It’s always dangerous giving a year its own moniker – think Labour’s 2019 ‘year of delivery’ or National’s 2025 ‘year of growth’.
Phil Mackay
Nevertheless, I want to make the case for making 2026 a year of action. Bear with me.
I’ve had a lot of conversations in the last few months with a fairly similar dialogue or narrative. Generally speaking, the narrative is – back to monikers or catch-phrases again – first we were all saying “survive ‘til ‘25”, then it was just “survive ‘25”. And now, while there is definitely more optimism, most people are cautious to get too excited about their prospects for 2026.
Now, don’t get me wrong, it has been a tough few years for many businesses, not least of all in the construction industry.
However, I’m also starting to have more conversations with a different narrative, a more positive, pragmatic mindset, along the lines of “let’s just get on with business.”
At the NZ Economics Forum last week, a Waikato Management School initiative hosted right here in the Mighty Waikato, one theme that emerged was that there is a lot of ‘noise.’ Noise internationally about tariffs, conflict, and whatever chaos Trump’s brain dreamt up this week. And noise locally about election year.
Several speakers at the conference emphasised the need to look through all the noise and get on with doing business. Control the controllables, in other words, and ignore the rest.
That’s a really important message for the Waikato right now. Because when you step back and take a good look at our region, it’s a pretty exciting time. We’ve just opened a world-class regional theatre, and broken ground on a new medical school. Tainui’s Ruakura Superhub is well underway, but with a lot more development planned. International flights and jet services are back at Hamilton Airport, and tourism numbers are back nearly at pre-Covid levels. Prices for key exports are strong, and at least some of the Fonterra payout will flow through the local economy, regardless of individual farmers’ plans.
So now is a great time for businesses to get on with business.
Which brings me back to my year of action. There are opportunities, even in a slower economy, but they’re probably not going to walk themselves in your door. This could be the moment to progress that strategic initiative that you’ve been sitting on, tidy up some systems, incorporate new technology, or review your marketing activities.
The uncertainty is not going away, but it doesn’t have to define our reality. I’ll leave you with a final thought and catchphrase, courtesy of Reuben from Virtual Print, who dropped this one into conversation with me this week – “If it’s meant to be, it’s up to me.”
Will 2026 be your year of action?
Wooden Blocks Displaying Year 2026 on Beige Background. Photo: Ann H, pexels.com
