The latest Mood of the Boardroom Survey reveals a rise in confidence among New Zealand's top business leaders regarding the domestic economy. The annual survey, conducted by the NZ Herald, polled around 150 business executives who rated their confidence in the economy at 3.37 out of 5, up from 2.82 last year. However, optimism about the global economy was weaker, with a rating of just 2.52 out of 5.
The survey also ranked political leaders, with 74 percent of respondents rating Nicola Willis as a credible finance minister. Education Minister Erica Stanford was named the top Cabinet minister, with 56 percent of respondents rating her performance as 'very impressive,' giving her a score of 4.38 out of 5. Other highly rated ministers included Todd McClay and Mark Mitchell.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon did not make the top 10, scoring just 2.52 out of 5 for his overall political performance. When asked whether Luxon would remain leader if the coalition were re-elected, respondents gave him an average rating of 2.27 out of 5. However, Luxon fared better when asked which leader had the strongest capacity to drive growth, winning the backing of 65 percent of chief executives and company chairs, compared to just 3 percent for Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
In terms of managing the economy through another economic shock, Nicola Willis topped the list with 60 percent backing, followed closely by Luxon with 57 percent. Labour's finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds attracted 30 percent support, just behind David Seymour at 33 percent, while Winston Peters scored 15 percent support.