September 2026 Update

As we move into the final few months of 2026, there is plenty happening both within the wider business environment and here at Chung Associates.

In this newsletter, we take a look at where the economy is sitting as we head towards the election, upcoming changes to Xero subscription pricing, and some exciting news from our team with the opening of our Papamoa satellite office.

We also share a few thoughts from a recent NZ Rugby Championship Performance webinar the team watched together, with some valuable lessons that extend well beyond the rugby field.

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The economy & 2026 Election

New Zealand’s economy is showing signs of recovery, but it remains a mixed picture.

Today’s GDP figures show the economy grew 0.2% in the June quarter, continuing the gradual recovery we’ve been seeing this year. Construction was a key driver of the growth, with both residential building and construction services picking up.

Commodity prices remain strong across much of New Zealand’s export sector, dairy returns are healthy, and business activity expectations have strengthened.

With the General Election on 7 November, we can expect plenty more politics, campaigning and policy announcements over the coming weeks.

While it’s important to stay informed, try not to let all the election noise distract from running your business. Whatever the result, life and business will continue after 7 November.

For business owners, the fundamentals remain the same: manage cash flow carefully, protect margins, stay close to your customers and keep making decisions based on what you can control.

Xero Pricing Changes

Xero has announced its annual pricing update, taking effect from 1 October 2026.

The main monthly plan changes (excluding GST) are:

For those who pay your Xero subscription through us annually in April, we will issue an invoice in October for the increase in fees covering the period through to 31 March 2027.

We're now in Papamoa

Two Locations. One Team.

We’re excited to officially share that Chung Associates now has a satellite office in Papamoa.

We’ve had a quiet start while getting established and introducing the office to some of our local clients, but we’re now ready to share the news with everyone.

Our Papamoa office is located at:

1D Tara Road

Papamoa Beach

Papamoa 3187

We are fortunate to have Alex playing a key role in establishing and growing our presence across the Bay of Plenty. Alex is currently dividing his time between our Hamilton and Papamoa offices, giving us a stronger local presence and helping us deepen our connections within the Bay of Plenty business community.

For our existing clients, nothing changes. You’ll continue working with the same people and have access to our wider team and resources.

For those based in Papamoa, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga and the wider Bay of Plenty, it simply means we're now a little closer to home.

Food for Thought: What Rugby Can Teach Us About High Performance

Recently, our team watched Xero’s NZ Rugby Championship Performance webinar, featuring Simon Curran, Gilbert Enoka and Kennedy Tukuafu.

While the conversation centred around high-performance sport, many of the lessons translate just as easily into business and leadership.

Two messages particularly stood out:

1. Protect the principles, not the practices

The principles and standards that underpin a high-performing team should remain consistent, but the practices used to achieve them need to evolve. People, conditions and challenges change, so being clear about what is non-negotiable, while remaining open to changing how you get there, is important.

2. Create the gap

The second was the idea of “creating the gap”, asking what sets us above the rest?

High performance isn’t necessarily created through one big change. Often it comes from continually finding small improvements in your standards, behaviours and systems. Those small gains may not seem significant on their own, but their compounding effect over time can create a meaningful gap between simply keeping up and performing at your best.

The discussion also touched on what it takes to become unstoppable. It isn’t one big thing or one talented individual. It comes from creating belonging, energy and direction, moving from “me” to “we”, and having the structure, discipline and resilience to perform consistently.

For us, it was a good reminder that building a high-performing team is an ongoing process. You protect the principles that matter, while continually challenging your practices and looking for opportunities to create the gap.

Some questions worth asking yourself and your team:

• What sets us above the rest?

• What are we avoiding that needs to be confronted?

• What small improvements could compound into something significant over time?

• What do we need to do consistently to become unstoppable?

These themes, and many of the ideas shared in the webinar, are explored further in Gilbert Enoka’s book, Becoming Unstoppable. We’d recommend giving it a read if you’re looking for some practical inspiration around leadership, team culture and high performance.

We have a few copies available to borrow from our library, so if you’d like to give it a read, just let one of the team know.

Looking Ahead

There’s plenty happening as we head towards the end of the year, both in business and across the wider economy.

As always, if there’s anything covered in this newsletter you’d like to discuss, or if there’s something happening in your business that you’d like to work through, please get in touch with the team. We’re always happy to help.