30 Jan 2012

Prediction NZ firms will start investing for growth this year

6:59 am on 30 January 2012

A business leader expects New Zealand firms to start investing for growth this year, even as the Sovereign debt crisis casts a shadow over the global economic recovery.

PricewaterhouseCoopers' annual survey of global chief executives found companies are getting gloomier about the economic future again, with nearly half of the bosses interviewed forecasting that the global economy will decline this year.

No New Zealand chief executives were interviewed for the report.

But PWC New Zealand chief executive Bruce Hassall says local bosses are likely to share the cautious sentiment and turbulent outlooks expressed by their overseas counterparts.

He says the global perspective is being heavily influenced by what's happening in Europe in particular.

But Mr Hassall says the key finding coming out of the global survey, and it's consistent with what's seen in New Zealand, is that a lot of companies believe they're in a better position to manage those more turbulent times.

He says it shows a surprising level of resilience at an individual level and people and companies are getting better at managing the challenges and issues and configuring their business to survive and prosper in a different environment.

Mr Hassall says many clients are talking about the need to invest, and there may be considerably more investment than may have been expected in what's considered in a turbulent global environment.