Kiwi companies need to gear up for a "growth wave", according to an annual measure of the views of private businesses.
ANZ's Privately-owned Business Barometer questioned 3000 businesses across the country and found confidence in the New Zealand economy has risen sharply in the last year and most commercial businesses are expecting earnings growth in the next year.
But it found businesses need to focus on investment, inspiration and planning and scale and collaboration if they want to build sustainable growth.
Graham Turley, ANZ managing director commercial and agri, said the past few years had been tough for Kiwi businesses but there was a wave of growth coming which had the potential to propel New Zealand into an enviable position.
"The question is: are we ready for it and how can we ensure that after rising this wave we're better placed to ride out future peaks and troughs?"