Hon Pete Hodgson
Minister for Economic Development
28 July 2008
Media Release
Free tool supports businesses to self assess
A new free tool that helps business people assess their business’s capabilities in areas such as leadership and planning
will be launched by Economic Development Minister Pete Hodgson tonight.
The on-line New Zealand Business Assessment tool is open to all New Zealand-based businesses, from sole proprietors to
large businesses. It uses the results of a 30 minute questionnaire to assess a business’s capabilities in six areas.
These are: Leadership; Planning; Customer and Market Focus; Measurement Analysis & Knowledge Management; Process Management; and Human Resources.
The tool is an initiative of the Business Capability Partnership, a consortium of business groups, economic development
agencies and government agencies.
Businesses can use the tool to establish a starting point to measure growth, and identify opportunities for how they can
improve. They can also easily share the information collected with business advisors of their choice, said Pete Hodgson.
“Should the firm wish to they can use the website to invite business advisors to review their responses, provide direct
feedback or even assist the firm to develop a plan for growth.”
As the number of completed assessments grows, the tool will also create opportunities in the future for firms to
benchmark their performance against that of their peers.
Growing globally competitive firms is one of the key planks of the government’s economic transformation agenda, and one
of the best ways of growing such firms is to help them assess their strengths and weaknesses, he said.
“Firms are the powerhouse of New Zealand’s economy. Growing the skills, talents and innovative potential of firms is the
key to increasing their performance and ultimately that of the economy as a whole. The first challenge for any firm that
is committed to enhancing their performance is to understand what their current capabilities really are. Only once they
understand this can they set about making real improvements.”
The tool, which was developed by New Zealand company Optimation, can be found at www.businessassessment.co.nz.
Optimation worked closely with the Business Capability Partnership and other stakeholders to develop the tool.
ENDS
The partners of the Business Capability initiative are:
• New Zealand Institute of Management
• Employers and Manufacturers Association
• New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
• Economic Development Association of New Zealand
• New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants
• Ministry of Economic Development
• Business New Zealand
• Department of Labour
• Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce
• New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
• Statistics New Zealand
• New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation