2026.01.1300:31:45UTC+00New Zealand Q4 Business Mood Highest Since 2014

In the fourth quarter of 2025, New Zealand experienced the highest level of business confidence since March 2014, as indicated by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research's (NZIER) Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion released on Tuesday. According to the survey, a net 48% of the businesses surveyed anticipated an improvement in general business conditions, up from 18% in the third quarter. Christina Leung, the principal economist at NZIER, announced during a press conference that lower interest rates were beginning to positively impact the economy, with signs of recovery becoming increasingly evident. "The uplift in sentiment was consistently observed across all sectors and regions," Leung noted, as reported by Reuters. Seasonally adjusted figures showed 39% expected an improvement in business conditions, compared to the 17% optimism reported in the previous period. Additionally, the survey indicated a rise in the capacity utilization measure, which increased to 89.8% from 89.1% in the prior quarter.