Kea

What Kea does

Kea New Zealand, legally Kiwi Expat Association Incorporated, is a not-for-profit community organization founded in 2001 by Sir Stephen Tindall and Dr. David Teece to connect the global New Zealand diaspora with opportunities at home. Headquartered in Auckland with regional operations in London, New York, and Beijing, Kea serves a community of nearly 500,000 global Kiwis, including expats living overseas, NZ businesses seeking export growth, and returning Kiwis planning to re-establish in New Zealand. The organization is led by CEO Tina Dustdar and Chair Guy Horrocks, with a small team in the 11-50 employee range and dedicated regional directors covering China and North America.

Kea's core products are delivered through web-based platforms at keanewzealand.com and talent.keanewzealand.com, without a public API or proprietary AI capabilities. The product suite includes My Kea (free membership portal), Kea Connect (a free business-to-expert matching service supporting export readiness), Kea Talent (an international job portal), Kea Events (local, international, and virtual gatherings), the World Class New Zealand awards network, and a Global Business Directory. The technology is best characterized as a community membership platform with content, events, and matchmaking workflows rather than a differentiated software product.

The business model is freemium to end users: individual membership, Kea Connect introductions, and the job portal are all free, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Revenue mechanics operate on the supply side through public and private sector partnerships, including core government partners NZTE (New Zealand Trade and Enterprise) and MFAT (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade), and major corporate partners Air New Zealand, ASB Bank, and BNZ. Kea functions as a quasi-public-good infrastructure for New Zealand's global engagement strategy, monetized via sponsorship and program delivery rather than direct user fees.

Name

Kea

Legal name

Kiwi Expat Association Incorporated

Website

https://keanewzealand.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kea New Zealand is a not-for-profit community organization connecting nearly 500,000 global Kiwi expats, NZ businesses seeking export growth, and returning Kiwis through membership, business matching, job portal, events, and award programs across Auckland, London, New York, and Beijing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Networking Services for Expats and Export Businesses

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Entity Setup & Expansion Advisory (Market Entry, Subsidiary Formation) (BPACAHAM)

Keywords

• Expat community network
• Business export matching
• Global talent job portal
• Mentorship networking programs
• Community networking events

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership and Community Services: Kea operates as a not-for-profit community organization, providing free membership to Kiwi expats. Services are funded through public and private sector partnerships with NZTE, MFAT, Air New Zealand, ASB, and other corporate partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kea is a not-for-profit community network that connects nearly 500,000 New Zealanders living overseas with each other and with New Zealand businesses seeking international growth. Its offerings include a free individual membership service (My Kea), a business expert-matching service (Kea Connect), an international job portal (Kea Talent), community events, and the World Class New Zealand awards program, all funded through government and corporate sponsorships rather than direct fees.

Product overview

Kea is New Zealand's Global Network — a community membership organization (not a software product) offering a suite of interconnected services. The core offerings include: My Kea membership portal for community connection, Kea Connect for business export mentorship and expert introductions, Kea Talent for international job posting and recruitment, Kea Events for community gatherings, and the World Class New Zealand Network for recognizing successful offshore Kiwis. The platform also provides a Global Business Directory and resources for returning Kiwi. All services are accessible via website and mobile app, with a focus on connecting the nearly half-million Kiwi offshore back to Aotearoa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kea Connect: A service facilitating crucial introductions between businesses and industry experts
• World Class New Zealand
• Kea Talent

Products and services

• Kea Connect A free service connecting New Zealand businesses with regional, sector-specific experts and peers worldwide, facilitating introductions between businesses and Kiwi industry experts to help unlock export potential through conversations, connections, and market intelligence.
• My Kea (Membership Portal) A free membership platform for New Zealanders living overseas or about to return, allowing them to join Kea's global community, stay connected to home, grow their network through local Kea events, keep their details updated for opportunities, and discover stories of global Kiwi explorers.
• Kea Talent (Job Portal) An international job portal connecting Kiwi businesses with global talent; employers post jobs to reach Kea's overseas Kiwi community, and returners search for opportunities in New Zealand.
• Kea Events A platform for connecting Kiwi through local, international, and virtual events; allows members to post events and discover opportunities to engage with the community worldwide, including Kea Speaker Series, returner webinars, and community gatherings.
• World Class New Zealand Network An annual award program and ongoing network recognizing successful New Zealanders offshore, with annual ceremonies (2021-2023) and a gallery of winners showcasing world-changing Kiwi.
• Global Business Directory A directory for discovering and supporting New Zealand goods and services available worldwide, helping Kiwi exporters gain visibility with global consumers.
• ASB ACCESS Mentoring Programme A mentoring pilot delivered by Kea in partnership with ASB Bank that pairs food and fibre sector founders with experienced mentors from Kea's global network to support export readiness and business growth.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 businesses applied for ASB ACCESS mentoring pilot, with 9 founders successfully paired with mentors through Kea Connect
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNZTE is the government agency charged with helping New Zealand businesses grow internationally. They connect international businesses and investors with growth opportunities in New Zealand and support Kiwi businesses through partnerships like Kea.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMFAT acts internationally to make New Zealanders safer and more prosperous by building connections with other countries to advance NZ interests and project NZ values globally.
• Air New ZealandmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerNew Zealand's national carrier that flies more than 17 million passengers annually with 3,400 flights per week before COVID-19. Their purpose is connecting New Zealanders to each other and NZ to the world.
• ASB BankmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerASB partnered with Kea to deliver the ASB ACCESS mentoring pilot for food and fibre businesses, with Kea providing the mentoring component through its global network.
• AlbertssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting Kea's mission to connect global Kiwis and support NZ businesses.
• BeanysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner providing accounting services, supporting Kea's ecosystem of business support.
• Goodwins Real EstatesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerFamily-owned real estate agency that has been servicing Auckland for 30+ years, partnered with Kea to provide buyer agent services for returning Kiwi.
• BNZ (Bank of New Zealand)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerBNZ has partnered with Kea on returner content and resources, including webinars on finances and moving home, and referred businesses like Wai Mānuka to Kea Connect.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Endeavor: Endeavor is a global non-profit that supports high-impact entrepreneurs through mentorship, networks and market access — Kea Connect operates a lighter version of this model, connecting NZ founders with Kiwi export mentors in global cities.
• Irish International Business Network (IIBN): IIBN connects the global Irish business diaspora through local chapters in major financial hubs, offering networking, mentoring and trade-facilitating events. Mirrors Kea's community-led GTM, regional/city chapters, and focus on mapping diaspora talent to home-country economic outcomes.
• The Explorers Club: The Explorers Club is a non-profit membership organization supporting a community of explorers worldwide via lectures, grants, expeditions and an awards program. Conceptually similar to Kea in operating a globally distributed membership community with recognition programs (cf. World Class New Zealand) and city chapters.
• Israeli-American Council (IAC): IAC is a national US-based organization engaging Israeli-American professionals and entrepreneurs, with chapters across cities, leadership programs and an Israel-focused business agenda. Directly analogous to Kea in operating multiple regional chapters to bridge overseas nationals and their home economy.
• Advance Global (formerly The National Hispanic Corporate Council / ADDO): Advance is a membership-driven organization mobilizing a global diaspora community (Hispanic/Latino professionals) to drive economic and leadership outcomes. Closely comparable to Kea's model of uniting an expatriate community around its country of origin, providing mentorship, business matching and content programs, and operating across multiple geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Asia Society: Asia Society is a large, established educational and leadership organization producing events, programs and policy convenings across Asia–US corridors. Compares to Kea in operating global programming, prestigious awards, and diaspora/business engagement, but at materially larger scale across a broader geographic mandate.
• British Expats / The British Community (overseas communities): UK government-supported British expat community hubs and the broader British diaspora ecosystem (FCO programmes, British Chambers Abroad) parallel Kea in using expatriate communities as a soft-power and trade bridge for the home country — though Kea is purpose-built vs. multiple UK initiatives.

Others

• New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE): NZTE is the NZ government's economic development agency helping Kiwi businesses grow internationally. Although NZTE focuses on direct export capability and Kea provides diaspora-led introductions, both target the same exporter audience and are co-funded through overlapping partner relationships.
• Global Citizens Circle / Diaspora engagement non-profits: A range of diaspora engagement NGOs and consultancies work with governments to mobilize expat communities for economic development. Compares to Kea thematically, though no website is confidently known for a single direct equivalent; included as an adjacent ecosystem participant.

Emerging players

• Founder Institute: Founder Institute is a global pre-seed accelerator and founder-support network providing mentorship-driven programs across 60+ countries. Comparable to Kea Connect on the mentoring and founder-development axis, though FI is a structured accelerator whereas Kea Connect is a curated expert-matching service for established Kiwi exporters.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/keanewzealand
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@KeaNewZealand
• Facebookfacebook.com/keanewzealand
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kea-new-zealand
• Instagraminstagram.com/keanewzealand

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Kea