Media Release: Southland business leaders turn uncertainty into opportunity
Monday 3rd August 2026
Challenging conditions don’t have to mean retreat. They can be a chance to invest in people, protect quality and reputation, and make strategic choices that position a business for what comes next, business leaders told an Invercargill Business Chamber event last Friday.
Hosted by Southland Business Chamber CEO Sheree Carey, the panel brought together Breen Construction Managing Director Lindsay Breen, Highlanders Chief Executive Roger Clark and Highlanders owner and chairman Peter Kean to discuss the theme Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste.
The conversation explored what a crisis looks like in business today, from changing markets and workforce pressures to disappointing results and uncertainty, and how leaders can respond when market conditions become tough.
For Breen, one of the biggest opportunities in difficult times is strengthening the people who will help a business come through them. “Recruiting at the moment might not necessarily feel like the right decision. But there are quality people out there. Recruiting now creates an opportunity to make sure you’re ready to go when times improve.”
He said businesses also need to be careful not to sacrifice the things that underpin their reputation when conditions become difficult, including quality, health and safety and training. “There’s a number of things you need to be careful not to put at risk just because times feel tough,” Breen said. “It’s easy to cut corners when you’ve had to cut your prices, but in cutting corners, you cut reputation. And you really do live and die by reputation.”
For Clark, the starting point is perspective. He said what businesses often call a crisis is better viewed as a challenge. “I look at everything the same way. They’re all challenges and with every challenge you’ve got, you’ve got an opportunity,” Clark said.
That mindset is particularly important in professional sport, where results are public and pressure can be immediate. But Clark said organisations need to keep sight of their wider purpose rather than allowing short-term performance to define them.
“It’s about making sure you’re in step with what your bigger purpose is. Yes, we want you to win next week, but actually, are you going to inspire the South? That’s our true north, or our ‘true south’, as we put it.”
Kean said businesses also need the discipline to look beyond short-term results and make strategic choices that build long-term capability. “You can’t just look too short term, and doing the right thing for the long term will always pay off for business and sport, in my opinion.”
He pointed to diversification as one way businesses can build resilience, while cautioning that moving into new areas without the right knowledge or capability can create new risks. He also urged businesses to embrace technology, including AI. Kean said uncertainty makes it even more important for businesses to have a clear strategy and stay strategically on track. “People can handle a crisis, because you’ll put in place a plan, but uncertainty’s the hardest thing in business.”
He said that meant resisting the temptation to focus too heavily on short-term results.
“You do have to show patience, but you also have to make sure you’re strategically on track. So making the right decisions.”
Together, the panellists’ experiences offered a practical take on making the most of difficult conditions: look after your people, protect your reputation, stay true to your purpose and keep making the right long-term decisions, even when the short-term picture is uncertain.
On the Couch – MC, Sheree Carey (Southland Business Chamber CEO), Lindsay Breen (MD, Breen), Roger Clark (CEO, Highlanders), Peter Kean (Chair, Owner, Highlanders)