Businesses in Canterbury are feeling a renewed sense of optimism following a change in government leadership.

Leeann Watson, CEO of the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce, shared insights on the impact of this shift during an interview with Chris Lynch.

Watson expressed that the desire for change had been prevalent among the business community for quite some time.

“It’s certainly clear that people wanted to see change, and businesses have been indicating to us for really quite some time now that they want to see some key changes around some areas that will ultimately help them grow.”

Key among these changes was the expectation that the new government would actively support the local economy, with a particular focus on small businesses.

Watson said, “we know that in Christchurch and Canterbury, we have around 20,000 businesses with less than 20 staff and around 50,000 businesses run by sole traders.

“So we have a large number of small businesses, and their biggest concerns have been around inflationary pressure, interest rates, consumer confidence, and increasing compliance costs. These are the issues we want to address collaboratively with the new government.”

Watson revealed that the Chamber had been in contact with all political parties in the lead-up to the election, including Christopher Luxon.

She expressed confidence in their ability to engage with the new government promptly, stating, “We will definitely be engaging with him as early as we can.

“We’ve got our briefings for incoming ministers all lined up, ready to go once we know the outcome after the special votes on the third of November.

“We hope that the Prime Minister’s Christchurch roots will put us in good stead for having him play a role in taking a closer look at Christchurch and Canterbury, ensuring that we have good engagement.”