This thesis explores a number of barriers to innovation as identified in the 2011 report by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Education: Powering Innovation (MBIE, 2011.)

The two questions which guided this research were: (1) What is the current innovation culture in New Zealand businesses? And (2) how do innovative businesses drive and accelerate the transfer of key innovation knowledge and skills for growth within the business?

A review of the extant literature explored the current state of innovation and creativity in businesses as well as the levels and practices of collaborative knowledge sharing within and among businesses.

Interviews were conducted with eight participant innovative companies selected throughout Auckland, with a content analysis of the interview data.

Key results were consistent with the literature and included areas of collaboration that shows areas of potential improvement. These results included a correlation between knowledge management and IP protection with the findings being an implication of risk as a major barrier to innovation, and its effects on successful growth through innovation.

Suggestions for future research include larger cross-sectional studies encompassing multiple industries and differing types of innovative companies. This would assist in confirming the findings found in a small sample size. Other studies could involve a focus on collaboration management and risk management pertaining to innovation, particularly in smaller firms.