Our Long-term Insights Briefing on the future of business for Aotearoa New Zealand

What’s MBIE’s Briefing about?

Businesses in Aotearoa New Zealand are rethinking their role, purpose and how they operate in response to global trends like climate change, technology change and demographic change. Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique characteristics, strengths and enduring challenges are also influencing this shift.

There are opportunities and implications for future productivity and wellbeing outcomes for New Zealanders. There may be a role for government to help ensure the future outcomes that businesses and New Zealanders more broadly want to achieve, are aligned.

This Briefing is available as an accessible web version and PDF:

A3 Summary - The future of business for Aotearoa New Zealand

The future of business for Aotearoa New Zealand

MBIE’s Briefing explores 2 very different trends that we think could influence the future of Business: purpose-led business and blockchain technology.

Purpose led businesses balance profit with achieving wider social and environmental good

Blockchain technology is a new and possibly disruptive technology that not many people understand that could change the way businesses operate.

We developed the Briefing through 2 phases of public consultation

In July 2021 we asked for feedback on a proposed subject and focus areas for the Briefing. The feedback we received helped us narrow our focus to purpose-led business and use of blockchain technology. The full summary of feedback is available here.

Summary of feedback from Phase 1 [PDF, 294 KB]

In May 2022 we asked for feedback on a draft of the Briefing. We shaped the content of the final Briefing through the contributions of those who wrote submissions, and met with us in person and virtually in this second phase. The full consultation summary is available here as an accessible web version and PDF.

Summary of consultation on the draft Longterm Insights Briefing: The future of Business for Aotearoa New Zealand

Summary of consultation on the draft Longterm Insights Briefing: The future of Business for Aotearoa New Zealand [PDF, 264 KB]

MBIE's public consultations

Draft Long-term Insights Briefing on the future of business for Aotearoa New Zealand

What does the future of business for Aotearoa New Zealand look like?

What are Long-term Insights Briefings?

The Briefings are a new type of document produced by Chief Executives of government departments.  They are produced every three years, as required by the Public Service Act 2020, and as part of the public service’s long-term stewardship role.

Each department will explore a different topic, but all are future-focused think pieces that enhance awareness and spark public debate on long-term issues.

Long-term Insights Briefings provide impartial analysis including policy options to address issues, but they can’t make policy recommendations.  They are also developed independent of Ministers, who are not allowed to influence the process. Instead, Briefings are considered by Select Committees and are made publicly available as useful input for any future decision makers, both in and out of Government.

For more information about Briefings being developed by other departments, see:

Long-term Insights Briefings - public consultations(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission

Next steps

MBIE's Long-term Insights Briefing was submitted for Select Committee consideration in November 2022.

The Economic Development, Science and Innovation Committee held their hearing on the Briefing on Friday 10 February 2023.

The Select Committee tabled their final report in the week of 20 March 2023:

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Long-term Insights Briefing 2022(external link) — New Zealand Parliament

MBIE also provided the Select Committee with additional information after the hearing to respond to their questions. The full evidence text is available at:

Response to in-hearing request for further information

The formal process for this Briefing is now complete.