September 30, 2025
Updated: February 13, 2026
NZ incidents jumped 58% compare top pentest firms, PTaaS options, pricing, and how to meet PCI DSS 11.3, ISO 27001, and NZISM.
Mohammed Khalil
Cyber risk in NZ is rising fast. Kiwi organizations are facing more frequent and sophisticated attacks, especially identity abuse, phishing, SaaS token theft, API exploitation, and cloud misconfigurations. Breach costs now often exceed $5M USD globally and reach seven figures locally.
Penetration testing is now a governance issue, not just IT. Cyber insurers, auditors, and regulators increasingly require third-party manual testing and retests for policy issuance, renewals, and compliance evidence.
Regulation and insurance are driving demand. PCI DSS v4.0, ISO 27001:2022, NZISM, and the Privacy Act 2020 are being enforced more strictly, pushing organizations toward continuous security validation rather than annual check-box audits.
What changed in 2026:
How companies were ranked: Certifications (OSCP, CREST, CISSP, GIAC), manual exploit depth, service scope, compliance alignment, reporting quality, NZ delivery presence, innovation, and suitability for enterprise vs SMB vs regulated buyers.
Top providers highlighted:
Typical 2026 pricing (NZD):
Buyer guidance: Prioritize manual expertise, reporting clarity, retest inclusion, and API/identity coverage. Continuous testing is increasingly essential for cloud-native teams.
Common mistakes: Confusing vulnerability scans with real pentests, overvaluing tools, ignoring remediation quality, and overlooking identity/API attack surfaces.
New Zealand’s cyber risk profile has shifted materially entering 2026, moving from a lower priority target perception to a consistently active threat landscape influenced by global cybercrime economies, regional geopolitics, and rapid digital transformation across public and private sectors. Over the last two years, incident disclosure trends, insurance claim data, and CERT NZ reporting collectively indicate that Kiwi organizations are experiencing both higher attack frequency and greater technical sophistication in intrusion techniques. Phishing, credential harvesting, SaaS token abuse, and cloud misconfiguration remain dominant vectors, but identity centric attacks and API exploitation have accelerated sharply. Global breach cost averages now exceed $5 million USD per incident in 2026, and medium scale breaches in ANZ routinely surpass seven figure recovery costs once legal, operational, and reputational impacts are considered.
Cyber insurance underwriting practices in the region have also evolved. Insurers increasingly require third party validation, not self reported questionnaires, before issuing or renewing policies. Evidence of manual penetration testing, remediation tracking, and retesting cycles is becoming a prerequisite rather than a competitive differentiator. This shift has elevated penetration testing from a technical best practice to a board level governance and fiduciary responsibility issue. Security leaders are now expected to demonstrate not only defensive controls, but proof of adversarial resilience under simulated attack conditions.
Regulatory pressure has intensified in parallel. PCI DSS v4.0 enforcement cycles, ISO 27001:2022 transition requirements, the New Zealand Information Security Manual NZISM, and privacy obligations under the Privacy Act 2020 are being interpreted more strictly by auditors, regulators, and insurers. Financial institutions, healthcare entities, SaaS providers, and infrastructure operators are seeing increased audit depth and shorter remediation windows. Market projections for offensive security services across ANZ indicate sustained double digit growth through 2027, driven by cloud expansion, API proliferation, hybrid workforces, and the emergence of AI assisted attack tooling that lowers entry barriers for adversaries.
This ranking is based on independent research, public certification data, service transparency, methodology disclosure, and procurement oriented evaluation criteria. It is designed for organizations comparing penetration testing New Zealand, red team New Zealand, cloud penetration testing New Zealand, PCI DSS pentest New Zealand, and PTaaS New Zealand providers with commercial investigation intent. The objective is not only vendor comparison, but clarity for decision makers balancing compliance mandates, technical depth, and long term risk reduction strategies.
Several structural and operational shifts justify a dedicated 2026 update rather than incremental edits:
Companies were evaluated based on a multi dimensional framework designed to mirror real procurement decision processes rather than simplistic scoring systems:
Companies were assessed holistically across multiple dimensions rather than a single numeric score, reflecting real world buyer decision processes. This approach prioritizes contextual suitability over marketing claims, ensuring that rankings reflect operational relevance rather than superficial brand recognition.
DeepStrike is included in this list based on the same evaluation criteria applied to all providers.
Services: Web applications, APIs, mobile applications, cloud environments, infrastructure, and full red team/adversary simulation engagements. Strong emphasis on OWASP Top 10, CWE/SANS, business logic exploitation, and multi step vulnerability chaining rather than scanner only outputs. Engagements often include identity testing, privilege escalation paths, and API abuse scenarios.
Certifications & Compliance: Engagements align with SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and NZISM reporting expectations. Teams commonly hold OSCP, OSWE, and senior level security certifications, blending technical exploitation depth with governance awareness.
Clients: Enterprises, SaaS vendors, fintech platforms, and mid market organizations across APAC seeking continuous validation, cloud/API assurance, and compliance ready documentation.
Pricing: One off engagements and subscription based PTaaS New Zealand models with retest inclusion and dashboard visibility.
Best For: Organizations requiring high manual depth combined with continuous validation rather than annual audits, particularly those operating in regulated or API heavy environments.
2026 Focus: Expanded AI assisted reconnaissance support, deeper cloud identity testing, stronger insurance aligned reporting formats, and enhanced executive risk translation. Positioning has shifted toward continuous validation and board level risk visibility rather than isolated technical engagements.
Services: Infrastructure, applications, cloud configuration audits, wireless testing, and social engineering/phishing simulations with strong emphasis on behavioral vulnerabilities.
Certifications & Compliance: CREST certified practitioners with reporting structured for ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and enterprise audit cycles.
Clients: Public sector, critical infrastructure, and enterprise organizations requiring behavioral and technical coverage in tandem.
Pricing: Custom project based scoping reflecting complexity and compliance depth.
Best For: Regulated entities requiring blended human factor and technical testing with formal audit alignment.
2026 Focus: Increased adversary simulation depth, improved executive level reporting clarity, and tighter alignment with insurance documentation expectations and remediation verification cycles.
Services: External/internal networks, Wi Fi, web applications, APIs, mobile reviews, and configuration audits.
Certifications & Compliance: CREST accredited NZ owned firm supporting ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and government compliance reporting.
Clients: Government agencies, education institutions, and enterprises requiring strong local delivery with international standards.
Pricing: Custom project scoping with optional phishing, host hardening, and configuration reviews.
Best For: Organizations prioritizing strong local presence combined with broad technical coverage and compliance familiarity.
2026 Focus: Expanded API and mobile depth, greater emphasis on identity and access control abuse scenarios, and enhanced remediation documentation for audit trails.
Services: Continuous web, API, and infrastructure testing combining DAST automation with manual expert validation, CI/CD integration, and developer friendly reporting workflows.
Certifications & Compliance: Designed to support ISO 27001, PCI DSS, SOC 2, and GDPR evidence requirements with recurring validation outputs.
Clients: SMBs, SaaS startups, and DevOps driven engineering teams requiring testing that aligns with release cycles.
Pricing: Subscription based PTaaS New Zealand model with modular manual testing add ons.
Best For: Fast moving engineering teams needing recurring validation cycles without heavy project overhead.
2026 Focus: Increased manual validation layers, broader cloud workload coverage, and improved dashboard analytics for trend visibility over time.
Services: Web, mobile, thick client, cloud, external/internal networks, and source code reviews with strong application layer depth.
Certifications & Compliance: OSCP, OSCE, and GIAC level testers with PCI and enterprise audit reporting support.
Clients: Financial services, e-commerce, and application heavy enterprises requiring code level and architectural testing.
Pricing: Project based engagements reflecting asset complexity and depth requirements.
Best For: Organizations needing deep application and code level testing rather than infrastructure only reviews.
2026 Focus: Expanded API security depth, improved client side and browser exploitation testing, and refined remediation prioritization frameworks.
Services: Applications, APIs, networks, Wi Fi, source code, AI focused red teaming, and emerging technology assessments.
Certifications & Compliance: OSCP, OSWE, and GIAC practitioners with ISO 27001 and SOC 2 reporting compatibility.
Clients: Enterprises, research institutions, and cloud native organizations nationwide.
Pricing: Custom scoped engagements with specialized red team packages and extended simulation durations.
Best For: Organizations exploring emerging attack surfaces including AI/ML systems, automation platforms, and advanced identity architectures.
2026 Focus: Formalized AI adversary simulation offerings, broader identity attack path testing, and increased emphasis on machine learning model abuse scenarios.
Services: Web, mobile, networks, wireless, cloud, social engineering, and OSINT audits.
Certifications & Compliance: CREST accredited with ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and SOC 2 reporting support across both NZ and AU regulatory contexts.
Clients: Enterprises operating across New Zealand and Australia requiring cross border delivery and compliance continuity.
Pricing: Project based engagements reflecting regional scope.
Best For: Organizations requiring cross border delivery with CREST assurance and consistent methodology across jurisdictions.
2026 Focus: Expanded OSINT and social engineering depth responding to credential theft and impersonation trends, alongside stronger compliance harmonization.
Services: Network and application penetration tests plus source code reviews aligned with OWASP and NIST methodologies.
Certifications & Compliance: Methodology driven reporting suitable for ISO 27001 and PCI DSS pursuits, particularly for smaller organizations entering compliance journeys.
Clients: Small to mid sized Kiwi businesses and startups.
Pricing: Budget conscious project pricing designed for accessibility.
Best For: SMEs balancing affordability with manual testing depth and local accessibility.
2026 Focus: Improved reporting structure, expanded mobile/API coverage, and enhanced remediation clarity for non technical stakeholders.
Services: Continuous VAPT across web, mobile, APIs, and infrastructure with 24/7 automated scanning and scheduled manual testing cycles.
Certifications & Compliance: Strong alignment with NZ Privacy Act alongside ISO 27001 and PCI DSS reporting frameworks.
Clients: Public sector bodies, education institutions, and privacy sensitive organizations.
Pricing: Subscription PTaaS annual packages with scalable asset tiers.
Best For: Organizations needing always on validation with strong local regulatory familiarity and recurring compliance evidence.
2026 Focus: Increased manual pentest layers, improved compliance documentation templates, and expanded privacy impact testing scenarios.
Services: Web, mobile, desktop, networks, IoT/hardware testing, cloud reviews, and system hardening with bespoke engagement design.
Certifications & Compliance: OWASP/NIST aligned methodologies supporting ISO 27001 and PCI DSS reporting requirements.
Clients: Enterprises, startups, and government agencies seeking independent, non templated assessments.
Pricing: Custom project scoping reflecting asset diversity and technical depth.
Best For: Organizations needing non standard asset coverage such as IoT, embedded systems, or hardware devices.
2026 Focus: Expanded hardware and embedded system testing responding to smart device adoption and industrial IoT expansion trends.
| Company | Specialization | Best For | Region | Compliance | Ideal Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeepStrike | Manual depth + Continuous PTaaS | Continuous validation | APAC/NZ | PCI, ISO, SOC 2 | Mid–Enterprise |
| Bastion | Holistic technical + human testing | Regulated orgs | NZ | PCI, ISO | Enterprise |
| ZX Security | Full spectrum CREST testing | Local enterprises | NZ | PCI, ISO | Mid–Enterprise |
| Blacklock | DevOps PTaaS | CI/CD teams | NZ | ISO, SOC 2 | SMB–Mid |
| Pulse Security | App & code depth | App heavy orgs | NZ | PCI, ISO | Mid–Enterprise |
| Tier Zero | AI & advanced red teaming | Emerging tech | NZ | ISO, SOC 2 | Mid–Enterprise |
| Amaru | Trans Tasman CREST | Cross border ops | NZ/AU | PCI, ISO | Enterprise |
| Pentest NZ | Budget boutique | SMEs | NZ | ISO | SMB |
| Capture The Bug | Continuous PTaaS + Privacy | Public sector | NZ | ISO, PCI | SMB–Mid |
| Pākiki | IoT & hardware | Specialized assets | NZ | ISO | Mid |
SMB Tier: NZD $4,000 – $12,000 for single web or small network assessments, typically covering limited scope and shorter engagement durations.
Mid Market: NZD $12,000 – $35,000 for multi asset web + API + limited infrastructure testing with remediation retests.
Enterprise: NZD $35,000 – $120,000+ depending on scope, red teaming depth, compliance requirements, and engagement length.
Red Team / Adversary Simulation: NZD $40,000 – $200,000+ based on duration, stealth objectives, and identity attack depth.
Retest Policies: Many providers include one complimentary retest for critical findings within 30–60 days, with additional retests offered at reduced rates.
Subscription vs One Off: Continuous PTaaS New Zealand pricing commonly ranges NZD $2,000 – $8,000 per month depending on asset count, manual validation frequency, and reporting depth.
AI is accelerating reconnaissance and payload generation for both attackers and defenders, increasing testing speed while simultaneously raising the bar for manual expertise and analytical interpretation.
For cloud native and SaaS environments, continuous validation is increasingly supplementing or partially replacing annual point in time tests rather than eliminating them entirely.
Many cyber insurers in ANZ request third party penetration testing evidence prior to issuing or renewing policies, particularly for mid market and enterprise organizations handling sensitive data.
OSCP and OSWE remain strong indicators of technical exploitation depth, CISSP signals governance understanding, and CREST accreditation reflects organizational assurance and quality control.
Ready to Strengthen Your Defenses? The threats of 2026 demand more than just awareness; they require readiness. If you're looking to validate your security posture, identify hidden risks, or build a resilient defense strategy, DeepStrike is here to help. Our team of practitioners provides clear, actionable guidance to protect your business. Explore our Penetration Testing Services to see how we can uncover vulnerabilities before attackers do. Drop us a line, we’re always ready to dive in.
About the Author: Mohammed Khalil is a Cybersecurity Architect at DeepStrike, specializing in advanced penetration testing and offensive security operations. With certifications including CISSP, OSCP, and OSWE, he has led numerous red team engagements for Fortune 500 companies, focusing on cloud security, application vulnerabilities, and adversary emulation. His work involves dissecting complex attack chains, developing resilient defense strategies, and translating technical risk into executive level decision frameworks for clients in the finance, healthcare, and technology sectors.
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