Next month's Budget is the perfect platform for the government to support Kiwi-owned businesses with a little TLC.

Small- and medium-sized businesses will be able to put their annual electricity consumption out to tender for the best price under the next phase of the Electricity Authority’s award-winning What’s My Number? campaign.

MYOB and Business Mentors New Zealand are joining forces to create one of the country’s largest business networks.

MYOB, which was established more than 20 years ago, provides business management solutions including software and services that simplify accounting, payroll and client management and has a network of more than 20,000 accountants and other partners.

But while the company offered various “chargeable services” until now it didn’t provide free business mentoring support to its clients.

The New Zealand government should take a lesson from the government across the ditch and move its focus from mum-and-dad-the-investor to mum-and-dad-the-business owner particularly when turning companies into its tax collecting slaves.

MYOB New Zealand general manager Julian Smith told the National Business Review dissatisfaction among local companies with red tape and the performance of the government continues to grow even further with more than half struggling to understand how to apply government legislation in their business.