Will the budget boost small firms? Not in the way we might think

By Rod McNaughton, Professor of Entrepreneurship, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

With the lid now lifted on Budget 2026, many small and medium New Zealand businesses will be poring over the detail to see what it has in store for them.

Many may come away disappointed. With the government having been upfront about its spending constraints, this budget was never likely to deliver a large new package for small firms.

Instead, the budget delivers a mix of smaller compliance changes, infrastructure spending and energy transition support. It also…

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