NZ business owners lag in email use

New Zealand business owners spend an average of an hour and 12 minutes on email each day, according to a survey by international accounting firm Grant Thornton.

That puts New Zealand in the lower half of an international league table compiled by the firm, which found the global average was one hour 30 minutes. Australian business owners spend an hour and 42 minutes on email a day.

Grant Thornton also asked businesses whether they thought email and the internet had increased their revenue. The number of New Zealand respondents who thought the new means of communication had increased business was 16 per cent higher than those who thought they had not. Australians thought it less helpful for business than their New Zealand counterparts.