The SME Stream

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Economists are expecting the Official Cash Rate to rise sooner rather than later, flattening forecasts for the property market.  Cotality's latest report shows almost three quarters of local respondents expect house prices to rise this year.   Meanwhile, ANZ's slashed its house price inflation forecast for 2026 from 5% to 2%.  ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner told Mike Hosking the...

Two Kiwi engineers who helped build the future of self‑driving cars in Silicon Valley are now quietly laying the foundations for the next great tech wave: physical AI.  In the latest episode of The Business of Tech, I talk to Harry Mellsop, co‑founder of simulation startup Antioch , and Adrian Macneil, co‑founder and CEO of data platform Foxglove , for a fast‑paced tour of where robotics is r...

The Reserve Bank spent most of 2025 lowering the OCR, leaving experts to speculate how these changes impacted the economy. Since then, economic and business confidence has gone up for the start of 2026, but inflation data for the December quarter has raised some concerns Milford Asset Management expert Brendan Larsen explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

The Official Cash Rate is expected to rise this year, although forecasters say predicting when is tricky. Inflation was stronger in the December quarter than expected, at 3.1 percent. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen is picking a hike in November - with an outside possibility of one in May.  He says other signs in the market signal a possible increase.  "Actual bank rates for l...

A possible sign of the economic recovery with Michael Hill's New Zealand operation reporting its first positive result in more than two years.  In the six months to December the jeweller made $62 million worth of sales, increasing by 2.4%.  First Retail Group Managing Director Chris Wilkinson says jewellery's a good sign of discretionary spending and consumer confidence.  He told Mi...

Despite Labour raising some concerns with the Government's trade deal with India, the move has been welcomed by rural economists. Trade analyst Stephen Jacobi says the Government timed the deal perfectly - and might have had to wait years if they prolonged the negotiations. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's trade Spokesman discusses the India FTA, roads, trucks, and the latest RNZ Reid Research poll. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Justice Minister's dismissing suggestions there's an issue within the Ministerial Advisory Group for victims of retail crime amid resignations.  Three of the five members have resigned in recent weeks including Michael Bell, Lindsay Rowles, and Retail NZ Chief Executive Carolyn Young.   Young says her relationship with its chairman Sunny Kaushal became untenable.  Kaushal's refu...

There's been growing debate over how Auckland's CBD can be revitalised after years of uncertainty and economic decline. The $5.5 billion City Rail Link is due to be built at the second half of the year and it's promised to bring in economic benefits, but it's unclear if it'll get the city in motion.  Kiwi entrepreneur Andrew Barnes says a lot of shops and businesses have been closed, and it's...

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Normally when property comes up in discussion, it's focused on the plight of the youngsters who are fighting to get on to the property ladder. But today, we're switching it up a bit. Your house is likely the most expensive thing you own, that applies for everyone who's lucky enough to own one. So how do you manage your money with it? How old is too old to be investing in property? Are you worried...

Inflation's officially higher than it's supposed to be.  Latest Stats NZ data shows inflation's reached 3.1% – up from 3% at the last update three months ago.  That's above the Reserve Bank's target range of 1 to 3%.  The Herald's Liam Dann told John MacDonald it's also well above the Reserve Bank's forecast of 2.7%.  He says there were hopes inflation was starting to fall agai...

The new year is getting under way, but concerns have been raised over what investors should focus on for 2026. There's risks impacting the tech sector and experts are hoping things will improve going forward. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We take our monthly look at the state of the rural market with the GM of PGG Wrightson Real Estate.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Make It Happen , we break down why so many smart, hardworking business owners are putting in endless hours but still not seeing the money to match. Spoiler: it’s not because you’re not working hard enough, it’s because you’ve become the bottleneck in your own business. We unpack the biggest traps keeping entrepreneurs stuck, including doing everything the...

Economists say New Zealand’s outlook is improving, but we're not in recovery mode just yet.   SEEK NZ's latest Employment Report shows job ads dipped 0.3%, with weaker demand in retail, technology, and hospitality.  Infometrics Principal Economist Nick Brunsdon told Mike Hosking he's cautiously optimistic heading into 2026.   He says things are looking positive, but we're not in a r...

Builders across the country are starting to feel the benefits of the rise of employment opportunities.  SEEK NZ's latest Employment Report shows a drop of 0.3% on overall job ads. But demand for construction workers continues to add volume, with a rise of 3.4% nationally, up 43% year on year. Certified Builders Chief Executive Malcolm Fleming told Andrew Dickens jobs are coming from across th...

New Zealand likes to see itself as an agile, innovative tech nation. But when it comes to artificial intelligence, the story is more sobering than triumphant.  A new survey of 4,000 business leaders from around the world by research group IDC has revealed that just 8% of companies in Australia and New Zealand can be classified as “frontier firms” when it comes to their uptake of A...

Experts have indicated the Reserve Bank could be done cutting the OCR for the moment, and there's questions about what this could mean for homeowners. The window of time borrowers had to lock in longer term fixed rates after the OCR cut and before they started rising was narrow, and reports indicate they could have missed their chance. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explaine...

Accounting software business Xero has started 2026 on a low note, with the share price dropping significantly. This is in line with other challenges in the technology sector, which have seen noticeable drops. Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra’s CFO comments on another good GDT Auction overnight to kick start 2026 (up 1.5%, WMP + 1%). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another Kiwi success story.   Pic’s Peanut Butter has now hit a 41% domestic market share in New Zealand.  They’re forecasting 20% sales growth in 2026 after 20% growth last year, and plans to expand into commercial peanut growing in Northland are underway.  CEO Aimee McCammon told Mike Hosking Kiwis can taste the quality of their product, and they’re happy to be eating it and payin...

The new year is well and truly under way, and there's growing hopeful predictions about the state of the economy. GDP is projected to grow by 2.5 percent, according to new reports from HSBC. HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.