Mood of the Boardroom

Inside: Not enough experience or action, too many committees and surprises – that was business leaders’ verdict on the Coalition Government in the Herald’s Mood of the Boardroom survey. In this year’s survey, chief executives have been asked to dig behind the business confidence numbers, run their ruler over the Coalition’s transformational agenda and its implementation, critique the Coalition leadership …

Inside: An overwhelming majority of chief executives see Jacinda Ardern’s confirmation as leader of the Labour Party as an election game-changer. There is astrong mood for change among the 118 respondents to the Herald’s Mood of the Boardroom Election Survey. Some 88 per cent see Ardern as the lightning rod which could catapult Labour to power at the September 23 …

The growth pressures in Auckland were the clear issue in the 2016 Mood of the Boardroom report – housing and infrastructure were in sore need of addressing and the CEOs wanted to see action in these areas. The Auckland mayoral election of 2016 saw widespread dissatisfaction for the business community, with Phil Goff receiving the reluctant plurality of support. The …

2015 marked the year that housing emerged as a preeminent issue in the Mood of the Boardroom survey, with mentions of housing on over 10 different pages of the report. Other emerging issues included the slump in dairy prices, the Trans Pacific Partnership, and weak regional economic growth. After a 2014 of positivity, CEOs began to predict an economic slowdown on …

Heading into the 2014 election, the choice of New Zealand’s CEOs was clear: 97% were in favour of John Key over David Cunliffe as Prime Minister. Business confidence was high, with a majority expecting profit, capital expenditure, and staff numbers to all grow over the following year. Interestingly, there was strong support for a capital gains tax (then-Labour policy) as …

We’ll be taking the temperature of the nation’s leading CEOs in our annual survey – Mood of the Boardroom. We examine what CEOs expect from each political party in the lead up to the 2014 election; opportunities and challenges for New Zealand businesses and the policies chief executives want escalated for New Zealand’s future success. The report will be launched …

The business community provided an upbeat reception, with rave reviews for Finance Minister Bill English and a widespread sense of renewal following the emergence from the struggles of the Global Financial Crisis and the Christchurch earthquakes. Digital technology featured strongly, and one article in the 2013 report even called for the introduction of the government chief technology officer. Divisive issues …

The 2012 report saw widespread praise for John Key’s “rightward turn” following the 2011 election, with a sense that the Prime Minister was beginning to govern in the interests of the country rather than the polls. Mixed-ownership models and asset sales featured prominently, while the age-old issues of infrastructure deficits and skills shortages reared their heads once more.

After the tough economic conditions of the Global Financial Crisis, the consensus among the business community was that the John Key-led government had performed well in trying times. This approval was reflected in 98 per cent of respondents supporting Key remaining at the helm after the election that year. The economic pain of the GFC was compounded by the Christchurch …

Emerging from recession, CEOs called for ambitious economic policies, such as cuts to the corporate tax rate, mining of conservation land, and the partial privatisation of state assets. Politically, the Cabinet rated strongly, but the push for fiscal tightening to get the Government’s books under control remained, particularly with respect to schemes considered to be ‘middle class welfare’.