Double Denim and MYOB have recently embarked on a new programme dedicated to addressing the entrepreneur gap for women in New Zealand.

Although New Zealand is ranked best in the world for the ease of starting and running a business, only 37 percent of local SME’s are run by women, according to the MYOB Business Monitor 2019.

The new programme is set to provide support and offer a range of resources and seasoned advice for Kiwi women starting a business or at the start of development. MYOB NZ country manager Ingrid Cronin-Knight says New Zealand’s representation of women in business needs to improve.

“Aotearoa has one of the highest rates of women entrepreneurs in the world. But we believe we can go further and achieve equal representation for women in leadership in the SME sector,” she says.

“We’ve started in a fairly unique way, by talking to women who have been successful in their chosen field to share authentic, actionable advice for local women starting out on their business journey.”

The MYOB programme offers everything from conversations with their partners, the Silver Fern and successful Kiwi female entrepreneurs, through to a range of resources that can make a difference to a start-up business.

Ms Cronin Knight says the growth of participation for women in business not only strengthens the economy but offers more opportunities for local communities.

“It’s been regularly shown that women in business tend to create more benefits for their community, whether directly through the development of a social enterprise or by giving back in a range of other ways,” she says.

“Ultimately, as we’ve seen in sport in this country, if we can find ways to support more success for women in business, everybody wins and the market grows. That’s why we want to focus attention on the issue and do our part to provide more opportunities for women entrepreneurs to succeed.”