Rotorua Business Priorities for the Next Government

Businesses want to grow. They want to employ more people. They want to invest. They want to innovate. They want to be productive and competitive.

And they want confidence that the environment they are making those decisions in will remain reasonably stable.

I’m hearing that this is what really matters.

A business owner deciding whether to employ another person, purchase equipment, open another premises or invest in new technology isn’t making that decision based on one government announcement.

They are looking several years ahead.

They need to understand the regulatory environment, the cost of doing business, access to skilled people, infrastructure, taxation, demand and the broader economic outlook.

Government cannot – and should not – control all of these things.

But it can create an environment that makes investment and growth easier, or one that makes businesses more cautious.

As an organisation representing Rotorua’s business community, we aren’t here to tell people which political party to vote for.

Our role is to advocate for the conditions that allow businesses and our region to prosper.

That means we will be looking closely at the policies being put forward by all parties.

Will they improve productivity?

Will they encourage investment?

Will they help businesses access the people and skills they need?

Will they reduce unnecessary compliance and complexity?

Will they support infrastructure that enables regional economies to grow?

Will they strengthen New Zealand’s ability to compete internationally?

And perhaps most importantly ... will the policies create greater confidence for businesses to make decisions for the future?

These aren’t particularly glamorous election questions. They don’t necessarily make the best headlines.

But they are the questions being considered around boardroom and kitchen tables in businesses across Rotorua.

Our Business Pulse research, undertaken jointly by RotoruaNZ, gives us a biannual window into the thinking of local business leaders. It shows that Rotorua businesses have a strong desire to see our city progress and a willingness to invest in its future.

That optimism is something we should protect.

Rotorua has enormous strengths: tourism, forestry, agriculture, manufacturing, Māori enterprise, small business, professional services and a growing reputation as a place to live, work and invest.

But potential doesn’t automatically become prosperity.

It requires investment. It requires leadership. It requires infrastructure.

It requires people with the skills to fill the jobs being created. And it requires businesses to have enough confidence to take the next step.

So, as the election campaign gathers momentum, my hope is that we continue to see a genuine conversation about how we create the conditions for New Zealand businesses, and regional businesses in particular, to grow.

We don’t need politicians to agree with us on everything. We do need them to understand what businesses need in order to invest, employ, innovate and grow.

And whoever forms the next government will have an opportunity to do more than simply manage the economy. They can help create the conditions for businesses to invest, innovate, employ and grow.

For Rotorua, that isn’t a political aspiration. It’s the foundation of the prosperous, confident and ambitious community we all want to build.

---

This article was published in the Rotorua Daily Post on 16 September 2026:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/rotorua-businesses-want-next-government-to-back-investment-skills-and-infrastructure/premium/DDRBB3OMXRGIDKWEZUFF25WEVU/