SaaS?

Software-as-a-Service businesses are New Zealand’s most powerful driver of economic growth

What is SaaS?

SaaS stands for Software as a Service — a fancy way of saying software you use online instead of buying, installing, and maintaining it yourself.

It’s the modern, subscription‑based way to get powerful tech without the setup stress or server headaches. You just log in, get to work, and let the provider handle the tricky bits.

Since the early days of the internet, SaaS has become the go‑to model for how software is built, sold, and used around the world.

SaaS companies are the folks behind those tools — businesses that live and breathe online software as their core model. In New Zealand, “SaaS company” now often means something bigger: founders building clever products here at home, with global ambition and impact.

Some of our New Zealand SaaS heroes

  • A global small business platform providing online accounting software that connects businesses with advisors and financial data in real time.

    Xero is one of New Zealand’s most iconic SaaS success stories, growing from a Wellington startup in 2006 to serve over 4.4 million subscribers in more than 180 countries.

  • A global wealth management platform for financial institutions.

    FNZ showcases how Kiwi-born fintech can transform an industry, administering over $3 trillion in client assets for over 650 financial institutions across 30+ countries.

  • Donor management and engagement solutions for faith-based and non-profit organisations to increase giving and strengthen community connection.

    Pushpay is celebrated for pioneering mobile-first giving technology, scaling to support more than 14,000 organisations worldwide and achieving a NZ $1.6 billion acquisition in 2023.

  • World-leading security and animal management solutions used globally to protect people, property, and livestock.

    Gallagher exemplifies how a long-standing New Zealand company can continually reinvent itself through innovation, now exporting to 160+ countries and employing over 1,300 staff globally.

  • Geoscience modelling and collaboration software that helps organisations make better decisions about the earth, environment, and energy resources.

    Seequent stands out as a deep-tech SaaS leader whose acquisition by Bentley Systems in 2021 for $1.8 billion showcased the global appetite for New Zealand innovation in science and engineering software.

  • Software and data analytics solutions for the global film industry, supporting cinema management, distribution, and marketing.

    Vista Group is a SaaS export powerhouse, powering an estimated 46% of the world’s cinemas across 80+ countries (outside China and India) and listed on the NZX and ASX with revenues of NZ $150 million annually.

  • A travel and expense management platform that simplifies corporate travel booking, policy compliance, and expense reconciliation.

    Serko has earned global recognition through partnerships with Booking.com and American Express GBT, serving thousands of corporate clients and achieving revenue of $90 million.

  • Develops healthcare software that enables the secure sharing and analysis of patient data across health systems worldwide.

    Orion Health is one of New Zealand’s earliest SaaS trailblazers, employing over 400 staff across 11 countries and supporting national health data platforms for more than 150 million patients globally. It was acquired by HEALWELL for approximately $175 million in 2024.

  • Provides billing and customer management software for utilities and airports, helping critical infrastructure providers transition to sustainable operations.

    Gentrack has become a key SaaS exporter, listed on the NZX and ASX with revenues over NZ $200 million in 2024, powering 200+ energy and water utility sites across 7 countries.

  • Cloud-based point-of-sale and retail management software used by small and medium-sized retailers worldwide.

    Vend is a standout Kiwi SaaS startup success, which was serving around 25,000 retailers worldwide before its $455 million acquisition by Lightspeed in 2021.

Why does SaaS matter to New Zealand?

New Zealand’s SaaS sector is booming — earning $3.6 billion in revenue in 2023 alone.

According to the 2024 Insights from the Cloud report, researchers analysed 743 home‑grown SaaS businesses and found the sector growing at a 15 percent compound annual growth rate since 2016. At that pace, it’s on track to reach $9.7 billion in revenue by 2030.

Around 10 percent of companies — roughly 75 in total — generate nearly 70 percent of the sector’s revenue. These high‑growth Kiwi success stories, including Xero, Pushpay, Seequent, and Serko, achieve an impressive $305,000 average revenue per full‑time employee.

But the real story sits in the other 90 percent — **hundreds of ambitious SMEs earning under 10 million ARR. These 688 scale‑ups are the next wave of SaaS success. Right now, around seven of them break through the 10 million ARR mark each year — proof that steady, sustainable growth from Aotearoa is absolutely possible.

Together, this mix of scale‑ups and global players makes SaaS one of New Zealand’s most vibrant, high‑potential export industries — a world‑class sector being built right here at home.