Richard Howard – Managing Director & Licensed Immigration Adviser – New Zealand
Richard Howard is one of New Zealand’s most experienced and respected immigration professionals, with over three decades of continuous practice in the New Zealand immigration advice sector. He is the founder and Managing Director of Pathways to New Zealand Ltd, one of New Zealand’s first immigration advisory firms established in 1992.
Richard has played a central leadership role in shaping and professionalising the New Zealand immigration advice industry. He is a Life Member of the New Zealand Association for Migration & Investment (NZAMI) and served as Chairman of the NZAMI in 2007 and 2008. During his time as Chairman, Richard guided the profession through a period of significant regulatory change, enhanced professional standards, and increased government oversight.
He has contributed extensively to New Zealand immigration operations and policy development, and regulatory frameworks, including service on the Immigration Advisers Authority Industry Reference Group and Immigration Adviser Qualification Development Groups, helping shape adviser education, competency standards, and professional regulation.
Richard is an invited member of the Ministerial Adviser Reference Group for the Active Investor Plus (AIP) Resident Visa. In this role he provides industry insight and practical expertise regarding New Zealand’s flagship investor migration policy.
Recognised for both his technical expertise and strategic judgment, Richard is widely regarded as an industry leader and trusted adviser to high‑net‑worth individuals, families, investors, entrepreneurs, corporates, and professional intermediaries.
Specialty – Active Investor Plus (AIP) Resident Visa
Richard’s practice is highly specialised in investor migration, with a particular focus on the Active Investor Plus (AIP) Resident Visa, New Zealand’s own “Golden Visa” for high‑value investors.
His involvement at both policy and practitioner level provides clients with a depth of insight, and level of comfort and confidence, that extends well beyond standard application processing. As one of New Zealand’s leading authorities on the AIP category, Richard advises clients on:
Leadership, Policy & Industry Recognition
Richard Howard is the founder and Managing Director of Pathways to New Zealand® Ltd. He is a Licensed Immigration Adviser specialising in business and investor migration and overseeing corporate and multinational clients.
Richard is also a member of the Minister of Immigration’s Adviser Reference Group which advises on the Active Investor Plus (New Zealand’s Golden Visa) policy. He previously served as Chairman the New Zealand Association for Migration & Investment Inc (NZAMI) during the time when the immigration advice industry became Government-regulated in 2007/2008 and is a life-member of this organisation.
Richard is regularly invited to contribute to immigration policy discussions and is recognised as an industry leader. He is one of the most experienced and respected professionals working in the New Zealand immigration sector.
Pathways to New Zealand® Ltd is one of the longest established and most reputable immigration firms in New Zealand. The company’s 12 Licensed Immigration Advisers have a combined 160 years of immigration work experience, and with fluency in 10 languages the Pathways team is able to advise on and manage, any New Zealand immigration matters. These can range from any temporary (eg; work) visas through to all types of resident visas, and New Zealand citizenship, and including corporate relocation, investor and business migration.
Richard manages the Pathways’ investor and business migration team and personally advises all Active Investor Plus (AIP) visa clients regarding their application strategy and requirements. As well as ensuring successful AIP visa outcomes, Richard is extremely well-connected within the New Zealand investment ecosystem and works closely with all investor clients to ensure they have all the necessary local knowledge, understanding, and connections for a successful and supportive New Zealand experience.
The Active Investor Plus (AIP) is NZ’s Golden Visa. It enables high net worth individuals, and their families, a pathway to life-long New Zealand residence through investment. There are two AIP pathways:
It is a straightforward policy that requires minimal time to be spent in New Zealand and delivers lifelong New Zealand residency once the investment term is completed. There is no age limit, no language requirements, and dependent children under the age of 25 years can be in can be included. The application is electronic and efficient and typically takes around 2-3 months to the first approval stage.
In a world which is increasingly conflicted and challenged, and with many families looking for a Plan B to secure their future options, New Zealand presents as an attractive, safe, democratic, English-speaking country that ticks all the boxes. While other countries are stopping or limiting their Golden Visa programmes the New Zealand AIP investor visa continues to shine!
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