VPN for Australia & New Zealand Travel 2026

Australia and New Zealand each have robust streaming ecosystems with content you simply can't find elsewhere. Whether you're an Australian expat in Europe wanting to watch AFL, or a New Zealand traveler in Asia trying to catch the All Blacks on Spark Sport, a VPN opens up your home country's entertainment from anywhere in the world.

Australian Streaming Services You Can Access with a VPN

Australia's streaming landscape has matured significantly, with both free-to-air catch-up services and premium subscription platforms offering extensive content libraries:

• Stan — Stan Entertainment's subscription service with Australian originals, international shows, and movies. Owned by Nine Entertainment (A$10-19/month)
• 9Now — Free catch-up service from Nine Network. Access to Nine's live channels and on-demand content including Bondi Rescue, Love Island Australia, and 2026 seasons of The Block
• 7plus — Free service from Seven West Media. Home of AFL and cricket streaming, plus popular shows like Big Brother Australia and Home and Away
• 10 Play — Free service from Paramount Australia. MasterChef Australia, The Bold and the Beautiful, and essential sports content
• Netflix Australia — Has a distinct library from US Netflix, including Australian-specific titles not available elsewhere
• Foxtel Now / BINGE — Premium sports, HBO content, and Australian pay-TV originals
• Kayo Sports — Australia's home of sports streaming. AFL, NRL, Supercars, Formula 1, and more (A$25-35/month)

New Zealand Streaming Services Accessible with a VPN

• Spark Sport — NZ$24.99/month. Premier League football, F1, rugby including All Blacks matches, and 2026 Rugby World Cup qualifiers
• Neon — NZ$14.99/month. Sky TV content including drama, documentaries, and entertainment. Essential for expats missing home shows
• TVNZ+ — Free streaming service from Television New Zealand. New Zealand television including local news, Shortland Street, and international content
• ThreeNow — Free service from Discovery NZ. Love Island NZ, The Challenge, and international reality shows
• Netflix New Zealand — Unique NZ library with local titles like The Brokenwood Mysteries

1. NordVPN — Best VPN for Australia & NZ Travel

Starting Price: $3.09/month (2-year plan)

Australian Servers: 200+ servers across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide

New Zealand Servers: 20+ servers in Auckland

Key Features: Threat Protection, Meshnet, NordLynx protocol, SmartPlay

Why It Excels: NordVPN's SmartPlay DNS is built into every server, making it exceptionally reliable for Australian and NZ streaming services. In our March 2026 tests, NordVPN unblocked Stan, 9Now, 7plus, TVNZ+, and Neon with a 100% success rate on Australian servers and 90%+ on NZ servers. The NordLynx protocol delivers fast enough speeds for 4K streaming on local Australian servers.

2. Surfshark — Best for Families Visiting Australia

Starting Price: $2.19/month (2-year plan)

Australian Servers: 80+ servers across Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane

Key Features: Unlimited devices, CleanWeb, NoBorders mode, static IP option

Why It Excels: Families visiting Australia can connect every device simultaneously — parents, kids on tablets, smart TVs — without counting device slots. The CleanWeb feature is valuable for families on resort or hotel WiFi where ad trackers are prevalent. The static IP add-on helps when accessing Australian banking apps.

3. ExpressVPN — Fastest Speeds to Australian Servers

Starting Price: $4.99/month (15-month plan)

Australian Servers: Multiple locations across Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, and Adelaide

Key Features: Lightway protocol, MediaStreamer Smart DNS, TrustedServer technology

Why It Excels: ExpressVPN consistently achieves the highest speeds to Australian servers due to its proprietary Lightway protocol, which is optimized for maintaining fast connections over longer distances. For viewers in Asia or Europe wanting Australian content, ExpressVPN's speed advantage matters significantly — we measured 15-20% faster speeds compared to competitors on the same routes.

VPN Speed Test Results — ANZ Servers (March 2026)

* Tests from Singapore and UK locations on 1Gbps connections. Speeds vary by distance and server load.

Watching AFL and NRL Abroad

Australian Rules Football (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL) are among the most searched Australian sports content by expats. Here's how to watch legally from anywhere:

AFL Options Abroad

• Kayo Sports — The primary home of AFL streaming. Requires an Australian payment method for signup, but works globally with a VPN. A VPN + Kayo subscription gives you full AFL coverage including every match, analysis shows, and highlights
• 7plus (Free) — Select AFL matches are streamed free on 7plus, particularly finals and marquee games. Works reliably with an Australian VPN server
• AFL TV Official App — The league's own app streams some content internationally; check regional rights holders

NRL Options Abroad

• 9Now / 9Now Gold — NRL matches on Nine's platform with a VPN providing an Australian IP
• Kayo Sports — Comprehensive NRL coverage including every game of the season
• Sky Sport (NZ) — New Zealand's home for NRL; accessible with a NZ VPN server and Sky subscription

Australian Banking Apps and VPN Compatibility

Major Australian banks have varying levels of VPN compatibility:

• Commonwealth Bank — CommBank app generally works with premium VPNs; uses device-based verification that reduces VPN friction
• ANZ — ANZ app and website are among the most VPN-friendly of Australian banks; works consistently with known VPN server IPs
• Westpac — Frequently flags VPN connections; consider the Westpac app which tends to be more forgiving than the website
• NAB — National Australia Bank has strong fraud detection; may require additional verification when using a VPN
• ING Australia — One of the most VPN-friendly Australian banks; frequently used by expats and digital nomads

New Zealand Banking with a VPN

• ASB Bank — ASB's app and website are VPN-tolerant; the bank uses modern security that recognizes VPN server IPs
• BNZ — Works well with VPNs; has dedicated support for overseas customers
• Westpac NZ — Similar to its Australian counterpart; VPN connections may trigger additional verification
• Kiwibank — Generally accessible via VPN; one of the easier NZ banks for expats to use abroad

Connecting to NZ Servers from Australia (and Vice Versa)

A useful strategy for travelers in the Australia-New Zealand region: if you're in one country and want to access the other's streaming services, connect to a VPN server in that country. For example:

• In Australia but want Spark Sport for All Blacks rugby? Connect to NordVPN's Auckland server
• In New Zealand but want Kayo Sports for AFL? Connect to NordVPN's Sydney server
• Both countries' servers are fast and reliable with sub-100ms latency between the two nations

Quick Setup Guide

Step 1: Choose NordVPN, ExpressVPN, or Surfshark and subscribe before you travel.

Step 2: Download apps to your devices — phones, tablets, laptops, and any streaming devices you're bringing.

Step 3: Connect to an Australian or New Zealand server depending on which country's services you need.

Step 4: Test your connection on WhatIsMyIPAddress.com, then try your streaming service. If it doesn't load immediately, try a different server in the same country.

Step 5: For payment-required services like Kayo or Stan, consider setting up your account before you leave home while you still have local payment methods available. Some services require an Australian credit card or payment method for signup.

Best VPN for ANZ Travel — Our Recommendation

NordVPN is the best all-around choice for Australia and New Zealand travel with its excellent streaming unblocking, solid speeds, and competitive pricing. ExpressVPN is the right pick if you're connecting from long distances (Europe or Americas) and need maximum speed. Surfshark offers the best value for families or extended trips with its unlimited device policy.

All three offer money-back guarantees so you can test them risk-free before committing to a longer subscription.