Editorial: Keeping the Govt honest
OPINION: Federated Farmers' latest farmer confidence survey results won’t surprise too many people.
SATISFACTION WITH the Government by Small to Medium Enterprises – SMEs – is on the rise, says New Zealand business solutions provide MYOB.
And businesses related to primary industries are third highest in 'total' satisfaction at 34% - topped by finance and insurance at 48% and business professional and property at 38%. However primary related SMEs with total dissatisfaction was 20%.
Overall the March MYOB Business Monitor shows a marked increase in the level of satisfaction with Government support amongst all SME business operators. A third (33%) are happy with National's backing of the sector and less than a quarter (24%) dissatisfied. This is a significant turnaround from the August 2013 Monitor, when dissatisfaction outweighed satisfaction (24% versus 28%).
MYOB general manager accounting division Adam Ferguson says more local businesses are no doubt feeling comfortable with how well the Government is working for business, given the recent strong performance of the SME economy.
"Small and medium businesses are doing well across the board in this latest MYOB Business Monitor survey, with three in four seeing increased or steady revenue over the past year," he says.
"And just as their performance expectations are positive, they are very confident about how well the broader economy will perform over the coming months. Half of all SME operators expect to see New Zealand's economy improve further within 12 months – the highest level of short-term confidence we have seen in the last five years.
"However, as we have discovered from the policy preferences of this business community, there is still a considerable amount of work to be done in making it easier to do business in New Zealand.
"Further work on reducing complexity in business reporting has to be a focus of any party looking to secure the SME vote this election."
Many farmers around the country are taking advantage of the high dairy payout to get maximum production out of their cows.
In 2015, the signing of a joint venture between St Peter's School, Cambridge, and Lincoln University saw the start of an exciting new chapter for Owl Farm as the first demonstration dairy farm in the North Island. Ten years on, the joint venture is still going strong.
Sheep milk processor Maui Milk is on track to record average ewe production of 500 litres by 2030, says outgoing chief executive Greg Hamill.
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton is calling for cross-party consensus on the country's overarching environmental goals.
Changes to New Zealand’s postal service has left rural communities disappointed.
Alliance is urging its farmer-shareholders to have their say on the proposed $250 million strategic investment partnership with Dawn Meats Group.
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