5 Best VPNs for New Zealand (Updated with Local Servers in 2020)

A VPN can change your virtual location by giving you a New Zealand IP address. This makes it seem like you’re browsing from within the country (even if you’re overseas). With a VPN, you’ll be able to watch your favorite local shows and access services like online banking from abroad with no issues.

Additionally, New Zealand actively promotes internet censorship and mass surveillance. This means that government agencies could gain access to your data. Personally, this worries me because I don’t know how much of my data could be exposed or how it could be used. To protect yourself, you can use a VPN to encrypt your online activity and keep your personal information safe from prying eyes. After testing dozens of VPNs, I recommend NordVPN for security and reliability.

To make it easier for you to select a safe and reliable VPN, I’ve compiled a list of the best 5 VPNs to get a New Zealand IP address, and 3 easy steps to get started fast. They all come with money-back guarantees so you can try them out for yourself for free before committing to a subscription.

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3 Easy Steps to Get a New Zealand IP Address

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5 Best VPNs for New Zealand

1. NordVPN — 34+ New Zealand Servers With Fast Speeds

Key Features:

NordVPN has the greatest number of New Zealand server options, which means you can be sure you’ll get a New Zealand IP address that works. This makes accessing local content while you’re abroad very easy. Having this many options also means you won’t have to deal with crowded servers and slow speeds.

During my tests with NordVPN
, my connection only slowed by an average of 25% (compared to other VPNs which slowed me down much more). I was over 11,000km away from New Zealand, so I was surprised that it gave me such fast connection speeds despite the long distance. I was able to stream US Netflix movies in HD with no buffering and web pages loaded instantly. Plus, NordVPN provides you with access to dedicated P2P torrenting servers that have fast download speeds.

In addition to numerous server choices and fast speeds, NordVPN offers military-grade security features and a strict no-logs policy to keep you safe online. When performing DNS leak tests with NordVPN, my true location was never revealed. The automatic kill switch also ensured that I was protected when the VPN disconnected for a short while. If you’re accessing sensitive data (e.g. banking sites) from outside of New Zealand or from a public WiFi network, NordVPN’s AES 256-bit encryption and CyberSec technology will keep your information protected.

When I learned that NordVPN no longer supports Paypal as a payment method, I thought it might be a bit of a hassle to purchase — but I was wrong. NordVPN accepts most major credit cards (and even cryptocurrencies), so it was actually easy and quick to buy. Keep in mind that if you buy from Apple’s App Store, NordVPN will not be able to process your refunds and you’d have to manage that with the vendor directly (which is more inconvenient in my opinion)

If you’re not ready to commit to a long subscription, you can always try NordVPN for free for 30 days using its money-back guarantee.

I put this guarantee to the test to see how easy it would be to get a refund. Unlike ExpressVPN’s “no questions asked” policy, the NordVPN representative tried to troubleshoot to get me to stay, so I had to spend some time answering questions. But this didn’t stop them from processing my request, and I was able to get my refund within 5 days.

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2. ExpressVPN — Military-Grade Security Features to Protect Your Privacy

Key Features:

ExpressVPN is my top choice for the most secure VPN on the market. If you’re concerned about New Zealand’s surveillance laws, ExpressVPN offers a range of industry-standard security features (such as AES 256-bit encryption and a strict no-logs policy) to keep you safe from prying eyes. Its unique TrustedServer technology erases your data and ensures it is never stored on ExpressVPN servers. With no information logs, third parties can’t track you, thus ensuring your online privacy.

Many VPNs may claim that they prioritize users’ privacy and security — but ExpressVPN has actually proven it. In 2017, Turkish authorities took several ExpressVPN servers in an investigation related to the assassination of a Russian ambassador. Because ExpressVPN never stores any logs or data, Turkish authorities were unable to get any identifying information that could be traced back to the assassin.

Apart from keeping you safe, ExpressVPN also has a reputation for fast speeds. I tested it at different times of the day using different servers
and experienced an average speed decrease of 78% (compared to a 25% decrease with NordVPN). Even so, I was still able to live-stream a soccer match on beIN SPORTS New Zealand and watch Black Panther on US Netflix without buffering, so the speed decrease didn’t affect me.

ExpressVPN only has 1 New Zealand server available, but that wasn’t an issue at all. I was able to access all the content I wanted without interruptions. The customer support team also assured me that they plan to add more servers to the network in the future.

The best way to find out if a VPN is right for you is to test it. ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can actually try it out for free. If you’re traveling abroad for less than 30 days, you could even use this premium VPN for zero cost.

I signed up for ExpressVPN to test the money-back service and got my refund within 5 days — no questions asked — so you really don’t pay a single cent during the 30-day period.

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3. CyberGhost — Streaming-Optimized Servers and a 45-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Key Features:

CyberGhost is one of the few VPNs that provides you with streaming-optimized servers. By connecting to these servers, you can watch geo-blocked content on popular platforms like US Netflix, پراکسی iPlayer, Amazon Prime, etc. quickly and easily. I connected to the CyberGhost UK server optimized for پراکسی iPlayer and was able to watch Peaky Blinders in HD within a few seconds. CyberGhost also has 10 dedicated New Zealand servers that will help you access local sites easily while you’re abroad.

On top of getting around geo-blocks with ease, CyberGhost also gives you great speeds. In my testing, the fastest of the 10 Auckland servers decreased my speed by 52% (compared to around 137% with IPVanish). Despite this minor drop, I was able to stream live New Zealand TV and my favorite Lightbox show Get it Te Papa without any lag. Nothing is worse than a VPN that makes you wait through endless buffering — luckily, I didn’t experience that frustration with CyberGhost and was able to start watching within seconds of connecting.

One tiny drawback I found is that CyberGhost doesn’t work in China. I tested CyberGhost against the Great Firewall of China and it was not able to get around the blocks. If you’re planning on traveling to China, I would recommend you try another VPN (like ExpressVPN) that has been proven to work against this strong firewall.

Despite this minor issue, I was really impressed by CyberGhost’s 45-day money-back guarantee on subscriptions of 6 months or longer. This is the most generous return policy of all the VPNs on this list. If you’re going abroad for just a few weeks, this policy allows you to use a premium VPN for free for over a month.

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4. Surfshark — Protect an Unlimited Number of Devices for a Low Price

Key Features:

If price is a major consideration for you when choosing a VPN, Surfshark is one of the most affordable options you’ll find. It allows you to protect an unlimited number of devices with a single subscription — which no other VPN on this list can match. I was really surprised that I could protect all my family’s devices for less than the price of a cup of coffee each month.

Aside from protection for unlimited devices, Surfshark gave me fast speeds during testing
. Its 16+ New Zealand servers rarely slowed down my connection by more than 30% and I was able to watch a marathon of NZ Hunter Adventures on TVNZ2. The US servers I tested were also fast — I was able to stream Transformers on US Hulu with no buffering.

One small issue is that Surfshark has fewer servers globally compared to other VPNs on this list. However, I didn’t face any issues with speed or connectivity despite the smaller selection. The customer service live chat was also fast and helpful to recommend alternatives when I had trouble connecting to servers in particular countries.

If its affordable pricing and unlimited device protection seem like a good match for your needs, I recommend you take advantage of Surfshark’s 30-day money-back guarantee. If you don’t like the service, you can get your money returned in a maximum of 10 days — during testing, I received a full refund in just 2 business days.

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5. IPVanish — 5+ New Zealand Servers and a 7-day money-back guarantee

Key Features:

With 5+ New Zealand servers, IPVanish doesn’t have quite as many options as other VPNs on this list. However, IPVanish still allowed me to access New Zealand websites from abroad with no issues. IPVanish was also able to get around US Netflix and پراکسی iPlayer geo-restrictions to allow me to stream my favorite shows like Killing Eve.

However, IPVanish did slow down my connection. In the dozens of tests I ran on IPVanish
, it was the slowest VPN on this list. It reduced my connection speed by an average of 137% — which was really frustrating because I had to wait longer for loading and buffering times.

Despite this speed limitation, I still think IPVanish is a good option because it offers protection for up to 10 devices at the same time. While this doesn’t come close to Surfshark’s unlimited device policy, it still protects more devices than other VPNs.

If you’re not ready to buy a long-term subscription, you can try IPVanish for free using its 7-day money-back guarantee to see if it meets your expectations. I received my refund in 4 business days, just as their policy states.

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How to Choose the Best VPN for New Zealand

All of the VPNs on this list were chosen based on this list of criteria:

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Why You Need a New Zealand IP Address

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How a VPN Gets You a New Zealand IP Address

Simply put, a VPN allows you to securely and anonymously connect to the internet. It hides your true geographic location. A quality VPN also prevents others from tracking your online activity. This means that websites, streaming services, government organizations, and others can’t figure out where you are or what you’ve been doing on the internet.

A VPN works by rerouting your connection through a server in New Zealand (or whichever country’s server you choose to connect to). Connecting to a server in New Zealand allows you to get a local IP address.

With a New Zealand IP address, you are able to bypass geo-restrictions and access local content only meant for those within the given country. This lets you access local banking services and even stream live New Zealand sports matches from any part of the world.

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Can I Use a Free VPN to Get a New Zealand IP Address?

There are a few free VPNs that offer secure, decent service. However, it is difficult to use a free VPN to get a New Zealand IP address. This is because most free services have limited server locations. They may also restrict the locations you can use for free.

Even if you are able to find a free VPN with New Zealand servers, it may limit your data so much that you won’t be able to do much more than browse websites. You might not even be able to stream using some free VPNs.

Be careful — many free VPN services may also be involved in malicious activity. Some track and sell data about your online history to third parties. Others install malware on your devices. Free VPNs have even been involved in financial fraud and identity theft.

To ensure your VPN is secure and works well, I recommend using a premium VPN like NordVPN.

Warning — Why You REALLY Need a VPN in New Zealand

For this reason, it’s a good idea to use a VPN even when you are physically located in New Zealand. A premium VPN protects your privacy better than proxies in situations like these.

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How to Save on VPNs for New Zealand

You can avoid paying full price for even the best VPNs by using a money-back guarantee or hidden discounts. To save you time, I’ve collected the best hidden deals for some of the VPNs on my list.

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