Business Banking Awards

ASB retains its Business Transaction Account Award for the fourth year in a row due to the sustained performance of its Business Account.

The account charges no monthly base fee and no fees for everyday self-service or staff-assisted transactions, meaning businesses can conduct their day-to-day electronic and in-person banking activity at no cost.

BNZ holds onto its Business Transaction Account Award for the second consecutive year thanks to its Business First Transact account.

The account charges no monthly account fees and no fees for common self-service and staff-assisted transactions, allowing small businesses to run their day-to-day banking and manage cash flow without per-transaction costs eating into their earnings. 

Awarding BNZ its top accolade, Canstar's research team noted that BNZ's Business First OnCall account was the only product assessed that had increased its base interest rate year-on-year in the declining Official Cash Rate environment.

This made BNZ the most competitive in the saver profile of our research, particularly because most other banks had almost halved the interest rates on their business savings accounts over the same period of time.

Our researchers also highlighted that BNZ recorded strong levels of satisfaction from its business customers across key areas, including: customer service, problem resolution and value for money.

BNZ wins a Business Savings Account Award due to the performance of its Business First OnCall account.

The account stands out for offering a competitive interest rate with no deposit or withdrawal conditions, meaning holders can earn interest across their full balance while retaining complete flexibility to access and transfer funds on call. Unlike alternatives that can cap free withdrawals, BNZ's Business First OnCall account applies no per-withdrawal fees, allowing businesses to move money as often as they need without eating into their returns.

The savings account must be held jointly with a BNZ business transaction account.

Heartland Bank retains its Business Savings Account Award for the fifth consecutive year thanks to the ongoing performance of its Business Call account. The account stands out for its competitive base interest rate and lack of deposit or withdrawal conditions.

Additionally, there are no account fees and no limit on the number of withdrawals to a nominated account, meaning Business Call pairs a strong return with complete day-to-day accessibility.

The account is standalone, meaning it can be linked to a business transaction account at any institution.

Kiwibank retains its Business Savings Account Award for the fourth year in a row, due to the strength of its Business Online Call account.

The account offers a high interest rate with no minimum balance requirements and no withdrawal fees or restrictions.

Kiwibank's Business Online Call can be linked to any account, meaning it's an attractive choice for a business that wants strong returns on its funds, while retaining an existing transaction account set-up.

ANZ wins an Outstanding Value Rewards Business Credit Cards Award due to the generous Airpoints earn rate on its Visa Business Airpoints card. The card offers 1 Airpoints Dollar per $85 of eligible spend, or 1 Airpoints Dollar per $50 of spend directly with Air New Zealand (up to $25,000). Business Owners also earn 50% bonus Status Points on top of the Status Points earned on qualifying Air New Zealand flights. In addition, there is no Koru club joining fee for card owners (a saving of $255), plus a discount of $145 off the standard 12-month individual Koru membership fee for all business principals.

For the second year in a row, ANZ took home our top Bank of the Year Business Credit Cards Award, on the back of Outstanding Value Awards in both the Rewards and Low Rate profiles. Offering a low interest rate of 13.90% on its Visa Business Low Rate Credit Card, and a generous Airpoints earn rate on its Visa Business Airpoints card, ANZ stands out as the most competitive option for a range of business customers in New Zealand.

ANZ earns an Outstanding Value Low Rate Business Credit Card Award thanks to its Visa Business Low Rate Credit Card. The card has a purchase interest rate of 13.90% per annum, and an annual fee of $35.

BNZ earns back-to-back Outstanding Value Rewards Business Credit Cards Awards due to its Advantage Visa Business credit card. The card offers the potential to earn BNZ Points – which are redeemable for cash back, shopping vouchers and flight rewards – as well as up to 35 days annual travel insurance. Card users earn 1.67 BNZ Points per $1 spend, which works out approx: $78 spend = $1 cash reward.

Kiwibank earns a second consecutive Outstanding Value Low Rate Business Credit Cards Award this year due to the consistently strong performance of its Business Low Rate Visa credit card. The card has an interest rate of 12.5% for purchases and cash advances, plus a low annual fee of $25.

TSB wins its first Outstanding Value Business Credit Card Award for its competitive low rate Business Mastercard credit card, which offers a market-leading interest rate of 11.95%. The card also has a low annual fee of $20.

For the second year in a row, Westpac won an Outstanding Value Rewards Business Credit Card Award due to the strong ratings performance of its Airpoints Business Mastercard, which allows businesses to earn Airports from their spend. It offers 1 Airpoints Dollar per $85 of eligible spend; 1 Status Point for every $225 of eligible spend; up to 35 days travel insurance; and a discount on 12-month Koru membership.

For our Telecommunications Award, we asked 587 small business owners to rate their satisfaction with their telco providers across the following categories, listed in order of their importance to those in our survey:

• Value for money: 27%
• Customer service: 22%
• Network performance: 19%
• Flexibility of contract/plan: 17%
• Billing: 13%
• Sign-up & activation: 4%

2Degrees is the winner of our 2026 Telecommunications Award. 2Degrees' customers awarded it the maximum possible score for satisfaction across three of our award categories – flexibility of contract/plan, billing and sign-up & activation – and near perfect scores for value for money, customer service and network performance, setting it above the other eligible brands in our award survey.

 Small business owners surveyed: 587 | Brands surveyed: 8 | Brands shortlisted: 3

For our Banking Award, we asked 298 small business owners to rate their satisfaction with their banks across the following categories, listed in order of their importance to those in our survey:

• Fees & charges: 39%
• Staff & invoice payments: 33%
• Problem resolution: 22%
• Communication: 5%
• Merchant services: 1%

 ANZ is the winner of our 2026 Banking Award for the second year in a row. ANZs customers awarded it the maximum possible score for satisfaction across three of our award categories – staff & invoice payments, problem resolution and merchant services – and a strong score for communication, setting it above the other eligible brands in our award survey.

Small business owners surveyed: 298 | Brands surveyed: 8 | Brands shortlisted: 5

For our Merchant Services Award, we asked 77 small business owners to rate their satisfaction with their merchant services providers across the following categories, listed in order of their importance to those in our survey:

• Speed of service/transaction: 29%
• Fees/charges: 28%
• Online reporting: 16%
• Customer service: 12%
• Reliability: 8%
• Communication: 7%

ANZ is the winner of our 2026 Merchant Services Award for the third year in a row. ANZ's customers awarded it the maximum possible score for satisfaction across all our award categories, setting it above the other eligible brand in our award survey.

Small business owners surveyed: 77 | Brands surveyed: 5 | Brands shortlisted: 2

For our Fuel Cards Award, we asked 176 small business owners to rate their satisfaction with their fuel card providers across the following categories, listed in order of their importance to those in our survey:

• Customer service: 38%
• Fees & charges: 23%
• Fuel discounts: 22%
• Account management: 14%
• Number of petrol stations: 3%

BP Plus is the winner of our 2026 Fuel Cards Award. BP Plus's customers awarded it the maximum possible score for satisfaction across four of our award categories – customer service, fees & charges, fuel discounts, account management and number of stations – and a near perfect score for account management, setting it above the other eligible brands in our award survey.

Small business owners surveyed: 176 | Brands surveyed: 7 | Brands shortlisted: 3

For our Courier Services Award, we asked 264 small business owners to rate their satisfaction with their courier providers across the following categories, listed in order of their importance to those in our survey:

• Customer service: 26%
• Reliability of service: 20%
• Value for money: 19%
• Tracking services: 15%
• Pick up & drop-off options: 15%
• Delivery timeliness options: 5%

NZ Couriers is the winner of our 2026 Courier Services Award for the fourth year in a row. NZ Couriers' customers awarded it the maximum possible score for satisfaction across four of our award categories – customer service, reliability of service, value for money, and pick up & drop-off options – and near perfect scores for tracking services and delivery timeliness options, setting it above the other eligible brands in our award survey.

For our Business Insurance Award, we asked 179 small business owners to rate their satisfaction with their insurers across the following categories, listed in order of their importance to those in our survey: 

• Value for money: 42%
• Customer service: 24%
• Comprehensiveness of cover: 18%
• Cost: 10%
• Communication: 6%

Tower is the winner of our 2026 Business Insurance Award. Tower's customers awarded it the maximum possible score for satisfaction across all our award categories, setting it above the other eligible brands in our award survey.

Small business owners surveyed: 179 | Brands surveyed: 16 | Brands shortlisted: 4

For our Credit Cards Award, we asked 246 small business owners to rate their satisfaction with their credit card providers across the following categories, listed in order of their importance to those in our survey:

• Privacy & security: 28%
• Value for money: 27%
• Customer service: 15%
• Communication: 15%
• Rewards program: 9%
• Fees & charges: 3%
• Digital banking: 2%
• Interest rate: 1%

Westpac is the winner of our 2026 Credit Cards Award. Westpac's customers awarded it the maximum possible score for satisfaction across all our award categories, setting it above the other eligible brands in our award survey.

Small business owners surveyed: 246 | Brands surveyed: 10 | Brands shortlisted: 4

For our Accounting Software Award, we asked 234 small business owners to rate their satisfaction with their accounting software providers across the following categories, listed in order of their importance to those in our survey:

• Ease of integration: 24%
• Reporting: 23%
• Ease of use: 21%
• Functionality: 17%
• Value for money: 13%
• Customer service: 2%

Xero is the winner of our 2026 Accounting Software Award for the eighth consecutive year. Xero's customers awarded it the maximum possible score for satisfaction across all our award categories, setting it above the other eligible brand in our award survey.

Small business owners surveyed: 234 | Brands surveyed: 9 | Brands shortlisted: 2