Small business sales have seen a decline in growth for the first time since Covid-19 lockdowns. 

New Xero data for the September 2023 quarter shows a 1.5% decline year-on-year in sales, the weakest since September 2021. 

It puts New Zealand well behind Australia and just behind the UK, but well ahead of the US and Canada. 

Max Whitehead, the CEO of the Small Business Voice, told Mike Hosking that it comes down to the election. 

He thinks that people are holding back and being cautious for the time being, but things may change once there’s a more concrete government and policy in place. 

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