News

With New Zealanders heading to the polls this Saturday, 7 November, chamber leaders from around the country have sent a clear message to whoever forms the next Government: cut the paperwork, get on with infrastructure, and leave new taxes off the table. 

That's the headline from a New Zealand Chambers of Commerce survey of chamber chief executives, ran from 15 to 27 October. Twenty chambers from 11 regions took part, including Business South, rating 39 policies the parties are taking to the election. 

Business Central and Business South hosted a joint webinar on the Employment Leave Act, with speakers from BusinessNZ, MBIE and Anderson Lloyd. Here are the key points from the session, along with links to where you can find more information. 

For fitness industry leader Rowan Ellis, that next step was a Master of Professional Practice through Capable NZ. 

Already an experienced gym director, Rowan had spent years developing his skills in leadership, business management and the fitness industry. Rather than stepping away from work to study, he was able to build on his professional experience through a postgraduate programme grounded in his own practice.

Read the BusinessNZ manifesto which draws on the expertise of BusinessNZ’s economists and policy specialists, together with the experience and insights of our regional business organisations, affiliated industry associations and member companies from across New Zealand. It is intended as a practical resource for all political parties, the next Government and members of the 55th Parliament.

Business South is part of the BusinessNZ network. 

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.

Join the FREE webinar!

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.