This, as firms continue to grapple with rising costs and a slower-than-expected economic recovery.
Findings from the 2026 MYOB Annual Business Monitor, which surveyed more than 1,000 SME owners and operators nationwide, show that 35 percent of respondents are dissatisfied with the Government’s overall performance to date, compared with 33 percent who say they are satisfied. A further 31 percent remain neutral.
The survey also found mixed views on how effectively the Coalition is addressing issues affecting SMEs. While 42 percent of business operators believe the Government is handling these issues well, 33 percent say it is not tackling them effectively and 19 percent say the issues have not been addressed at all.
The results come as SMEs continue to face mounting operational pressures. According to the report, business overheads have increased by an average of $1,200 per month over the past year, while combined insurance premiums have climbed to an average of $1,800 annually. Medium-sized businesses have been hit particularly hard, with insurance costs rising by more than $3,200 on average.
MYOB Chief Executive Paul Robson says economic uncertainty and higher operating costs were weighing on business sentiment.
“At the beginning of this year, our insights suggested most SMEs were starting 2026 more hopeful about their prospects and backed by relatively stable revenue and cashflow, but rising costs and recent increasing uncertainty may have clouded over some of the growth ambitions we saw coming through,” he says.
“These factors, as well as a slower-than-anticipated economic recovery, can often shape some of the sentiment by businesses around the support available to them.”
Despite the dip in satisfaction levels, the survey found the current Coalition parties still command the majority of SME voter support ahead of this year’s General Election.
The National Party remains the preferred choice among business owners, with 37 percent of respondents intending to vote for the party. Coalition partners NZ First and ACT both attracted 11 percent support.
However, support for opposition parties has increased since the 2023 MYOB Business Monitor, which was conducted before the last election. Labour’s support among SME operators has risen five percentage points to 20 percent, while the Green Party has edged up to 4 percent. The Opportunities Party sits at 2 percent support and Te Pāti Māori at 1 percent.
More than one in 10 SME decision-makers remain undecided.
Paul Robson is Chief Executive Officer at MYOB.
“We have seen some movement in voting intentions compared to the run up to the last election, and just over one-in-10 SME decision-makers are undecided about their vote,” Robson says.
“Given the size of the SME community in New Zealand, that is still a significant number of votes to compete for and overall, business owners will be looking for practical policy platforms that deliver targeted support where it is most impactful.”
With Budget 2026 only weeks away, SMEs are calling for targeted measures to ease cost pressures, reduce compliance burdens and encourage investment.
The most popular policy proposal among respondents was reinstating the ACC No Claims Discount for small businesses, supported by 32 percent of those surveyed.
Other leading priorities included simplifying health and safety compliance requirements (28 percent), introducing a permanent $10,000 Instant Asset Write-Off to replace the current $1,000 Low Value Asset Write-Off threshold (26 percent), increasing the provisional tax threshold (24 percent), improving insurance affordability for SMEs (23 percent), and offering energy bill relief through tax rebates (23 percent).
Robson says SMEs were looking for practical and credible support measures as economic conditions remain challenging.
“While there is little doubt about the balancing act the current Government faces in investing in the future of New Zealand business and managing existing debt levels, there is clear opportunity for practical support for local SMEs that will ease some of the load they are carrying day-to-day,” he says.
“Business owners will be monitoring outcomes of the upcoming Budget keenly to see what’s in it for them, but looking further ahead to the election on the horizon, the parties that put forward credible, targeted policies for SMEs will strengthen their appeal to a segment that represents a significant share of the voting public.”
The 2026 MYOB Annual Business Monitor was conducted online by Kantar’s Online Research Unit between January 28 and March 9, surveying 1,026 New Zealand business owners, managers and directors. The margin of error for the survey is plus or minus 3.1 percent.
