By Dave Ananth*

For several years Inland Revenue’s approach to crypto assets was largely educational. That has changed: IRD has moved from explaining the rules to actively identifying taxpayers and issuing assessments.

In April 2026 it confirmed that it had identified around 355,000 New Zealand crypto users responsible for roughly 57 million transactions worth about $36 billion,[1] and it has begun writing to people it knows have traded on one or more exchanges.

From 1 April 2026, New Zealand-based reporting crypto-asset service providers began collecting information under the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework. Their first reports are due by 30 June 2027, with international exchanges expected in 2027.[2]

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