Six of the national Fast 50 were from south of the Waitaki River and two were from Dunedin.
Deloitte Dunedin managing partner Matt Horne said six companies from Dunedin and the lower South Island had climbed up the index, improving on the overall placings last year.
"Given the high threshold this year, this is a huge achievement and demonstrates positive sentiment for our region."
Auckland’s Pushpay, a developer of mobile commerce tools, took top ranking this year with "outrageous" 4574% growth, he said.
Auckland digital customer relationship management platform Plexure (1197% growth), Christchurch house lifter SmartLift Systems (1028%), Wellington brewery Panhead Custom Ales (925%) and Auckland travel company All Blacks Tours (822%) rounded out the top five.
The annual Deloitte Fast 50 index, in association with BNZ, ranks businesses experiencing rapid revenue growth over three years across a range of sectors, including manufacturing, technology, services, retail and consumer products, exporters and mature business.
The threshold for entry into the Fast 50 was 225%, the highest entry threshold since the inception of the index in 2001, and the top three companies all had three-year growth rates of more than 1000%, Mr Horne said. Thirty-eight companies appeared on the index for the first time. A total of 24 companies were from the Auckland and upper North Island region, followed by nine from Christchurch and the upper South Island, seven from Wellington and the lower North Island, six from Dunedin and the lower South Island and four from the central North Island.
