disclosed parent company, external funding, or M&A activity.

Name

National Business Review

Legal name

The National Business Review

Website

https://nbr.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National Business Review is a privately held, subscription-based New Zealand business news publication founded in 1970, serving executives, investors, and corporate decision-makers with independent journalism across finance, investment, tech, law, and economics, alongside the annual Rich List, podcast, video, and luxury property marketplace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business News & Financial Journalism

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Financial & Trade News Publishers (MPAJADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

Keywords

• Business news publication
• Financial journalism services
• Premium news subscription
• Economic analysis content
• Investment news coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

National Business Review is a subscription-based digital business news publication serving New Zealand, producing independent journalism and analysis on finance, investment, economics, tech, law, and politics. Its core commercial offering is tiered premium online subscriptions (monthly and annual, individual and corporate group), bundled with deep archives, market movements data, and exclusive franchises such as the annual NBR Rich List. Supporting offerings include the NBR Podcast, NBR Video (including NBR Focus), and NBR Marketplace for premium property listings.

Product overview

National Business Review (NBR) operates as a premium New Zealand business news platform offering a subscription-based model with multiple tiers. The core offering includes the NBR Premium Online Subscription providing access to business news, finance, investment, tech, and law coverage. Supporting products include The NBR Rich List (annual wealth publication now in its 40th year), NBR Marketplace (luxury real estate listings), NBR Video (documentary and interview content), The NBR Podcast (audio series), and Analysis Columns (expert commentary). The platform also offers a free Student Subscription Program for university students. Subscriptions range from $29.95/month (smartphone only) to $499/year (premium online) with group membership options for businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The NBR Rich List: Annual ranking of New Zealand's wealthiest individuals, now in its 40th year, tracking collective wealth and notable newcomers to wealth.
• NBR Podcast
• NBR Video
• NBR Marketplace

Products and services

• NBR Premium Online Subscription Tiered subscription providing New Zealand business professionals, investors, and corporate groups with full access to independent news, in-depth analysis, expert columns (e.g., Edwards on Politics, Hunter's Corner, Margin Call, Dollars & Sense), market movements data, and multi-decade archives. Available as smartphone-only or premium online plans, monthly or annual, individual or group (10–100 users).
• The NBR Rich List Annual publication profiling New Zealand's wealthiest individuals. The 40th anniversary edition (2026) features 150 profiles and tracks collective wealth of $129 billion. Sold separately and bundled into the flagship editorial franchise.
• NBR Marketplace Luxury real estate listing platform for premium properties in New Zealand. Real estate agents pay subscriptions to list individual properties with video showcase features; buyers browse and enquire on listings. Bundled with the Yearly Premium Online subscription at NZ$999/year.
• NBR Video Video content platform featuring interviews, analysis, and news coverage including the NBR Focus documentary series and podcast video versions, available to NBR subscribers.
• The NBR Podcast Audio content series covering business news, economics, politics, and interviews including the Rich List 40th Anniversary Edition, distributed via standard podcast platforms and accessible to NBR subscribers.
• Student Subscription Program Free premium access program (valued at NZ$499) for verified New Zealand university students, providing NBR's full premium online content for academic research, assignment support, and business education via institutional email verification.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BusinessDesk: New Zealand's primary subscription-based business news competitor, offering in-depth NZ business, politics, and markets coverage. Operates a similar paywalled subscription model targeting the same NZ executive and investor audience as NBR.
• Interest.co.nz: NZ-focused financial news and analysis site covering economics, markets, mortgages, and KiwiSaver. Comparable to NBR in its NZ-specific business/financial coverage but operates more on advertising and freemium models than hard paywalls.

Broad incumbents

• Financial Times: Global subscription business newspaper with deep paywall execution and B2B/group licensing. Comparable to NBR in subscription-first business-news model, but operates at vastly greater scale across global markets.
• Stuff Business: Major NZ general news publisher (Stuff) with a dedicated business section. Functions as a broad incumbent competitor for advertising and reader attention rather than a direct subscription peer, but covers overlapping NZ business news topics.
• The Economist: Subscription-first global business and economics publication. Shares NBR's subscription-first DNA and executive/professional readership, though covers global rather than NZ-specific news.
• NZ Herald (NZME): New Zealand's largest general news publication with a substantial business section. Overlaps with NBR on NZ business news but operates as a broad incumbent across all news categories rather than specializing in business/finance like NBR.
• Bloomberg Media: Global business and financial news subscription product. Comparable to NBR in serving executive/investor audiences with paywalled business intelligence, but at global scale with much deeper resources for original journalism.
• Forbes: Global business media brand known for lists (Forbes 400, billionaires) and subscription models. Comparable to NBR in leveraging wealth-tracking lists as flagship products and serving executive audiences, though at global scale.

Others

• RNZ (Radio New Zealand): NZ public broadcaster with significant business, economics, and political news coverage. Not a direct subscription peer but competes for the same NZ executive audience's attention with free, high-quality business and policy reporting.

Regional players

• Australian Financial Review (AFR): Australia's leading subscription business news publication from Nine Entertainment. Comparable business model (paywalled premium subscriptions, rich-list culture, executive audience) and product format, but serves the Australian rather than NZ market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheNBR
• Facebookfacebook.com/109719505712942
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/710658

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 National Business Review