The SME Stream

New Zealand wants more from its science system – more startups, more export revenue and more high-paying jobs. But in the rush to commercialise research, are we putting the discoveries that fuel future breakthroughs at risk? That tension sits at the heart of the latest episode of The Business of Tech, featuring Professor Frank Bloomfield, the University of Auckland’s deputy vice-chance...

New Zealand’s housing market has taken another step backwards.  Property values have now fallen for six months in a row, with the national median value dropping below the previous cycle low.  And while buyers have more choice and bargaining power, there’s still little sign of a sharp rebound - with high mortgage rates, economic uncertainty and plenty of houses on the market k...

Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds says they won't change modelling, despite the pre-election fiscal update showing smaller house price growth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How big is his hole? Nicola Willis was asking Grant Robertson back in 2023, where are you going to find the money to fill that Government's financial fiscal hole? And now yesterday, she says that Labour has another fiscal hole to fill and it's a beauty. She told us yesterday when she was a guest in studio that there is no way Labour can afford to fund their pay equity promises, far less many of th...

... and how does the result affect earnings and market performance? Matthew Goodson - Salt Funds Management. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More growth out of the new vehicle market, with September the strongest month of the year so far.  Over 13 thousand new passenger vehicles were registered —up nearly 28% on a year ago— while total light vehicle registrations neared 25 thousand.  Toyota led the market with over 3,000 sales, with BYD, Tesla, and MG, all sitting between 500 and 1000 new registrations.  Moto...

Labour is promising to get Kiwi consumers a fair go if they get elected. If it forms a Government, it's pledging to require all mandatory fees to be included in the upfront price, and require every subscription to be as easy to cancel as it is to sign up to. Labour's consumer affairs spokesperson, Arena Williams, says Kiwis should be able to see the full price and make an informed choice. "Every N...

Now, I don't know that Labour's plan to stop businesses charging hidden fees is a game changer, or even necessarily something worth campaigning on during an election. But I think it might be a good idea. Labour's plan is basically to ban junk add-ons like paint protection insurance, stop the hard sell of extended warranties like the ones you're offered when you buy a new pair of AirPods, require a...

$15b less in bond issuance through to June 2030. That track surprised financial markets yesterday. Garth Bray 2degrees Business wrap. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode 71of Leaders Getting Coffee our guest is one of New Zealand’s younger government ministers, Simeon Brown. He was inspired by his grandfather who worked to support the local community and later, his mother who led the local residents association. That led to him taking an early interest in politics, and while still at school he occupied roles as secretary and treasurer alongside hi...

Why do organisations invest in leadership development only to see people return to work and carry on exactly as before? In this episode of HR Unlocked, Lisa Oakley sits down with Jocelyn Visser, founder of Compass Consultancy and consultant at People Associates, to explore what makes leadership development genuinely effective. For Jocelyn, the starting point isn't choosing a course or training pro...

What happens when you stop overthinking business and just give it a crack? We sit down with Leigh Hart - one of New Zealand’s most recognisable comedians and the entrepreneur behind Wakachangi and SnackaChangi - to unpack how he turned decades of storytelling, creativity and a cult following into brands that stand out on supermarket shelves. Leigh takes us inside his unconventional approach...

A deeper, more tactical return to Episode 8's big question, with real dollar figures attached. Mike and Scott walk through exactly how to validate an idea at $0, $500 and $5,000 budget levels — and how to land your very first customer. You'll learn: -Why an idea alone has almost no market value in the age of AI; -How to validate for free (talk to 1–100 potential customers) before spend...

The Finance Minister says tough choices aren't just made for the sake of it with the Crown books now opened for pre-election scrutiny.  It shows we're on track for a good surplus in the 2028/29 financial year, with a much smaller current deficit than expected.  But it’s not entirely rosy, with predictions slashed on house price growth, more money needed for health, and concerns ove...

New Zealanders are working. The economy is growing. So why aren’t we getting much more out of it?  For more than a decade, New Zealand’s productivity growth has been painfully weak – and that could be one of the biggest economic problems facing the next Government.  But you wouldn’t necessarily know it from the election campaign.  The parties are promising ta...

Labour Leader Chris Hipkins has admitted he hasn't yet read the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU) in full, but he is confident the funding for his party's policies is there. Speaking to Canterbury Mornings, Hipkins says Labour will take time to crunch the numbers before coming out with their fiscal plan, which will be out by the end of next week. "You've got to give us a little bit o...

The Prime Minister ponders the curse of being an Air New Zealand CEO. Plus, we discuss tonight’s Rural Issues Debate, the diesel crisis, the age of eligibility for National Super, Chippy’s flawed CGT and the dangers of strategic voting. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rabobank’s chief economist comments on rising OCR rates, both here and in Australia, the Red Meat Sector Conference, and whether there is an end in sight for the Middle East conflict and associated fuel crisis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick says she wants to see the party's commitments delivered after the election.  After scoring 16 percent in Monday’s 1News Verian poll, Swarbrick said they'd demand high-profile portfolios, if they reach that number on election day. Chris Hipkins has again ruled her out as finance minister, under a Labour Government. Swarbrick says she's not counting c...

The current Government earlier indicated they could be looking to make changes to NZ Super and adjust the eligibility age, but they've changed their tone ahead of election season. Chris Luxon and Nicola Willis recently declined opportunities to explicitly back the policy when asked about it after Treasury released its Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Update earlier this week. NZ Herald Wellington...

Most people appear to be managing their money well against ongoing financial volatility.   Centrix's August credit indicator shows expected seasonal uplifts in consumer and mortgage arrears, but an overarching easing pattern for both.   Consumer arrears ticked up to 10.74% but remain 11.2% lower than a year ago.   Company liquidations are up 14% on last year, but the indicator found...

The Government’s opened its books and it’s showing a return to surplus is well on track.  The Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update shows a stronger and slightly faster surplus than predicted... with the books expected to get out of the red by 2028/29.  Treasury also predicts unemployment has already peaked - and will track down.  But, it’s not all sunshine and r...

Labour's leader is confident their numbers add up when it comes to paying for their policies – including reversing pay equity changes.  The Government's books were opened yesterday in Treasury's Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Update.  It revealed the planned 2028/29 surplus will be nearly $2 billion bigger than forecast, and the Crown will borrow less.   Treasury thinks unem...

The Finance Minister has her eye firmly on returning to surplus after a pre-election look into the books.   Treasury forecasts predict the next two years' deficits will be much smaller, and the 2028/29 surplus nearly $2 billion larger than expected.   But much of that improvement is down to income-tax bracket creep, and more revenue from GST and company tax.   Nicola Willis told Mik...

National's Nicola Willis is putting the rosier Government books - unveiled today - down to Kiwis' hard work, but won't say whether they'll be repaid a dividend in the form of tax cuts.  Forecasts predict the next two years' deficits will be much smaller, and the 2028/29 surplus nearly $2 billion larger than earlier expected.  But much of that improvement is down to income-tax bracket cre...