The most successful New Zealand businesses in 2026 will not look busy. They will look calm. That is not an accident. It is the result of a different way of thinking that is starting to take hold. A few shifts are quietly reshaping the year. Leadership capacity becomes the scarce resource Time, attention, and decision energy are now more constrained than capital or talent. Businesses that deliberately protect leadership bandwidth, through better systems, clearer delegation, an

New Zealand enters 2026 with a familiar restlessness. Election years tend to sharpen public mood, but this time the underlying sentiment feels less ideological and more practical. The dominant emotion is frustration. Not anger, not despair, but impatience at the speed of turnaround. Many New Zealanders sense that the country understands its problems yet struggles to move decisively from diagnosis to delivery. Across households and boardrooms, the same question is being asked.

As we wrap up the year it is a good moment to pause and look ahead. The New Zealand economy has been through a slow and often uncomfortable period and many businesses are still carrying the weight of higher costs and uncertainty. Yet the signs for 2026 point toward a year of steady recovery. Not a surge. Not a boom. Just a gradual strengthening that will reward those who stay focused and adaptive. Growth is expected to pick up through the year as interest rates ease and confi

As we reach the last chapter of 2025, it’s appropriate to look at some of the current global leadership themes and consider how they will likely play forward in 2026. And is New Zealand ahead, behind or in line.  Leadership is changing at a pace we haven’t seen in years. Technology is accelerating, workforce expectations are evolving, and global volatility is reshaping the way organisations operate. As 2026 approaches, several themes are emerging worldwide that are particular