Building for Growth: Key Insights from the Prime Minister’s Lunch  2026

Setting the scene: confidence under pressure

Business confidence has softened modestly amid global uncertainty, yet around 80% of businesses remain confident in their ability to manage disruption, with more than half still expecting economic improvement over the next 12 months.

The Prime Minister outlined a growth strategy focused less on short-term fiscal stimulus and more on structural settings designed to lift long-term productivity and competitiveness.

The five levers of growth

A consistent theme throughout the discussion was discipline and focus around five core drivers of economic performance:

• Education reform as the most important long-term lever
• Science, innovation, R&D and commercialisation
• Infrastructure investment and delivery reform
• Regulatory simplification and RMA overhaul
• Trade and investment expansion

Together, these form what was described as the “operating system” for economic growth.

Infrastructure: funding, delivery and long-term planning

Infrastructure reform was identified as one of the most urgent system challenges.

Key themes included:

• A 30-year infrastructure pipeline led by an Infrastructure Commission
• Greater use of public-private partnerships and alternative financing
• Establishment of NIFCO to connect projects with domestic and international capital
• A focus on removing infrastructure decisions from short political cycles

The intent is to improve both speed and effectiveness of delivery in a system that currently ranks highly on spend but poorly on outcomes.

Energy and AI as growth accelerators

Energy independence was framed as a national priority and a prerequisite for economic growth, particularly given rising demand from electrification and data centres.

At the same time, AI adoption was positioned as one of the most significant productivity opportunities available to New Zealand businesses, with a clear challenge to accelerate uptake across both the public and private sectors.

Reform agenda: regulation, education and productivity

The reform programme spans multiple structural areas:

• RMA reform to simplify planning and consenting, expected to be operational within months
• Replacement of the NCEA system and renewed focus on structured literacy and numeracy
• Efforts to close the gap between strong R&D investment and weak commercialisation outcomes
• A broader push to lift productivity, where New Zealand has lagged for decades

The underlying message was clear: improving productivity requires systemic change, not incremental adjustment.

Closing: Be part of the conversation

These discussions reinforced both the scale of the challenge and the breadth of reform underway across infrastructure, energy, education, and regulation.

As New Zealand continues to navigate economic uncertainty and structural change, the focus increasingly turns to how regions can position themselves within this national growth agenda.

What's next.

If you missed this event, or want to continue to be a part of this conversation, Business Canterbury, in conjunction with Chambers of Commerce across the South Island and key industry partners, will be hosting the inaugural South Island Election Conference in August 2026, bringing together business, political and community leaders to explore regional priorities and national direction. We'd love to see you there.