Small business, big pressure: why the backbones of the NZ and Australian economies need more support
- Written by Antje Fiedler, Senior Lecturer, Management and International Business, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the Australian and New Zealand economies, employing 42% of Australia’s workforce and 31% of New Zealand’s workers.
But rising costs, weak demand, digital disruption, tariff-driven trade tensions and inflation are pushing many small businesses to...