New Zealand board chairs share their perspectives on operating in today’s environment of constant challenge and what boards are focused on for the future.

Following on from Deloitte New Zealand’s 2020 report, Past experiences, future impact, we took the opportunity to engage with the board community again to explore how recent experiences and the current economic and policy environment will affect the way boards operate in the immediate future and longer term.

The current business environment continues to be one of constant challenge driven by geopolitical uncertainty and ongoing inflationary pressures, compounded by residual impacts resulting from the pandemic. Boards are needing to balance addressing immediate priorities - such as supply chain resiliency - with longer-term considerations around their people and environmental, social and governance (ESG) elements of their businesses. Never before has the role of the chair and board been so critical in guiding and supporting organisations to overcome operational disruptions and long-term strategic challenges.

We interviewed 17 of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most prominent board chairs from across the business community in April and May 2022, and share this collective snapshot of their insights and perspectives on the current state of the world and what boards are focused on for the future.