With that in mind, he has enthusiastically embraced a new Microsoft programme to give some start-up companies free software and support.
BizSpark is a global project open to private companies that have been in business for less than three years. There are some rules about the turnover of the business to ensure they remain in the small-to-medium category.
"We have to get close to the New Zealand small business sector. We are making sure our business partners are accessible to help with technology skills," Mr Ackhurst said.
Businesses had complained to Mr Ackhurst, his staff and support teams that they were spending too much time dealing with administration issues rather than running their companies.
Microsoft was now partnering with business networks and government agencies around the world to introduce technology to give business owners more time to run their businesses rather than fill out forms.
Mr Ackhurst had visited start-ups in Dunedin, Christchurch, Hamilton and Wellington and Microsoft had used Xero founder Rod Drury as an example of how a small business could grow into a successful internationally recognised corporate.
Online overseas reports on BizSpark supported Mr Ackhurst's vision for the programme.
TiE Global, a non-profit network of entrepreneurs and professionals that aims to foster and nurture entrepreneurship was glowing in its praise.
"We think Microsoft BizSpark addresses a fundamental challenge start-ups face - access to current, full-featured tools and technologies that help turn ideas into a thriving business," TiE chief executive Suren Dutia said.
One company that had been involved with Microsoft on the project in Britain was Xobni, which was an Outlook add-in that organised searches.
"Microsoft is a lifeline when we find a bug in Outlook . . . we have quick access to the team at Microsoft that has the answers," Xobni spokesman Matt Brezina said.
The timing of the project - in the midst of an economic downturn - could not be more apt, but Microsoft said the timing was just a coincidence.
The goal was always to launch BizSpark at the time of the developers conference but regardless of the time, entrepreneurs were not dissuaded by poor economic times, a Microsoft spokesman, Dan'l Lewin, said online.
"Great economic companies get started in a downturn. It is timely to make an offer like this in a moment in time when for many companies these costs could be an inhibitor."
During his visit to Dunedin to speak at the Otago branch of the New Zealand Computer Society and to visit clients and business partners, Mr Ackhurst was promoting some of Microsoft's plans to help cut costs for businesses while still generating economic growth.
One of the ways to cut costs was to use unified communications whereby instead of having to take a plane to meetings, video conferences could be used in real time.
Business intelligence and virtualisation programmes could also help businesses plot ways to expand their markets without the added costs of travelling widely, he said.
Case studies were available to help organisations and Microsoft was continuing to invest in New Zealand.
Mr Ackhurst travelled to Wellington each week from his Auckland headquarters to meet industry players. He was keen to help lift the skill levels of secondary school pupils so that when they reached university they could study information technology and follow that as a career.
There were 97 different organisations representing parts of the IT industry and there were moves to try to bring those organisations under one umbrella to give the industry a stronger voice.
