NZX facts for kids

The New Zealand's Exchange (which in Māori is Te Paehoko o Aotearoa), usually called the NZX, is New Zealand's main stock exchange. It is a company that helps people buy and sell parts of businesses. The NZX also owns other companies like Smartshares and Wealth Technologies.

As of February 2025, the NZX had 179 different companies listed. Their total value was about NZ$184.62 billion.

How the NZX Began

The NZX Centre building in Wellington, 2007

The NZX started as many smaller stock exchanges across New Zealand. This happened during the gold rush in the 1860s. The first group of stockbrokers formed in Dunedin in 1867. Other groups started in places like Auckland and Wellington.

Over time, these smaller groups joined together. In 1915, many of them formed the Stock Association of New Zealand. This group worked towards creating one national exchange. In 1983, all the regional exchanges finally combined. They became the New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZSE).

Moving to Computer Trading

Before 1991, people traded stocks by shouting out orders on a trading floor. This was called "open outcry." But on June 24, 1991, the NZSE switched to a computer system. This made trading much faster and easier. Later, in the late 1990s, they updated this system.

In 2010, NZX Clearing was created. This part of the NZX handles the final steps of buying and selling shares.

Becoming a Public Company

On October 16, 2002, the members of the NZSE voted for a big change. They decided to become a limited company. This meant it would be owned by shareholders, not just its members. On December 31, 2002, the change happened.

Then, on May 30, 2003, the New Zealand Stock Exchange Limited changed its name. It became the New Zealand Exchange Limited, or NZX. A few days later, on June 3, 2003, NZX itself became a company listed on its own stock market.

Mark Peterson has been the chief executive of NZX since April 2017.

Online Challenges

In August 2020, the New Zealand Exchange faced online attacks. These attacks stopped trading for five days. The NZX worked with internet companies and the government to fix the problem. They made sure trading could start again safely.

What the NZX Does

The NZX does many important things. It runs and manages markets where people can trade shares and other financial products. It also provides services for trading, settling deals, and sharing market information.

The NZX is the only official stock exchange in New Zealand. It also manages a system for settling trades.

Other Services

NZX also helps people invest their money.

• Smartshares offers products called exchange-traded funds (ETFs). These are like baskets of different shares you can buy.
• SuperLife helps people save for retirement and other investments. NZX bought SuperLife in 2015.

The NZX also helps run other important markets. It manages New Zealand's wholesale electricity market. It also runs the Fonterra Shareholders’ Market for the dairy company Fonterra.

Trading Hours

The main trading board at NZX is usually open from 10 am to 4:45 pm.

NZX as a Business

NZX is a company that you can buy shares in, just like other companies listed on its exchange. In 2022, NZX shared its financial results:

NZX 2022 Annual Report

Information	Figure Reported
Revenue	NZ$95.7 million
Operating Income	NZ$19.5 million
Net Income	NZ$14.1 million
Assets	NZ$233.1 million
Equity	NZ$111.7 million
Employees	319

• Revenue is the total money the company earned.
• Operating Income is the money left after paying for daily business costs.
• Net Income is the profit after all expenses and taxes.
• Assets are things the company owns that have value.
• Equity is the value of the company that belongs to its owners.
• Employees is the number of people who work for NZX.

See also

In Spanish: Bolsa de Nueva Zelanda para niños

• NZX 50 Index
• List of companies listed on the New Zealand Exchange
• List of stock exchanges in the Commonwealth of Nations