7. Toward a Better System - What We’ve Learned and Where We Go Next
A future state we can accomplish without a money tree
This article is part of our Rethinking SME Support series, where we’ve been exploring how Central & Local Government, Economic Development Agencies, Chambers of Commerce and Business Associations could better support NZ’s SME community through collaboration, fairness and a new mindset. This is not about blame. It’s about possibility and how we can build a more connected, human, regenerative support ecosystem.
When we began this series, our aim at RegenerationHQ was not to diagnose problems or assign blame. It was to open a constructive, values-based conversation about how we can build a more connected, fair and compassionate SME support system in Aotearoa.
Over the past six articles, we’ve shared what we’re seeing and hearing from SME owners and ecosystem players around the country and what we’ve learned from global examples.
As we close the series, we want to reflect on a few key lessons and invite you to be part of what comes next.
What We’ve Learned
👉 SME owners need and want better support but trust is fragile.
Many owners are wary of engaging with fragmented, programme-heavy systems that feel disconnected from their lived experience.
👉 The best support is relational, not transactional.
Trusted relationships with advisors, mentors, peers and system navigators drive capability, resilience and wellbeing outcomes.
👉 Equity and flexibility matter.
A system designed for “average” businesses will continue to underserve Māori, Pasifika, women-led, migrant-owned and non-traditional enterprises. Designing for equity and diversity is essential.
👉 The ecosystem is full of good intent but misaligned incentives.
Many actors want to collaborate better, but funding, KPIs and institutional habits often get in the way.
👉 Human values must underpin system design.
Fairness, compassion and forgiveness are not soft concepts they are strategic enablers of trust, innovation and resilience.
👉 Better is possible and examples already exist.
From international models to local bright spots, we’ve seen that systems can evolve when actors come together with shared purpose and humility.
Where We Go Next
This series is a starting point not an end point.
At RegenerationHQ, we will be taking the next phase of this work forward in two ways -
✅ Trying to get support for hosting a national conversation bringing together system players (Central & Local Government, EDAs, Chambers, Business Associations, iwi, impact investors, practitioners) to explore how we could collaboratively evolve NZ’s SME support system.
✅ Developing a regenerative SME support compact a practical, values-based framework that actors across the system can adopt to guide more connected, compassionate support practice.
We will also continue to share insights and stories because culture change is built through conversation and example as much as through formal policy.
How You Can Participate
If you’ve been following this series and want to help build a better system, here are some simple next steps -
✅ Join the conversation. We’ll be hosting online and in-person conversations open to all who want to contribute constructively.
✅ Share your story. If you have examples positive or challenging of how the support system has worked (or not worked) for SMEs you know, we’d love to hear them.
✅ Collaborate on the compact. We’ll be inviting ecosystem players to help co-develop and trial the regenerative SME support compact.
✅ Stay connected. We’ll share updates as this work evolves and opportunities to participate.
A Closing Word
Through this series, we’ve been reminded again and again that NZ’s SME community is one of our country’s greatest assets - creative, resilient, diverse, deeply human.
It deserves a support system that matches that spirit. One that is connected, not fragmented. Compassionate, not mechanical. Fair and flexible, not rigid. Rooted in relationships, not just programmes.
That is possible if we choose to build it, together. We hope you’ll stay with us as we take the next steps on that journey.
Stay Connected
If you’d like to follow this series and be part of the conversation about building a better SME support system for Aotearoa, here’s how to get hold of us –
📞 Phone +64 275 665 682
✉️ Email john.luxton@regenerationhq.co.nz
🌐 Contact Form www.regenerationhq.co.nz/contact
If you’d like to read more RegenerationHQ thinking on SME business and other things, go here – www.regenerationhq.co.nz/articlesoverview
🔹 RegenerationHQ Ltd - Business Problems Solved Sensibly.
Supporting NZ SME Owners to Exit Well, Lead Better and Build Business Value.
This concludes the Rethinking SME Support series.
We’ll be back soon with new articles, stories and practical resources and an open invitation to help build the system our SME community deserves, but please share your thoughts and help generate a new reality that makes New Zealand a mecca for innovative new businesses.