Thursday, November 12, 2026
New Zealand unemployment rose to 5.7% in the September 2026 quarter. More people are looking for work, but that does not make every hire a good one. Here is how to choose between a hire, a better system or a coach, with five questions and a 30-day plan.
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.
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".
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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