• About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Contact Us
  • Offers
  • Events
  • Newsletter
  • Podcasts
  • Digital Magazine
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Self Development
  • Growth
  • Finance
  • Marketing
  • Technology
  • Sustainability
  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Contact Us
  • Offers
  • Events
  • Newsletter
  • Podcasts
  • Digital Magazine
NZBusiness Magazine

Type and hit Enter to search

Linkedin Facebook Instagram Youtube
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Self Development
  • Growth
  • Finance
  • Marketing
  • Technology
  • Sustainability
NZBusiness Magazine
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Self Development
  • Growth
  • Finance
  • Marketing
  • Technology
  • Sustainability
News

The price of our laid back business culture

Despite people working longer hours, New Zealand is facing a serious productivity problem, which Paul Kane, partner, privately held business at Grant Thornton New Zealand attributes to a laid back business culture in this country.

Glenn Baker
Glenn Baker
October 19, 2014 2 Mins Read
751
Pictured: Paul Kane.
 
Despite people working longer hours, New Zealand is facing a serious productivity problem, which Paul Kane, partner, privately held business at Grant Thornton New Zealand attributes to a laid back business culture in this country.
The firm says output has increased in recent years but productivity has barely risen since 2000.
“Put another way, we are just working longer hours at the same old pay rate.” 
Paul Kane says Government policy cannot be blamed, with the OECD research finding that New Zealand’s policy settings should generate GDP per capita 20 percent above the OECD average. Instead, New Zealand‘s GDP is currently about 30 percent below the OECD average.
“Ninety-five percent of New Zealand businesses are small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs). We could say the relative scarcity of large multinationals deprives our best people of opportunities to develop the kinds of skills that would allow them to become highly productive.
“But that is just a smokescreen and, in reality, New Zealand’s business culture is – broadly speaking – laid back compared with many other countries. We’re not saying New Zealanders aren’t hard workers. We’re saying New Zealanders lack the business edge that’s evident in some other countries.”
Paul Kane says owners and managers of SMEs need to be better educated in the fundamental principles of running and growing successful businesses. 
“Many SME owners are ambitious, financially literate, business literate, hardworking and smart. We don’t deny that for a moment. Our point is that as a culture – as a nation – those attributes apply less here than they do in other OECD countries, despite individual exceptions.”
He says more SMEs need to create powerful international connections and crack open overseas markets.
“Shining examples include cloud-based accountancy software firm Xero, and Wellington’s Weta Workshop. Both companies worked hard from their early days to make it internationally. This ambition drove them to find ways to do things better, more efficiently, and differently from everyone else.”
 
 

Share Article

Glenn Baker
Follow Me Written By

Glenn Baker

Glenn is a professional writer/editor with 50-plus years’ experience across radio, television and magazine publishing.

Other Articles

Nadia Lim_0
Previous

Diversity Breakfast – Nadia Lim – Auckland

Precision Seafood Harvesting, Innovation in Sustainability & Cleantech and Supreme NZ Innovator
Next

Precision Seafood Harvesting is Supreme Innovator

Next
Precision Seafood Harvesting, Innovation in Sustainability & Cleantech and Supreme NZ Innovator
October 19, 2014

Precision Seafood Harvesting is Supreme Innovator

Previous
October 17, 2014

Diversity Breakfast – Nadia Lim – Auckland

Nadia Lim_0

Subscribe to our newsletter

NZBusiness Digital Issue – September 2025

READ MORE

The Latest

Tune into the brand: How Radio BurgerFuel amplifies a strong identity

October 1, 2025

Smart interest-free business lending

October 1, 2025

Turning data into answers for every business

October 1, 2025

The funding source that flies under the radar

September 25, 2025

Lending by people again

September 23, 2025

Smarter funding options to ease cashflow pressure

September 23, 2025

Most Popular

Understanding AI
Economy, AI, and exports dominate 2025 business outlook
Cecilia Robinson’s mission to revolutionise healthcare
NZBusiness Digital Issue – June 2025
Confessions of a serial investor

Related Posts

ASB report on improving productivity

Investor confidence tumbles amid global uncertainty

September 22, 2025

Wallace Cotton celebrates 20 years of comfort and style

September 18, 2025

Voyager founder Seeby Woodhouse returns as CEO

September 18, 2025

AWS launches New Zealand cloud region with $7.5b investment

September 2, 2025
NZBusiness Magazine

New Zealand’s leading source for business news, training guides and opinion from small businesses to multi-national corporations.

© Pure 360 Limited.
All Rights Reserved.

Quick Links

  • Advertise with us
  • Magazine issues
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy
  • Sitemap

Categories

  • News
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Growth
  • Finance
  • Education & Development
  • Marketing
  • Technology
  • Sustainability

Follow Us

LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Self Development
  • Growth
  • Finance
  • Marketing
  • Technology
  • Sustainability