About that 'Ease of Doing Business' in NZ Ranking

About that 'Ease of Doing Business' in NZ Ranking
"Ease of doing" business and "being in" business in NZ aren't necessarily the same thing (Image: Getty)
Pattrick Smellie
In the pile-on over National party leader Christopher Luxon’s unfortunate suggestion to foreigners that New Zealand businesses were going “soft”, much has been made by his critics of the country’s top ranking in the World Bank’s ‘ease of doing business’ rankings.Well, bad news. That ranking doesn’t quite say what its boosters think it says.First, and perhaps least importantly, the last time NZ achieved top ranking was in 2019 – three years ago, and published by the World Bank in 2020.Se...

More Economy

Consumer confidence back on the up – ANZ survey
Economy Free

Consumer confidence back on the up – ANZ survey

Consumer confidence rose five points to 98.3 in April, according to the latest ANZ-Roy Morgan survey, shoring up the upward trend that was starting to look wobbly.But inflation expectations also rose sharply – up 0.5 points to 4.7%, the highest reading since July 2023.“Household...

Staff reporters 24 Apr 2025
‘Uncertainty abounds’: Willis on trade war challenges
Economy

‘Uncertainty abounds’: Willis on trade war challenges

The impacts for NZ are twofold and will make its economic recovery harder, Willis says.

Rebecca Howard 23 Apr 2025
Rise in liquidations compounded by IRD crackdown
Economy

Rise in liquidations compounded by IRD crackdown

The IRD filed two-thirds of creditor applications in the March quarter.

Gregor Thompson 22 Apr 2025