New Zealand's

Small Business Nation 2021

A summary report of new independent research* undertaken by Dynata*, on behalf of Yellow New Zealand. Over 1,600 small to medium businesses (SMEs) across the nation took part in a survey, in field August - September 2021.

Initially, the research was undertaken prior to the August 17th lockdown, then as Delta hit our shores another dip was conducted several weeks into lockdown, revealing some rising concerns in particular areas. The report reflects that 75% of surveyed Aotearoa New Zealand SMEs were negatively impacted by COVID-19, and 79% of those are struggling to get back to pre-COVID-19 business levels.

With this understanding, we can begin the road to recovery.

Despite the appearance that Aotearoa has had a period of relative ‘normality’ between last year and this most recent lockdown, this isn't the case for the SME community, and the report shows that the effects of COVID-19 is long-lasting, and recovery is slow.
Our intention was to capture a realistic snapshot of how businesses are feeling. Although the initial shock of COVID-19 hit businesses hard and fast in 2020, the second wave and long tail of Delta appears to be having a deeper, more fracturing impact.
Prior to the 17 August lockdown, just 25% of negatively impacted businesses reported being back to normal from COVID-19 in 2020.

This report reflects the state of the small business nation as it stands right now, but as businesses make the shift to digital and restrictions start to ease, tangible support can be a lifeline to business owners.