Business & Society

BusinessNZ has welcomed the Government’s pledge to improve the policies holding back overseas investment. The Government has indicated it will change the Overseas Investment Act and the policy settings for foreign investment, within the next year. BusinessNZ Chief Executive Katherine Rich said the current  rules make it difficult and uncertain...

Better claims management and more transparent levy-setting are needed to return ACC Accounts to financial health, BusinessNZ says.    BusinessNZ’s submission on ACC’s levy-setting for 2025-28 notes that some ACC Accounts are currently underfunded, a situation which will lead to unjustified pressure on future levy payers. BusinessNZ Chief Executive Katherine...

BusinessNZ supports moves to get more productivity and efficiency in the building consent system. The Government is proposing changing the system, with options including consolidating the number of Building Consent Authorities and introducing a single point of contact for builders to submit their plans to.  BusinessNZ Advocacy Director Catherine Beard...

The Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement (TTRMA) – which aims to remove regulatory barriers between Australia and New Zealand and facilitate trade across the Tasman – is now 20 years old. The TTMRA helps to increase transparency in trading arrangements  and reduce compliance costs for businesses on both sides of the...

Too many Kiwis are still being harmed at work. Creating a culture focused on health, safety, and wellbeing can make a huge impact — and starts from the top. Warwick Stenson clearly remembers the day he realised he wanted to do more for his staff. “When I first came on...

The Government’s steps to make it easier for overseas investment are a good start but more, fundamental change is required, says BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope. “New Zealand currently has one of the most restrictive regimes in the OECD when it comes to overseas investment, and moves toward a more...

BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope today announced he has resigned from his role and will finish with BusinessNZ on 6 September 2024. “I have led BusinessNZ for nine years through a period of growth, consolidation and unprecedented change and believe the time is right to pass the baton to a...

BusinessNZ says Budget 2024 shows a responsible approach to spending in areas that have the potential to significantly improve New Zealand’s economic growth. Chief Executive Kirk Hope says given the fiscal situation New Zealand finds itself in, the Government will need to be rigorous in its pursuit of keeping expenditure...

BusinessNZ is congratulating the Minister of Climate Change for his work in achieving cross-party consensus for a way forward on climate adaptation. The political parties have agreed to a select committee inquiry into climate adaptation to develop guiding objectives and principles for an adaptation framework and to work out the...