News

Business confidence in the south continues to increase according to Business South’s latest quarterly business survey, a sign of regional resilience and momentum. 81% believe Otago and Southland is heading in the right direction.

Optimism about the regional economy has grown significantly, driven by local success stories, signs of infrastructure activity, and resilience in tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing. Steady dairy payouts, a solid harvest season, and continued global demand for food and fibre products were seen as economic strengths. Productivity and growth has jumped ahead of inflationary pressure and interest rates, to be the second top issue at 34%
this quarter. Consumer confidence and growth remains the top issue for 48% of businesses, up 5 points from last quarter, likely
tied to cautious spending. As expected, international trade and geopolitical risks is front of mind for 25% of businesses, up from
13% 6 months ago.

On a net basis, 51% of businesses are positive about their future financial performance, up 2% from the previous quarter, the
highest level in 2 years.

These are the highlights of our report, if you are a member you have access to the full report via our phone app. We have also send out the report to all our members via email.