How New Zealanders really responded to the ANZ business confidence report. Revealing doubt, distrust, and what brands can learn from their real‑world experiences.
We explore conversations related to the ANZ business confidence report, offering insight into public sentiment and the conversations shaping it. Using Sence’s Conversational Intelligence, we go beyond the headlines to uncover the deeper mood behind New Zealand’s latest business confidence figures. The analysis reveals the themes driving public doubt and shows how brands and policymakers can listen, clarify, and respond with empathy, bridging the gap between official narratives and lived experience.
The public response was overwhelmingly negative, with a polarity score of -0.6 revealing more than disagreement; it shows a disconnect between official optimism and everyday reality. Brands that rely on standard measures risk being seen as out of touch unless they address the doubts driving this consensus.
Many questioned the validity of the ANZ business confidence figures, seeing them as disconnected or overly optimistic. With 86% of this theme’s sentiment negative, the community demanded clarity on what these numbers really represent and for whom they speak.
Trust issues with Government and business entities have become a dominant theme, reflecting an 87% negative sentiment. Their share of voice accounts for 8% of the conversation. The data suggests growing public fatigue due to a perceived misalignment between official reports and lived realities.
Among more than 50 brands mentioned, three emerged as focal points of public discourse. ANZ drew the sharpest criticism as the report issuer, facing overwhelming negative sentiment. Supermarkets, though only indirectly involved, became a lightning rod for cost-of-living frustrations. The government also featured prominently, with sentiment closely tied to ongoing concerns around policy and trust.
The response to the ANZ report reflects more than disagreement. It reveals a widening gap between official messages and real-world experiences. For brands, this is a call to not only listen but to understand.
Trust is not built through data alone. It comes from clarity, empathy, and meaningful action. Conversational Intelligence turns public doubt into direction with purpose.
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