Detailed Findings | BDO Business Performance Index May 2026

Below is a detailed breakdown of the May 2026 BDO Business Performance Index survey results.

National insights

FIGURE 1

Business performance sentiment at a glance

Business performance sentiment at a glance

FIGURE 2

Business performance sentiment: Trend
% Business leaders feeling positive (all or most of the time)

FIGURE 3

Business performance sentiment: Current vs future
% Feeling positive in last 2 weeks* vs % expecting to feel positive in 6 months’ time

FIGURE 4

% Feeling positive about overall business performance

Sectors

FIGURE 5

Sector business performance sentiment at a glance
% Business leaders feeling positive in last 2 weeks (all or most of the time)

sector business performance sentiment AT A GLANCE

FIGURE 6

Current business financials per sector
% Business leaders feeling positive (all or most of the time) in the past 2 weeks.

Current business financials per sector

FIGURE 7

Agribusiness performance sentiment: Trend
% Business leaders feeling positive in last 2 weeks (all or most of the time)

Agribusiness performance sentiment: trend

FIGURE 8

Construction performance sentiment: Trend
% Business leaders feeling positive in last 2 weeks (all or most of the time)

FIGURE 9

Māori business performance sentiment: Trend
% Business leaders feeling positive in last 2 weeks (all or most of the time)

Māori Business Performance Sentiment: Trend

FIGURE 10

Retail business performance sentiment: Trend
% Business leaders feeling positive in last 2 weeks (all or most of the time)

Retail Performance Sentiment: Trend

FIGURE 11

Tourism performance sentiment: Trend
% Business leaders feeling positive in last 2 weeks (all or most of the time)

Tourism performance sentiment: Trend

Regions & markets

FIGURE 12

Business performance sentiment
% Business leaders feeling positive (all or most of the time)

FIGURE 13

Top five issues: Business performance
Lowest scoring business performance attributes. % Business leaders feeling positive (all or most of the time) in last 2 weeks

Wellbeing

FIGURE 14

Business leader wellbeing at a glance

WHO Business leader wellbeing at a glance

FIGURE 15

Business financial sentiment and wellbeing follow a similar trend
% Feeling positive about business financials in last 2 weeks (all or most of the time) vs WHO-5 Wellbeing Index*

FIGURE 16

Business leader wellbeing

FIGURE 17

Top five drivers of negative wellbeing over time

Top five drivers of negative wellbeing over time

FIGURE 18

Drivers causing business leaders to feel less mentally healthy than normal

Drivers causing business leaders to feel less mentally healthy than normal