Best VPNs for New Zealand in 2025

New Zealand is among the most terrific countries in Oceania. Sprawling with beautiful beaches and breathtaking landscapes, it’s not strange that people fall in love with this country at first sight. However, it’s also typical for its residents to look for the best VPN in NZ.

New Zealand is a member of the 5 Eyes alliance, so privacy-wise, it’s not the best. Countries in the 5 Eyes are notorious for data collection and sharing. On top of that, the internet is riddled with geo-restrictions, preventing you from accessing many types of content.

Not to mention unsafe public WiFi networks and ISP throttling, typical for any country. Whether in New Zealand or abroad, the best NZ VPN in 2025 will be more than helpful. It’ll safeguard your privacy and let you circumvent any geo-blocks or firewall blocks.

But then, the real question is—what is the best VPN for New Zealand in 2025? We’re glad you asked. Today, we’re talking about five of our favourite options, plus some free options to consider if you live in this country. Is it going to be a long read? Yes, but absolutely interesting!

The top 5 VPNs for New Zealand in 2025

Why Should You Use a VPN in New Zealand?

Virtual Private Networks aren’t mandatory; millions go online without additional protection. However, we still believe that a VPN is necessary in New Zealand. It’s similar to Australia, where we also recommend a VPN.

Let’s see why you should use a VPN in New Zealand.

Gaining Online Privacy

As said, a 5 Eyes alliance member like New Zealand, this isn’t the most respectful to your privacy.

ISPs are forced to collect and store your personal data, which is done by constant tracking and monitoring. 5 Eyes countries, aside from NZ, include the US, the UK, Australia, and Canada.

This means your personal data can be shared with these countries, jeopardising your privacy.

A law passed in 2013 permits the collection of personal data of NZ residents. Luckily, you can easily prevent this from happening with the best VPN for NZ.

A VPN encrypts your traffic and ensures your ISP can’t trace your online activities. This, as a result, prevents it from collecting and storing your data because, thanks to encryption, it’s an unreadable, garbled mess to anyone who intercepts it.

Public WiFi Protection

Public WiFi protection is vital if you’re a tourist or frequent hotels or cafes daily. You must protect your identity on these networks, as they’re often without encryption or even password protection. Hackers can easily breach the network and start stealing personal information swiftly.

They can intercept your IP, hijack your device, and potentially steal your credit card number and other information. This isn’t science fiction—it happened in Starbucks in Argentina, where hackers used connected devices to mine cryptocurrency.

Once again, taking advantage of a VPN’s encryption is key. You’ll conceal your IP address and make your traffic unreadable, which makes even the most skilled hacker unable to harm you. Connect to a VPN while on public WiFi and enjoy anonymous browsing.

Torrenting Anonymously

Using a VPN in New Zealand to download torrents is a typical practice. In a country like this, people do get into trouble for torrenting, especially when discussing copyrighted content. However, it’s not always black and white, as even those on the right side of the law can suffer the same fate.

On top of that, torrenting is a highly unsafe activity, which we highlighted in our torrenting VPN guide. Other users downloading the same file can see your IP, while torrent sites can see your download history. They will—if asked—gladly hand it out to the authorities!

In this case, fees can be pretty hefty, and you’ll need to work hard at your job for two months to get out of this serious problem. To avoid this issue, using a VPN in New Zealand is safe. Premium services are optimised for P2P, offering fast speeds and advanced security features to keep things private.

This will result in free and anonymous torrenting, with no ISPs or snoopers tracking your downloads.

Streaming Geo-Restricted Content

Streaming is one of the most popular reasons for VPN use in New Zealand and elsewhere.

Who doesn’t like watching Netflix on a rainy Sunday? Or perhaps you love streaming sports on BBC iPlayer? It doesn’t matter—using a VPN in NZ is great if you’re into streaming because the country has plenty of geo-restrictions.

Netflix, in particular, has different catalogues in each country, so a VPN can help you unblock them. Foreign TV channels are also accessible with a VPN if you get an IP address from the country where the channel can operate.

We can also reverse the situation and imagine you’re an NZ resident abroad. This time, you can watch New Zealand TV channels in a foreign country by getting an IP from your country! In addition to streaming-related content and sites, you can also unblock online bookies, porn sites, and much more.

Check our guide on streaming channels from another country—it’s pretty easy!

Best VPN for NZ in 2025 (For Residents & People Abroad)

You now see that using the best VPN for New Zealand is quite sensible. And if you’ve made up your mind and want to secure your online identity, you might wonder which is the best VPN to use in NZ.

Don’t fret—the answer is below. Read on as we present our top 5 services for New Zealand in 2025.

1. NordVPN

NordVPN has carved its name into the VPN industry by offering cutting-edge security and privacy, excellent performance, and streaming capabilities.

This is undoubtedly the best VPN service for NZ in 2025, with 7,800+ servers in 125 countries and 20+ servers in Auckland.

If you’re abroad, you can use it to watch TVNZ or 1News, and if you’re in New Zealand, unblocking foreign content is a breeze. NordVPN offers Double VPN servers, which double your encryption and make you even safer online—something you’ll want in a 5-eyes country.

Furthermore, we found NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro vastly helpful. It contains an ad blocker, malware protection, and tracker blocking, all of which ensure 360-degree protection. As the icing on the cake, NordVPN’s P2P servers are here, allowing for anonymous and fast torrenting.

Everything is up to date in terms of encryption protocols. NordLynx is the main protocol, with 256-bit encryption and features like IP leak protection, automatic kill switch, split tunnelling, and SmartPlay. The latter is SmartDNS, which lets you stream geo-restricted content on any device.

NordVPN is also equipped with NordWhisper, a protocol to overcome network filtering. Meshnet, a feature for joining and hosting secure LAN parties for gaming or business, is also free. This is even more impressive considering its obfuscated servers, which help alleviate censorship in China and other censored regions.

We don’t need to mention its audited no-logging policy, beautiful apps, and round-the-clock support—although we just did. But we must shout out to the special discount below, coupled with a 30-day money-back guarantee for a completely risk-free test of this VPN in New Zealand or abroad.

Visit NordVPN

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2. ExpressVPN

Whether you’re in this country or abroad, ExpressVPN is a reliable VPN for New Zealand in 2025. We also found it among the fastest, which users appreciate when talking about streaming or torrenting. Indeed, ExpressVPN is torrent-friendly, and it can unblock a dozen Netflix libraries.

In addition, this VPN offers many NZ servers, so if you want to access local TV channels abroad, it’s entirely possible. One thing to note is that ExpressVPN is user-friendly. It has easy-to-use apps that support one-click connections, which is one of its highlights.

Security-wise, this provider skimps on nothing. AES-256 encryption will keep your traffic secure, while the kill switch and IP leak prevention will stop your personal data from leaking. Split tunnelling lets you choose which apps will use the VPN tunnel, while Advanced Protection keeps ads and trackers away.

ExpressVPN’s no-logging policy is impeccable. It has been audited by PwC, KPMG, and Cure53, all of which confirmed that the provider stores no logs. This is backed by TrustedServer technology (RAM-only servers) plus Private DNS for handling your DNS requests according to a no-logs policy.

The service works on all platforms, so it doesn’t matter which one you’re using. Even better, there are eight simultaneous connections, making protecting multiple devices with one subscription easy. You can also set up the VPN on a router for even more household security!

If you’re wondering about its downsides, there are almost none, except for a slightly higher price and the lack of MultiHop. It’s not the most affordable pick, but a 61% discount and four free months for the biennial plan are surely welcome. With a 30-day refund policy for all plans, you can’t go wrong with one of the best VPNs for NZ like this one.

Visit ExpressVPN

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3. CyberGhost

CyberGhost is a VPN you can’t be neutral about—you either love or adore it! It packs 12,000+ servers in 100 countries, with 13+ fast servers in New Zealand (Auckland).

Its apps are packed with features, most notably streaming and torrenting servers that people in New Zealand enjoy. This VPN for New Zealand supports blazing-fast P2P, while letting you unblock BBC iPlayer or Hulu in this country.

Additionally, the VPN uses WireGuard with AES-256 encryption, which results in impenetrable security and lightning-fast speeds. CyberGhost also uses an ad blocker to kick out annoying ads, while DNS leak protection ensures your DNS requests aren’t leaking.

We love CyberGhost’s NoSpy servers too, as they’re based in Romania and operated directly by CyberGhost for the highest level of privacy. But what about logging practices? As the VPN takes utmost care of your privacy, no logs are stored, which Deloitte confirmed in a recent audit.

In addition, it publishes transparency reports every three months, clearly showing that the provider stores or hands out no personal information. Of course, as a premium VPN for New Zealand, you can expect unlimited monthly traffic and other nitpicks, such as seven simultaneous connections and 24/7 live chat support.

We should add optional dedicated IP addresses and antivirus, which make this provider extraordinary. You know what? It’s cheaper than NordVPN, with the lowest price of around $2 a month. That’s not all, folks!

CyberGhost’s 45-day refund policy for long-term plans is as cool as it sounds. You can use it risk-free for a month and a half without losing money!

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4. Surfshark

Moving on with ranking the best VPNs for NZ, we have Surfshark.

It’s a fairly cheap VPN with 3,200 servers in 100 countries, including New Zealand. This provider isn’t the best around, but for this price, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better choice, except for CyberGhost.

Surfshark is known for unlimited simultaneous connections and polished apps for all devices. It’s also a VPN from the Netherlands, offering a certified zero-logging policy and modern security features that New Zealand VPN users will appreciate.

Surfshark offers 256-bit encryption, and users can enjoy WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 protocols. In addition, the service is surprisingly good for streaming, while torrenting is fully allowed on all servers. The downside was that its kill switch had occasional issues, which were remedied with the last few updates.

However, Surfshark isn’t the fastest provider, which might be a problem for long-distance servers. On the brighter side, the provider has MultiHop servers for doubling your encryption, and there’s a feature called IP Rotator that rotates your IP periodically.

We also like Surfshark’s addition of an ad blocker called CleanWeb, which works well. Its apps also offer a GPS Override functionality, letting you spoof your location and pretend you’re elsewhere. This feature is unique to Surfshark, and no other NZ VPN offers it on this list.

Finally, Surfshark’s 2-year plans are dirt-cheap and are subject to a 30-day refund policy. For a price similar to CyberGhost, you get a top-of-the-line VPN with 24/7 live chat support, Private DNS, RAM-only servers, and much more. We think it’s a fair deal—what about you?

If you can’t decide, look at our Surfshark vs CyberGhost duel.

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5. Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access is the best VPN from the 5 Eyes countries. Yes, it’s from the US, but that’s not an issue, considering it has one of the best zero-logging policies. It even offers 30,000 servers, with hundreds of them in New Zealand—a mighty impressive feat!

PIA VPN isn’t better than ExpressVPN, but that’s already reflected in the price. Still, the VPN has some excellent features, such as port forwarding, encryption options, and WireGuard. As said, it stores no logs and even has an audit from Deloitte to back this claim up.

However, its apps aren’t the most user-friendly, which especially applies to the Windows app. And while it’s not very fast either, it’s at least torrent-friendly, which Kiwi users will find helpful. Also, PIA VPN has a MACE feature, which effectively blocks ads and malicious sites.

Not only that, but there’s obfuscation, which lets you get over censorship to an extent. Its SOCKS5 proxy is valid for faster P2P, while a few optimised streaming servers will work with 2-3 Netflix catalogues. Much like Surfshark, PIA comes with unlimited simultaneous connections.

Like its rival, it’s incredibly cheap. We recommend its longest plan, which costs around $2 a month and has a 30-day refund policy. If you decide to get it, you’ll enjoy the VPN on all devices, except for the Fire TV Stick, where the service doesn’t offer a dedicated client.

On the flip side, users can enjoy 24/7 support, neat features like a kill switch, Shadowsocks proxy, RAM-only servers, and a proprietary DNS server. If you don’t mind some of the compromises, we think Private Internet Access is among the top choices in this price range.

To find out more about this VPN for New Zealand, click here:

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What About Free VPNs for New Zealand?

When it comes to free VPNs for NZ, we can’t say we’re fond of them. There are many reasons for that, but if you want a short answer, they’re just cut-down versions of their paid counterparts. This means you’ll have limited bandwidth, slower speeds, no streaming/P2P capabilities, etc.

Many free VPNs are safe, like Proton VPN and Hide.me. However, these two have no servers in New Zealand, so you can’t unblock local TV channels if you’re abroad. Another issue we’re worried about is that free providers are also often unsafe.

If names like Hola VPN, Hotspot Shield, Turbo VPN, and Urban VPN sound familiar, you’ve most likely used them. Some are free forever while offering unlimited traffic, but in the background, they store your personal information and sell it to third-party companies.

In our Hola VPN review, we explained how this works, so check it out. While we can’t say the best VPNs for New Zealand are free providers, we can recommend a few if you’re ready to take on the compromises they come with.

Proton VPN

A free VPN for NZ, like Proton VPN, is also a solid choice. Granted, it has no servers in New Zealand, but it does offer unlimited traffic. Servers in the US, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Japan are here, but beware of their slow speeds and frequent overcrowding.

Also, Proton VPN doesn’t allow P2P, and its streaming capabilities are almost non-existent. At least it stores no logs and offers solid security features, including WireGuard, an automatic kill switch, split tunnelling, and VPN Accelerator.

Like other free VPNs, Proton VPN does not support simultaneous connections, lacks 24/7 live chat support, and is not the cheapest premium VPN. In short, it’s painfully average when compared to paid VPNs—or, better said, it’s vastly underpowered.

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Hide.me

Hide.me VPN is great for securing your traffic and becoming anonymous online. The free version has no New Zealand VPN servers, so you’re locked to the US, the Netherlands, and a few other locations only. The provider is fast for a free service, and it’s even streaming-friendly to an extent.

While the provider offers unlimited bandwidth like Proton VPN, it blocks P2P traffic, so torrenting is out of the window. Torrenting with a free VPN is rarely possible, but when it is, it’s usually plagued with an inconvenient monthly bandwidth cap. Another problem is that Hide.me VPN has no simultaneous connections.

The lack of MultiHop connections and limited device compatibility accompany this. That said, Hide.me VPN is useful only if you’re in New Zealand. If you’re abroad and need an NZ IP address, you’re better off with the abovementioned providers.

TunnelBear: A VPN With Servers in New Zealand

If you need a free VPN with servers in New Zealand, here’s TunnelBear. It has 46+ countries on the list, including this one, so it’s great for obtaining this IP. However, the provider is very slow and offers just 2 GB of bandwidth each month, making it the worst on the list.

Torrenting is alson’t allowed, and streaming on Netflix is virtually impossible. This VPN is based in Canada, so it’s in the 5 Eyes, but the good thing is a third-party audit that tells us it’s safe and secure. Still, we don’t need to talk too much about it—the 2 GB monthly cap is everything you need to know.

If you’re using the internet for 30 minutes a month, it’s phenomenal. If you’re online all the time, TunnelBear is useless in and out of New Zealand.

Verdict: Which VPN to choose in New Zealand?

In today’s article, we present the top 5 VPNs for New Zealand in 2025. Our favourite is NordVPN, with the fastest speeds, rock-solid security, and remarkable streaming/torrenting capabilities. That’s not to say other VPNs should be discarded.

ExpressVPN and CyberGhost are reasonable options that maintain the highest performance. Another great VPN to use in New Zealand is Surfshark, which, along with PIA, gives you unlimited simultaneous connections with above-average security and privacy.

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FAQ

How much does a VPN cost in New Zealand?

It’s never above a few quids a month. Take NordVPN as an example; you’ll notice that it starts at just over $3 monthly. ExpressVPN is the “priciest” option at $4.99 monthly. Whichever NZ VPN service you choose, you’ll never overpay.

Are VPNs banned in New Zealand?

No, they’re allowed and used by thousands of residents. You can use a VPN to stream, torrent, or browse the web anonymous in New Zealand, without fearing legal repercussions. If you’re on the right side of the law, you’ll have zero problems to worry about.

What’s the best VPN with NZ servers?

NordVPN is easily the best pick, with over twenty servers in Auckland. However, ExpressVPN offers 10 Gbps servers in New Zealand that work equally well.