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How to watch HBO Max in NZ: It’s EASY and only takes 3-minutes! (May 2022)

May 1, 2022

If you’re trying to watch HBO Max in NZ, the streaming service won’t work. You’ll run into an error saying, “HBO Max is not available in your region.” Don’t worry, there’s a simple way to get around this issue.

All you need to do is trick HBO Max into thinking you’re watching the service from inside the US. It sounds complicated, however, it’s very simple. All you need is a US IP address.

The best way to get a US IP address is by using a reliable VPN.

This article will explain how you can get a VPN that works with HBO Max and I’ll explain you how you can use it to watch HBO Max in NZ.

How to watch HBO Max in NZ: Quick Guide

To get a US IP address and watch HBO Max in NZ, all you need to do is follow the simple steps below:

Total Time: 3 minutes

Create a new account with NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month)
Download and install the new VPN app
Open your new app and connect to a server in the US
Go to HBO Max
Create an HBO Max account (see more below)
Watch HBO Max in NZ

How to create an HBO Max account in NZ

Using a reliable VPN like NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) will remove the “HBO Max is not available in your region” error that you’re coming across. However, if you don’t already have an HBO Max account, there is another hurdle you’ll have to get over before you can watch HBO Max in NZ.

To create an HBO Max account, HBO only accepts US forms of payment. Fortunately this isn’t a problem, there’s a couple of methods you can try to create an HBO Max account:

You can ask a friend or family member in the US to create an HBO Max account for you
You can use an American Express card
You can purchase an HBO Max gift card from mygiftcardsupply.com and create an account from anywhere in the world. (Mygiftcardsupply is a trusted and reliable website where you can purchase a variety of gift cards from anywhere in the world.)

Realistically, the first two options won’t work for everyone. The easiest way to create an HBO Max account in NZ is using gift cards.

To create an HBO Max account with gift cards, follow the simple steps below:

Go to mygiftcardsupply.com
Search for HBO Max cards
Choose between a USD$25, USD$30, USD$50 gift card (note that standard HBO Max costs USD$14.99/month)
Select if you want to make a one-off purchase or a repeat purchase every few months
Proceed to checkout and confirm your purchase with your email address
You’ll receive an email with a link. Click on that link, and that will give you access to your HBO Max gift card
Connect to a US server on NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month)
Create an account at www.hbomax.com
Go to HBONOW.com/gift and enter the 10 or 12 digit code from the back of your gift card.
Choose your State or Territory, enter your ZIP Code (you can do this by googling) and then choose Continue.
Click I have an account: Choose the Sign in link. Enter your account email and password. Then, choose Sign In and Redeem
Return to www.hbomax.com
Enjoy watching HBO Max in New Zealand

Why isn’t HBO Max available in NZ?

HBO Max is only available in the US. It only has the rights to broadcast its content in the States. It doesn’t have international broadcast rights.

Similar to other streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Paramount+, HBO Max is subject to its licensing agreements. If it made itself available to customers in NZ, it could face severe copyright and licensing repercussions.

To prevent these issues from arising, HBO Max uses geo-blocking technology that prevents anyone outside of the US from accessing its content. These geo-blocks are the reason you’re running into errors when trying to connect to HBO Max.

How does HBO Max block my connection?

The way HBO Max blocks your connection is all to do with your location and your IP address.

Whenever you connect to the internet, you’re given a unique IP address. This IP contains information that discloses your location. When you go online in NZ, you’re given an NZ-based IP.

When you connect to HBO Max, the service scans your IP address. If the IP isn’t from the US, HBO Max blocks it.

How do I get around HBO Max’s geo-blocks?

It’s actually quite simple. All you need to do is trick HBO Max into thinking you’re connecting to its service from within the US.

To do that, you need a US IP address. This is where the VPN comes in. A VPN makes it very easy to change your IP address and unblock HBO Max.

How do VPNs work?

VPNs are able to provide you with an anonymous internet connection and an IP address in a location of your choice.

They do this by encrypting all of your internet data, and rerouting it through one of their servers. Once the data gets to the server, it’s decrypted and sent to a local internet service provider.

The best thing about VPNs is you can select the server the data is sent to. To unblock HBO Max, all you need to do is select a US server, giving you a US IP address.

When you connect to HBO Max, it will scan your IP, see that is based in the US, and you’ll be able to access its content.

It’s that simple.

Does HBO Max block VPNs?

Yes, it does. HBO Max, like Netflix, Hulu and Paramount+, tries to block VPN connections.

It does this by monitoring for an abnormal amount of connections coming from the same IP address. For lesser VPNs, this can be a problem. Lesser VPNs have more customers than IP addresses, and this means customers often have to share IP’s.

When HBO Max sees hundreds of connections coming from the same IP, it knows that that’s an IP provided by a VPN, and it blocks it.

Will any VPN work with HBO Max?

Unfortunately, there are VPNs out there that aren’t trustworthy. Some VPNs are malicious and track your internet usage. Some are cons that don’t provide the service they say they will, and some don’t work with HBO Max.

The good news is, there are VPNs that are trustworthy, like NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month), and they work reliably with HBO Max.

NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) are able to work reliably with HBO Max because they have measures in place to get around the streaming services blocks. Neither of these VPNs can guarantee that an IP address they provide won’t get identified and blocked by HBO Max. However, they can guarantee their service will consistently work with HBO Max.

This is because they play a game of cat and mouse with HBO Max. When HBO blocks an IP address provided by NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month), these VPNs will close that IP address and open a new one. This means that they stay ahead of HBO’s blocks, and it allows you to reliably watch HBO Max in NZ or anywhere in the world.

The best VPNs to watch HBO Max

1. NordVPN

The BEST VPN of 2022

Pro

Fast servers
No logs
Thousands of IP addresses
6-simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
Easy-to-use app

Cons

No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store

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$3.49/month for 2-years
$6.99/month for 1-year
$11.95/month for 1 month

NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And its easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers. It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations. Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunnelling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.

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2. Ivacy

The BEST low-cost VPN

Pros

Fast servers
Thousands of IP addresses
Dedicated streaming servers
5-simultaneous connections
24/7 Live Chat
30-day money-back guarantee

Cons

Only 5 devices
Sometimes runs slow
Occasionally blocked by streaming sites

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$1.16/month for 5-years
$3.50/month for 1-year
$9.99/month for 1 month

If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option. This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease. The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer. For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.

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3. ExpressVPN

A very reliable and fast VPN

Pros

Fast servers
Thousands of IP addresses
10-simultaneous connections
24/7 Live Chat
30-day money-back guarantee
Easy-to-use app

Cons

Expensive

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$6.66/month for 15 months
$9.99/month for 6 months
$12.95/month for 1 month

ExpressVPN is still one of the best VPNs you can buy. However, we’ve got it ranked in the number three spot for a couple of reasons. First of all, it’s the most expensive VPN on the market. This was understandable when it was also the fastest and most reliable VPN too. But now it’s not. NordVPN is. ExpressVPN has recently been struggling to unblock some big streaming sites – BBC iPlayer and BeIN Sports – too. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video etc. ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites (apart from BBC iPlayer). Meaning, whenever one of its servers is blacklisted it creates a new one – giving its users a constant stream of servers that aren’t blocked. Needless to say, this is a valuable attribute if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock streaming sites. Its app is easy-to-use and free to download on pretty much any device you can think of. Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireStick, Android TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Linux, even Apple TV (with a workaround). It’s got it all covered. The app is another main reason this VPN is so good at unblocking TV streaming sites (that claim they block VPNs) is that its software takes a pragmatic approach to user management. While other VPNs tempt customers by promising them access to hundreds/thousands of servers in multiple countries, ExpressVPN does things differently. With ExpressVPN you only have a handful of server locations to choose from. Once you select your location the app takes care of the rest. Assigning you to the fastest available server that’s not oversubscribed. This simple technique is so important, as it keeps ExpressVPN’s servers operating at lightning-fast speeds and prevent its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.

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4. Private Internet Access

The BEST mid-range VPN for streaming!

Pros

Fast and reliable servers
Thousands of IP addresses
10-simultaneous connections
24/7 Live Chat
30-day money-back guarantee

Cons

Only 48 server locations

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$2.19/month for 3-years
$3.33/month for 1-year
$11.95/month for 1-month

Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1 million paying customers. This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends. If, for whatever reason, you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-days money-back guarantee. From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).

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5. CyberGhost

Pros

1-day free trial
Reliable servers
Thousands of IP addresses
7-simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
Easy-to-use app

Cons

Expensive
Average speed scores

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$2.75/month for 3 years
$3.69/month for 2 years
$5.99/month for 6 months
$12.99/month for 1 month

CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well. From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed. That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either. Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.

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