It is hardly surprising that in a recent survey, SME owners were not
enamoured with the governments focus on grand macro-economic issues such as partial sales shadowing attention on the daily challenges of business. MYOB found that 54 percent of business owners opposed asset sales and that there is a growing sense of disconnection between policy government is championing and policy business is clamouring for, such as simplifying regulation and supporting more apprenticeships and job-ready training. Interestingly, over 30 percent of businesses surveyed did not have an opinion on asset sales. Macro-economic policy has profound ripple effects that stretch far
into the future, but the issues it grapples with are not unfamiliar to all businesses and homes in New Zealand. SME's, in addition to having priorities they want government to respond to, have hard won insights that could significantly enhance the depth and breadth of commentary on macro-economic issues that affect us all. The partial privatisation of SoEs grapples with the same issues SMEs resolve on a daily basis: what do we fund through revenue or debt, what infrastructure do we need in place to grow into our vision for the future and what revenue streams do we keep solely for ourselves or share with a partner so that we can both grow faster. Currently, our politicians are the players on the field of this season's
political football match, the loudest commentators on the game and ultimately, the referees as well. SME's, as the backbone underpinning the field, can and should be repositioning the goal posts. Sacha McMeeking www.catalytic.co.nz
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SME WISH LIST The SME wish list is pretty clear:
access to capital, talent and clearing away some of the
regulatory labyrinth, and for some, the cherry on the top would be help breaking into offshore markets.
