‘Loose spending’ Bill should be delayed BusinessNZ has argued against proposed changes to the Local Government Act. The Local Government (Community Well-being) Amendment Bill would allow councils to spend rates money and levy property developers to provide a wider range of social and cultural activities. BusinessNZ economist John Pask says...

NZ economy – risky business The BusinessNZ Planning Forecast for the June 2018 quarter shows that though many key economic indicators remain on the positive side of the ledger, there are a number of risks that could undermine what is currently a generally healthy outlook. BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope...

BusinessNZ welcomes climate thaw BusinessNZ has welcomed today’s announcement that the National Party has taken a significant step toward a bipartisan approach to climate change policy. Leader of the Opposition Hon Simon Bridges has written to the Prime Minister and Minister for Climate Change, offering to work with them on...

Budget 2018 and business BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope said some of the big ticket items in the Budget would help support business growth. “An investment of $28 billion over 10 years in Auckland transport will improve infrastructure in our largest city, helping support the ability of business to grow...

Employment Bill an attack on the rights of non-union workers The Employment Relations Amendment Bill is an attack on the rights of non-union workers BusinessNZ says. Speaking to the select committee considering the Bill, Chief Executive Kirk Hope said it would give undue powers to unions and have far-reaching consequences....

GST move levels playing field for NZ businesses Plans for applying GST to imported low-value goods would level the playing field between overseas and domestic retailers and help make New Zealand’s tax system consistent with other countries, says BusinessNZ. Under the proposed plan, from October 2019 offshore providers of all...