Business Mentors

Mentoring New Zealand

Since 2019, Sustainability and Resilience Institute have been provided services to support small businesses, leveraging our expertise alongside the work of Business Mentors New Zealand, the leading national mentoring provider for SMEs since 1991. With over 2,000 volunteer mentors and 14 agencies, the service has assisted more than 80,000 business owners, helping start-ups, existing businesses, and the not-for-profit sector. The mission is to enhance sustainability by utilising volunteer expertise to foster business growth, create employment, and alleviate financial hardship across New Zealand.

Business Mentors New Zealand

Mission

To enhance small business sustainability by mobilising volunteer resources, utilising the skills and experience of successful business people to meet community needs by supporting the creation and retention of employment, and the alleviation of financial hardship in urban and rural communities.

Vision

To be the leading, community-focused mentoring service for SMEs in New Zealand, providing an outstanding, effective national service to our clients. Further, to be essentially funded by business, yet strongly endorsed and supported by central Government, local Government and other key organisations or agencies involved in the development of this important sector.

Need a Mentor?

Contact Business Mentors New Zealand to request mentoring services from the Sustainability and Resilience Institute.

Businesses We’re Mentored/Mentoring through Business New Zealand

Latest Blog Posts

Freshwater National Direction in New Zealand: Navigating Change for People, Economy and Environment

Freshwater National Direction in New ZealandWhy national direction mattersWhat the 2025 consultation was aboutWhat people told the governmentA new policy direction with nuanceWhat this means for communities and businessesLooking ahead Freshwater National Direction in...

Interest rate cycles, economic hype, and the growing fragility of business decision-making

Volatility changes behaviour, not just costsDebt magnifies vulnerability across the economyThe role of banking narratives and opacityShort-term signals crowd out long-term resilienceGlobal uncertainty compounds the problemReframing interest rates as context, not...

How Tourism Is Undermining Destination Survival and Resilience in 2026: A deep evidence-based analysis

1. Degradation of Natural Systems and Loss of Ecological ResilienceTourism as a driver of ecosystem pressureExceeding ecological carrying capacityClimate change amplification2. Social Pressure, Resident Wellbeing and Loss of Social LicenceDeclining quality of...

New Zealand Tourism Outlook 2026-2027: What Official Data Tells Us About the Next 12 Months

IntroductionWhere New Zealand Tourism Stands TodayInternational Visitor Arrivals: Recovery, Not ReboundVisitor Spend Is Outpacing Visitor NumbersAccommodation Data Signals Capacity Pressures, Not ShortagesHow Tourism Demand Is ChangingShifts in Source MarketsPolicy...

Sustainable Tourism in New Zealand: From Global Trends to Regenerative Practice

Introduction: Sustainable Tourism in New Zealand: From Global Trends to Regenerative PracticeGlobal Trends Shaping Sustainable Tourism1. Shift towards responsible and slow travel2. Technology and digital sustainability tools3. Growing importance of carbon-neutral and...

Overtourism in New Zealand: Lessons from Europe and the Case for Regenerative Tourism

Introduction: Overtourism in New Zealand: Lessons from Europe and the Case for Regenerative TourismUnderstanding overtourism: beyond visitor numbersEmerging signs of overtourism in New ZealandPressure on natural ecosystemsInfrastructure and housing challengesCommunity...

Green Policies Beyond Borders: What New Zealand Can Learn About Sustainable Tourism from Spatial Spillover Effects

Introduction: Green Policies Beyond Borders: What New Zealand Can Learn About Sustainable Tourism from Spatial Spillover EffectsUnderstanding spatial spillover effects in tourismWhy this matters for New Zealand tourismPublic versus private sustainability...

Climate Change Mitigation in Tourism: Why Sustainable Tourism Must Go Beyond Green Promises

Introduction: Climate Change Mitigation in Tourism: Why Sustainable Tourism Still Fails to Address Its Biggest Emissions ChallengeThe paradox of sustainable tourism and climate changeWhy climate mitigation is marginal in tourism research1) Narrow research boundaries2)...

Overtourism and New Zealand: Lessons from Europe’s Tourism Crisis

Introduction: Overtourism and New Zealand: Lessons from Europe’s Tourism CrisisWhat Is Overtourism and Why Is It Escalating?Why Residents Are ProtestingNew Zealand’s Emerging Risk of OvertourismFrom Sustainable to Regenerative TourismPolicy Lessons for New Zealand1....

When Nature Becomes a Victim of Tourism: Lessons from K’gari and the Future of Sustainable Tourism in New Zealand

Introductio: When Nature Becomes a Victim of Tourism: Lessons from K’gari and the Future of Sustainable Tourism in New ZealandK’gari: a World Heritage site under pressureWhy nature-based destinations are especially vulnerableNew Zealand’s hidden overtourism...