NEW ZEALAND BUSINESS NEWS
Empowering Kiwi Businesses
New Zealand had 620,150 businesses in February 2026, up 0.2 per cent from the same date a year earlier, according to provisional business demography statistics. The figures count economically significant enterprises, meaning businesses that produce goods and services in New Zealand. The 0.2 per cent rise follows a 0.7 per cent increase in the previous February year, so the pace of new business formation has slowed.
The number of paid employees across those businesses was 2.4 million, down 0.2 per cent from February 2025. That count is not an official employment statistic, but it suggests the workforce shrank slightly even as the number of businesses edged up. The businesses operated from 656,980 locations, up 0.2 per cent.
The picture was mixed by industry and region. Of 19 industries, 10 had more enterprises and employees than a year earlier. Of 16 regions, seven had more business locations, and five had more employees.
The dominant feature of the business landscape is how few businesses employ anyone. In February 2026, 74 per cent of enterprises had no paid employees, and that non-employer category grew by 1,640 enterprises, or 0.4 per cent, year on year.
Businesses with one or more employees numbered 161,560, down 0.2 per cent. Large enterprises with 100 or more employees numbered 2,810, down 0.7 per cent, and they employed 1,204,500 people, accounting for 49 per cent of all employees in New Zealand. In other words, a small group of large employers carries about half the workforce, while most businesses are sole operators or otherwise run without staff.
For the sixth consecutive year, health care and social assistance was the highest-employing industry, with 296,500 employees and 26,690 enterprises as of February 2026. That was 1.1 per cent more employees and 3.5 per cent more enterprises than a year earlier, making it one of the few sectors to grow on both counts.
Education and training had 11,110 enterprises and 208,860 employees, up 2.2 per cent and 0.8 per cent respectively. Accommodation and food services saw 2.6 per cent more enterprises but 0.9 per cent fewer employees, suggesting more operators are sharing a smaller workforce.
Construction continued to shed employees from its February 2024 peak of 212,900, dropping to 195,600 in February 2026. Retail trade and wholesale trade each had 1.2 per cent fewer enterprises and 1.4 per cent fewer employees. Rental, hiring, and real estate services, mostly residential and commercial property operators, held the largest share of enterprises at 21 per cent.
Canterbury added 3,900 employees, or 1.2 per cent, and 1,590 business locations, or 1.9 per cent, the biggest increase in both measures of any region. It held a 14 per cent share of all employees and a 13 per cent share of all business locations. Otago was close behind, with employees up 1.3 per cent and business locations up 1.7 per cent.
Auckland, which accounts for 35 per cent of all business locations and employees, recorded 0.4 per cent fewer employees, although its business locations rose 0.2 per cent. Wellington had 277,000 employees and 61,480 business locations, down 1.6 per cent and 1.7 per cent respectively.
The headline is stability rather than growth. A 0.2 per cent rise in enterprise numbers and a 0.2 per cent fall in employees suggest an economy where new businesses are still forming but aren’t translating into more paid work. The growth in non-employer businesses reinforces that more people are operating on their own account rather than hiring.
For established employers, the regional split matters. Businesses in Canterbury and Otago are operating in markets adding both staff and locations, while those in Wellington and Auckland face a tighter or contracting employment base. The decline in construction employees and in retail and wholesale numbers points to sectors where demand has softened. By contrast, the continued expansion of health care and education shows where hiring is still happening.
NZ Business News reports on the decisions, deals and numbers shaping New Zealand business — the companies making them, the policy and market conditions they work within, and what it means for the people running businesses here.