The SME Stream

A tick of approval for the National Party's small business plan.  It's released a 47-point plan to cut red tape for them around things like employment disputes and health and safety.  Small Business New Zealand Founder Phil Wicks says it creates a fairly cohesive plan.  He told Andrew Dickens while any help is appreciated what businesses really want is a growing economy.  Wicks...

Labour has suggested that if elected, everyone in the public service would be paid the living wage of $29.90 an hour - $6 more than the current minimum wage. Economists have raised concerns with this proposal and claimed this could likely lead to inflation going up. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

Pressure's on the next government to keep the momentum going on business confidence.  The NZIER's latest Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion shows 40% of firms expect the economy to improve in the coming months.  That's up from just 14% last quarter.  Business Canterbury Chief Executive Leeann Watson told Andrew Dickens businesses want policies that lift productivity, and more cert...

New Zealand’s housing market remains subdued, but the building work hasn’t stopped. NZ Herald property editor Anne Gibson joins Liam Dann to discuss the housing slump, the opportunities for first-home buyers, and how falling property values affect the wider economy. They also explore the growth in build-to-rent apartments and hospital developments, signs of life in Auckland’s CBD...

Waitomo CEO Simon Parham says a law change giving up land for petrol stations would be helpful, but price gouging rules won't make much difference. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seniors@work founder Ian Fraser says we haven't had the hard conversations about working longer, which come with a potential retirement age increase. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An independent economist comments on exchange and interest rates, inflation, the fuel crisis and why writing off student loans is not the best use of the education budget.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi slips under US$0.56 as bond rout continues; $15m government equity stake depends on private investment in Rotorua BioFactory. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour has used an error in its fiscal plan to echo its support for an independent policy costings unit. The party has admitted accidentally recording a cost as a saving, and a saving as a cost - and will correct it. The Taxpayers' Union pointed out the plan labelled the costs for reversing accommodation supplement changes as a $44.8 million dollar saving. Labour Finance Spokesperson Barbara Edmon...

Businesses could be spending more increasing staff next year.  The latest NZIER Quarterly Business Survey shows a net 40 percent of companies expect general economics to improve. NZIER Principal Economist Christina Leung says businesses are finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, despite domestic concerns.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

City and town centres are busier than they were after Covid.  Latest Paymark data shows retail spending in the past few months has been down on the same period last year.  But new Experian data shows shops, bars, and restaurants in most cities have been seeing business pick up since Covid – Wellington being an outlier.  Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young told Mike Hosking that in New...

A live economic experiment where Australian businesses absorb surcharge while NZ continues to show it at the till. 2degrees Business wrap - Garth Bray. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is there really such a thing as HR best practice? In this episode of HR Unlocked, Lisa Oakley sits down with Ronel Jacobs, Chief People and Safety Officer at Access Partners and Property, for a wide-ranging conversation about what effective People & Culture leadership looks like in the real world. With more than 20 years of experience spanning HR, recruitment, health and safety, environment, q...

Is New Zealand’s economic recovery finally taking hold? Liam Dann is joined by NZME managing editor of business Duncan Bridgeman to examine the signs of growth coming through the rural economy, and why households and retailers in the cities may still be waiting to feel them. They discuss Fonterra’s strong result, fuel costs and consumer confidence, the role of housing and KiwiSaver, an...

KiwiSaver might be about to get a makeover.  The parties are pitching very different ideas for what should happen to your retirement savings... from changing contribution rates to tweaking who gets government support.  But what would these proposals actually mean for your KiwiSaver balance and who stands to gain or lose?  Today on The Front Page, Financial Services Council...

Petrol prices have hit their highest level since the start of the Iran-US war. Fuel monitoring site Gaspy today shows the average price of 91 unleaded is three dollars 50 point six. The latest increase follows a sustained period over where the price of global oil price benchmark Brent Crude has sat above US 100 dollars a barrel. Finance Minister Nicola Willis told Heather du Plessis-Allan she hasn...

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The big thing we do need on Kiwisaver is certainty.' Herald Business commentator Fran O'Sullivan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consumer confidence dawldes down 0.4 points in September ANZ-Roy Morgan survey, but a net 20% see a better 2027 for themselves. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forsyth Barr's Aaron Ibbotson says the New Zealand market is not seeing the same benefits of AI that the global makrets are. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How many smaller businesses pay US-dollar prices for software subscriptions, or watch trade-weighted pricing steadily eat into already-thin margins? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National slams Labour's fiscal plan outline See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

G7 oil and diesel release announcement see oil prices down. Shane Solly Harbour Asset Management. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wars in the Middle East and Europe are continuing to push up prices at the pump in New Zealand.  Latest data from fuel monitoring platform Gaspy shows the average fuel price for 91 unleaded has surpassed $3.50.  The global oil benchmark Brent Crude has been sitting above US$100 a barrel for some time.  Macquarie University Energy Expert Lurion De Mello told Mike Hosking fuel prices...

Jai Goradia, Indus Founder & CEO, on opening India’s fast-growing investment market to Kiwi investors and what’s next for the fintech. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.