The numbers who thought the economy would improve for the country (57%) and their business (56%) were also up by 39 and 15 points respectively.
The business community’s mandate for the newly elected Rotorua Lakes Council was “fix the city centre to fix the economy”, by making the area clean, safe and attractive to bring in good-quality retail and hospitality businesses.
Mayor Tania Tapsell welcomed the survey results, saying the council was ready to match optimism with investment and long-term planning.
“Rotorua is feeling really good, and this survey shows local business leaders are refocusing on the opportunities ahead of us,” she said.
“We have $9.9 million committed to inner-city improvements, alongside ongoing investment in destination marketing and major projects like the Rotorua Museum reopening.”
She said she “appreciates” improvements were still needed but she backed the new council’s “bold, visionary leadership” to provide what Rotorua business leaders were looking for.
“Rotorua has an exciting future, and our job is to ensure we’re delivering a better city for everyone.”
RotoruaNZ chief executive Andrew Wilson. Photo / Andrew Warner
The survey showed growing confidence in business strategy and organisational culture. Profitability expectations were at their highest level since 2022, with 59% expecting to be more profitable within a year.
Thirty per cent expected to employ more staff, despite 82% expecting the affordability of doing business to get worse.
RotoruaNZ chief executive Andrew Wilson said the shift reflected how local leaders were adapting to a more volatile economic environment.
“Rotorua is on the up, with confidence returning to the business community,” he said.
He said businesses were “adapting” to an increasingly “dynamic economic environment”.
“Their steadfast commitment to business strategy and organisational culture is being reflected in their increased confidence in the future, despite the affordability of doing business remaining a challenge.”
Rotorua Business Chamber chief executive Melanie Short said the business community was calling for bold, future-focused leadership from both the council and local organisations.
“Rotorua is well on the way to becoming the innovative, opportunity-driven economy respondents want,” she said.
Business leaders watch a presentation of the latest Rotorua Business Pulse Survey. Photo / Supplied
Speaking as part of a three-person panel at a business chamber event discussing the survey last week, University of Waikato Business Management School chairman Steven Joyce said the city must continue promoting its progress.
“The message you want to get out now – and it’s starting to happen – is that Rotorua is on the up. It’s back,” he said.
“You want people elsewhere asking: ‘When are we coming back to Rotorua?’”
BDO Rotorua managing partner Melanie Hill said more progress was still needed in the city centre, and that simplifying processes for businesses must be a priority.
“We’ve made huge progress,” she said.
“But the council also needs to cut away the red tape that makes it harder for people to do business.
“Sometimes it just takes too long, and people move elsewhere. Fixing that would bring a lot more activity back.”
The survey also showed businesses were increasingly embracing digital transformation, with more than two-thirds using AI tools.
Workplace stress remains high, with nearly a third rating it eight out of 10 or above.
While only 15% agreed that “nothing keeps me awake at night”, it was the best result for that question since at least 2022.
Asked to describe Rotorua in one word, popular responses in the survey included “improving”, “poised” and “potential”.
Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, been a regular contributor to RNZ and was a football reporter in the UK for eight years.
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.