5. Global Ideas We Could Adapt Practical Innovations for NZ

Learning from others

This article is part of our Rethinking SME Support series, where we’re 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.

In the last article, we looked honestly at what’s working and what’s missing in NZ’s current SME support system. In this article, we want to turn outward again and ask -  what can we learn from other places?

At RegenerationHQ, we’ve been studying support systems around the world and speaking with practitioners who are evolving them. The models that inspire us most are not about fancy tech or big central programmes.

They’re about -
✅ deep collaboration
✅ relationship-first support
✅ capability as a journey, not a tick box
✅ inclusive, flexible finance
✅ smarter navigation
✅ peer-to-peer learning

Here are some of the innovations we believe could offer real value here in Aotearoa adapted to our own cultural and economic context.

1️⃣ Integrated Access and Navigation One Door, Many Pathways

Many leading systems now offer SMEs a trusted single point of access where navigation is relational, not just digital.

Example -  In British Columbia’s Small Business BC model, owners can access a human navigator who helps them find the right support, funding, networks or advisors from across multiple agencies and private providers.

Key principle -  the burden of system complexity is shifted off the business owner and placed on the system itself.

What NZ could adapt -
Invest in trusted, human SME navigators embedded in local ecosystems backed by shared frameworks and relationships across agencies. Focus less on digital portals, more on relational navigation.

2️⃣ Mentorship as Core Infrastructure Not a Side Programme

In Denmark, Germany and parts of the US, peer-to-peer mentorship is treated as core economic infrastructure not a side programme or volunteer add-on.

Experienced business owners are trained, supported and recognised as part of the SME support fabric helping newer or scaling owners build capability and confidence.

What NZ could adapt -
Build a national or regional mentorship backbone trusted, well-supported, linked to capability and wellbeing outcomes. This could significantly deepen relational support capacity without huge additional bureaucracy.

3️⃣ Inclusive, Flexible Finance Pathways

Across Scandinavia, Canada and parts of SE Asia, we see more diverse finance models emerging including -

• Revenue-based finance aligned with SME cashflow realities

• Impact finance for regenerative and socially valuable businesses

• Micro-finance and small loans faster, lower-friction

• Equity pathways for traditionally excluded founders

What NZ could adapt -
Foster a more diverse finance ecosystem with government, EDAs, iwi entities and impact investors collaborating to fill known gaps in current finance pathways, especially for Māori, Pasifika, women-led and migrant-owned businesses.

4️⃣ Capability as a Journey Not a One-Off Workshop

In strong systems, capability building is designed as a journey often embedded in -

• Long-term advisory relationships

• Peer cohorts

• Integrated with finance pathways

• Sector- and stage-specific

Short, disconnected workshops are seen as insufficient and often wasteful.

What NZ could adapt -
Shift from disconnected “training” programmes toward staged capability journeys linked to trusted advisory relationships and local sector networks.

5️⃣ Export Readiness for Diverse Business Types

Export support in many leading systems has moved beyond traditional high-growth, product-based firms and now supports -

• Creative industries

• Regenerative tourism

• Digital and service businesses

• Māori and Indigenous enterprises

What NZ could adapt -
Broaden the definition and support pathways for export ensuring more of NZ’s diverse SME community can access global markets.

6️⃣ Flexibility by Sector, Place and Intent

Leading systems increasingly allow for local flexibility enabling support to be shaped by -

• Regional context and needs

• Sector-specific dynamics

• Business intent (e.g. scaling, community impact, lifestyle business)

Rigid, centrally designed programmes are giving way to principles-based frameworks that allow local adaptation.

What NZ could adapt -
Shift away from “universal offers” toward place-based, sector- and intent-sensitive models giving local partners more room to design support that fits their ecosystems.

What These Ideas Share

Across these innovations, one pattern is clear -
👉 Human connection and trust sit at the heart of effective SME support.

Technology can enable. Programmes can scaffold. But without trusted relationships and peer learning, capability, wellbeing and growth outcomes are limited.

This is where NZ has enormous potential if we choose to evolve the system accordingly.

A Closing Word

None of these innovations are silver bullets. All require thoughtful adaptation to Aotearoa’s cultural and economic realities.

But they remind us that different is possible. Other systems have moved beyond programme-first thinking. They have embedded trust, flexibility, collaboration and relational support at the centre.

We can do the same here.

In the next article, we’ll explore one of the most important shifts we believe is needed -  embedding fairness, compassion and forgiveness at the heart of SME support so that we not only drive outcomes, but also build trust, inclusion and resilience.

We hope you’ll stay with us.

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.

Coming next in the series -
👉 A Compassionate Economy Embedding Fairness, Forgiveness & Support