News

Trails aren't just tourism infrastructure. They're one of the South's fastest-growing business sectors.

Bike trails are now delivering $280 million a year in visitor spend for Queenstown Lakes alone, up 125% in real terms since 2021, and supporting 1,148 jobs across the district. That's not a niche recreational trend. Cycle tourism across Australia and New Zealand is growing at 11.8% a year, and is projected to reach $29.9 billion by 2034. Central Otago and the wider South are positioned right in the middle of that growth curve, and the past few weeks have made that clearer than ever.

Many professionals spend years building valuable skills, knowledge and leadership capability on the job. For Silver Fern Farms employees Ricky Fife and Susan Dunn, those years of experience became the foundation for earning a degree.

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The latest QV House Price Index shows residential property values nationally fell by 1.9% over the three months to the end of August, the largest quarterly decline in two years. Over the same period, values in the Queenstown Lakes District rose 1%, making it one of the only areas in the country to record growth.

Regional business confidence has stabilised and partially recovered since the sharp softening recorded in May, with the Southern economy outlook lifting meaningfully and hiring intentions rebounding strongly. However, the picture is not uniformly positive. Financial performance expectations have eased further, the fuel crisis is still worsening for most businesses, insurance costs are an emerging new pressure, and critically for the election period more businesses now believe New Zealand is heading in the wrong direction than the right one.

Many experienced professionals spend years building valuable skills, solving complex problems, leading teams and driving results, yet often have no formal qualification that reflects what they know and can do.

That's where Capable NZ is changing the conversation.

ExportNZ has released its 2026 Pre-Election Blueprint, Grow Locally, Compete Globally, setting out what the export sector wants to see from the next government.

For the first time, all eight South Island Chambers of Commerce have come together to launch a shared election policy platform, calling on all political parties to back the South Island as a driver of New Zealand's next phase of economic growth.

Approaching our first anniversary, Aspire Realty has quickly established itself as one of Wānaka's leading independent real estate agencies. The partnership between Craig Myles and George Wallis brings together decades of local knowledge, commercial expertise and a fresh approach to marketing property.

New Zealand's employment dispute system is under review, and Business South has made a formal submission to MBIE on behalf of our members. 

Business South has welcomed today's passing of the Employment Leave Bill, saying any genuine simplification of the Holidays Act will be good news for businesses and workers across Otago and Southland.