Business confidence in New Zealand fell in March but still retains an optimistic tone, the latest survey from the the National Bank of New Zealand showed on Wednesday.
A net 43% of firms participating in the poll are expecting better times ahead, the survey showed, down 7 percentage points from February. Firms' own activity expectations nudged down 3 percentage points to 39%.
A net 19% of businesses expect higher profits over the year ahead, while employment intentions were broadly unchanged, with a net 9% expecting to hire staff in the year ahead.
Confidence was down across all sectors, bar retailing, reversing last month's trend where retailing dipped, and confidence across the remaining sectors increased.
The NBNZ business outlook survey polls 1,500 business across New Zealand to give an idea of where the economy is headed in the next 12 months.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.