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Last updated 14 November 2026. Published by Simple-Growth (Motherbase Limited). Market: New Zealand.

If you held back a hire, a price rise or a spend until after the 7 November election, the wait is over and the decision is still on your desk. Here is what the latest New Zealand surveys say, and a 30-day plan to restart.

Disclosure: Simple-Growth, the business that publishes this guide, sells business coaching. Kevin D'Ambros-Smith is an approved Regional Business Partner Network provider and a partner of The Icehouse. Weigh what follows with that in mind. Every figure below links to the page it came from, and this guide takes no view on the election result.

What Did NZ Owners Actually Do While They Waited?

MYOB's SME survey of 502 New Zealand owners and decision-makers, run by Dynata between 17 August and 8 September 2026 (margin of error plus or minus 5%), found 41% said election uncertainty was hurting their confidence, 16% said it was lifting it and 35% said it made no difference. Asked how they were responding, 34% were reviewing budgets and cashflow more closely, 33% were reducing spending, 24% were holding more cash and 29% were looking for new revenue sources. MYOB's chief executive said many owners were "choosing to hold their position until there's more certainty".

What Does The Latest Data Say About The Mood?

  • ANZ's Business Outlook for October 2026 (published 29 October) put business confidence at a net +52.5 and own-activity expectations at +46.2, down from +47.9 in September. Investment intentions fell to 18.3 from 22.6, and employment intentions were 17.4. Pricing intentions rose to the highest since May.
  • NZIER's Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion for the September 2026 quarter (fieldwork 9 to 28 September) reported a net 43% of firms expecting conditions to improve (40% seasonally adjusted), up from 8% the quarter before. Capacity utilisation was 91.0%.

The pattern to notice is that mood is high while expected investment is lower. Owners feel better than they are yet prepared to act. Neither survey says what is right for your business. Both are national, not small-business-only, so treat them as weather, not a forecast for your shop floor.

Which Parked Decision Comes First?

  • The hire. Restart it if the work is already there and you are the bottleneck. Hold it if you cannot say what the person will stop you doing. Before you advertise, write the first 90-day outcome for the role.
  • The price. ANZ's pricing-intentions reading suggests more firms plan to raise prices. If your costs have moved since your last increase, this is the cheapest decision on the list to restart. Start with your top ten customers by margin.
  • The spend. Marketing, equipment, systems. Restart it only against one measure you can check in 90 days, such as enquiries per week or days to get paid.

Five Questions Before You Restart Anything

  • What was I actually waiting for? If the answer was certainty, ask whether the decision was ever going to be certain.
  • Which one decision, if made, moves the most? Work that one first. The rest can queue.
  • What does it cost me each month it stays parked? Put a dollar figure on the delay.
  • Who needs to know? A hire, a price rise and a spend each change what your team and customers expect.
  • What will I measure at 30 and 90 days? Write the number and date down before you start.

A 30-Day Restart Plan

  • Week 1: list and cost. Write every parked decision on one page with its monthly cost of delay. Pick the one with the largest cost.
  • Week 2: decide and date it. Choose go, no-go or later with a named date. Tell the one person who has to act on it.
  • Week 3: first move. Do the smallest visible step: send the price letter, post the role, place the first order.
  • Week 4: check the number. Compare to the measure you wrote in week 1, then pick the next decision from the list.

Where Can You Get Help Choosing?

  • Do it yourself. Suits an owner who already knows the one decision and only needs a date. Does not suit a pile of five equal-looking decisions.
  • A low-cost outside view. The Government is funding AI-based business diagnostics through AcceleratorNZ, and Business Mentors NZ charges a $295 + GST registration fee for a 12-month mentor match. Both suit an owner who wants an outside view at low cost. Check the current terms with each.
  • A business coach. Suits an owner who is the bottleneck, or who keeps re-parking the same decision. Regional Business Partner co-funding can cover up to 50% of one-to-one coaching for businesses under 50 FTE, so confirm eligibility before you pay.

"Working with Kevin has pushed us to step back and look at the business from the outside. He's easy to bounce ideas off, and he keeps us focused on working on the business instead of getting stuck in the day-to-day."

Ben Leitch
Home Lab Store

That is one client's experience, not a promise of your result.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the election really delay small business decisions?

In MYOB's survey of 502 NZ SME owners (17 August to 8 September 2026), 41% said election uncertainty was having a negative effect on their confidence, and 33% were reducing spending. The survey did not report a percentage of owners who delayed a specific decision.

Is business confidence in New Zealand high right now?

ANZ's October 2026 Business Outlook shows a net +52.5 confidence reading, and NZIER's September 2026 quarter survey shows a net 43% of firms expecting conditions to improve. Both are national surveys, not small-business-only.

Should I raise my prices now?

ANZ's October 2026 survey shows pricing intentions at their highest since May. Whether you should depends on your own costs and margins. Start with your top customers by margin and check before you send anything.

Can I get funding to help me decide?

Possibly. Regional Business Partner co-funding can cover up to 50% of one-to-one coaching for businesses with fewer than 50 FTE. Confirm eligibility and caps with your Regional Business Partner first.

How do I know which decision to restart first?

Put a monthly dollar cost on the delay of each parked decision and restart the largest one first. Write the number you will check at 30 and 90 days before you start.

Not sure which decision to restart first? A 30-minute conversation will tell you honestly, including when you do not need a coach. For other options see the EOS or coach guide and the business coaching hub.

Book my free 30-minute call

Sources (opened 14 November 2026): Mortgage Professional Australia/NZ, Election uncertainty weighs on small business confidence: MYOB, 2 October 2026 (New Zealand); ANZ Business Outlook, 29 October 2026 (New Zealand); Reuters via KFGO, NZIER QSBO September 2026 quarter (New Zealand); Business Mentors NZ (New Zealand); MBIE, AI-powered tools to support small business growth, 11 June 2026 (New Zealand). Last updated 14 November 2026.

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