New Zealand businesses performed well against revenue targets over the past 12 months, with 57% meeting or exceeding goals, according to the Hunter Campbell Mood of the CFO Survey.
But the domestic resilience contrasts with a worsening global economic outlook. The proportion of CFOs anticipating worldwide contraction has jumped from 21% last year to 45%, while 81% report that global instability is pushing up their operating costs.
Hunter Campbell managing partner Lee Marshall said the performance data was encouraging. "It tells me that actually New Zealand businesses are getting on with it," he said.
The survey, now in its third year, found 11% of CFOs expect strong growth in the year ahead. Infometrics chief executive Brad Olsen said the proportion anticipating robust expansion in 2026 exceeded the figures in the previous two years.
Despite the revenue performance, 79% of CFOs rated New Zealand's productivity as poor. Higher costs and supply chain logistics remain central concerns.
Artificial intelligence adoption has reached three in four businesses, with 94% of CFOs viewing it positively. But 1 in 5 CFOs reported that AI has produced a substantial structural change in their teams so far, and more than 40% plan workforce reductions linked at least partly to AI.
"But among those making changes, the dominant vision is finance supported by AI and automation, not replaced by it," Marshall said.