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- More CEOs expect economic recovery this year
- Global economic factors are a top concern
- CEOs are taking climate action, but highlight costs
The country's top executives are cautiously optimistic about a turnaround in the economy, although the global outlook remains a particular concern.
PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC) annual chief executive survey found 59 percent expected the domestic economy to grow over the coming year, a slight improvement from last year.
Just under 40 percent were "very or extremely confident" about their company's revenue prospects.
PwC New Zealand chief executive Andrew Holmes said global economic factors were the biggest worry, followed by cyber risks and technological disruption.
"If you think about things well outside of New Zealand's control, including the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, that does have a global impact on the global economy," he said.
"The recent announcements or flagging of tariffs globally - that certainly does have an impact on the global economy."
Holmes said the potential impact of tariffs on New Zealand was yet to be determined.
But on a more positive note, the report showed concerns about inflation had eased.
"It's pleasing to see that's come off, so I think that provides confidence that we're at a reasonable level, and we got our settings right," Holmes said.
He said low inflation provided a "platform for growth".
PwC said almost a quarter of New Zealand CEOs believed if their companies continued on their current trajectory, they may not remain economically viable within the next decade.
The concern was more pronounced in the Asia Pacific, with 45 percent expressing similar worries.
"I feel it's a massive opportunity, actually. As we enter a more tech-enabled world, New Zealand's distance becomes less of an inhibitor," Holmes said.
On climate action, more than three-quarters of CEOs had initiated climate-related investments, which was lower than Asia-Pacific counterparts.
Cost appeared to be a common challenge, with New Zealand CEOs reporting increased costs related to climate investments more frequently than their counterparts across the world.
Artificial intelligence featured heavily in the report, with most CEOs having some form of trust in having AI embedded into key processes in their companies.
The PwC report canvassed the views from 4710 CEOs across 109 countries and territories from 1 October through to 8 November, with 101 New Zealand CEOs taking part.
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