The SME Stream

Inflation is still much higher than it should be, largely because of high global oil prices.  Stats NZ data shows the rate's now on 3.7%, down from 4.1% three months ago.  Domestic non-tradeable inflation —for things like housing, electricity, and healthcare— has been trending down.  Internationally-driven tradeable inflation —for things we import and export—...

We may be at a turning point when it comes to property investment.  Cotality data shows residential property is worth $1.66 trillion and still accounts for more than 50% of all household assets.   But it also shows property sales and values are largely subdued.   Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson told Kerre Woodham over the last couple of decades, strong capital gains and low...

Inflation's eased up slightly - but it's also become more persistent and widespread. The official inflation rate has fallen in the past three months - from 4.1 percent to 3.7 percent - due to a brief fall in fuel prices. But underlying core inflation has been rising and more items are increasing in price. Labour's Finance Spokesperson Barbara Edmonds told Francesca Rudkin the government doesn't ha...

National and Labour are offering quite different solutions to persistently high inflation.  Headline inflation's eased back to 3.7%, but some economists say it could reach as high as 4.7% by the end of the year.  Labour's Barbara Edmonds says freezing the fuel tax would address the single biggest factor – surging fuel prices.   But National's Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking Na...

Auckland Business Chamber CEO Simon Bridges says politically, the Mood of the Boardroom shows a "tactical draw" between National and Labour.  The survey of business leaders shows dissatisfaction and a desire for more investment in infrastructure, reform, leadership and talk of productivity, Bridges told Ryan Bridge.  "Because you'd expect, and they are in their numbers, the Nats as a cen...

New reports indicate more young job seekers are being asked to submit short videos - alongside the traditional tailored CV, cover letter and filled-in questionnaire. While this trend is more popular overseas, more Kiwi employers are looking to utilise videos to sort through applicants as well. Student Job Search CEO Louise Saviker says many of the roles advertised through the platform are front-fa...

Inflation appears to have become more embedded in the economy.  Latest Stats NZ figures show the annual inflation rate's eased to 3.7%, down from 4.1% three months ago.  The quarterly inflation rate's eased to 0.7%, but domestically-driven non-tradable inflation has risen due to the annual increase in council rates.  Business NZ Chief Economist John Pask told Mike Hosking price rise...

As business owners, you know how hard it is keeping up with your business, let alone the news. Join Wilhelmina O'Keeffe each week as she gives you a rundown of the biggest stories that could impact your business, so you can make informed decisions with expert advice.   This week, Annual i nflation dips, but not for long. The India Free Trade deal comes into effect so which industries sta...

This ep the focus gets thrown on Scott. Mike asks him about his own life story - starting off from early days, going through a door-to-door sales grind to building his production company Blacklime - and how therapy, kindness and self-knowledge that got him there. It's the most personal episode yet.   Drinking beer from: Urbanaught - Atlanta Bright IPA (4.6%) Eating a pie from: Gold Star Baker...

The future of work is already happening. So how should HR respond? In this episode of HR Unlocked , Lisa Oakley speaks with Fiona Hewitt, Founder and Managing Partner of Unboxable , about how organisations and People & Culture teams can prepare for a future that cannot be neatly predicted. For Fiona, the goal should not be “future-proofing”. There is no fixed playbook because nobod...

Andfoods isn’t trying to win the plant-based food battle in the supermarket aisle. It wants raving fans in Asia’s busiest kitchens. The New Zealand startup is turning black gram, also known as black mung bean, into whipping cream. Its pitch to chefs is that dairy-free shouldn’t mean settling for second best. On this week’s episode of The Business of Tech, co-founder Alex De...

After 25 years, NZ Super Fund now sitting on $94.35 billion, including $3.3b of Nvidia shares. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wealth Watch with Generate. Greg Smith on retail’s ongoing weakness and what the latest services and manufacturing data mean for investors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A warning we could see some more nasty inflation spikes before the year is out. Stats NZ is releasing the inflation data for the three months to September just before 11 this morning. Economists expect it to show inflation’s sitting around 3.7 percent. BNZ Chief Economist Mike Jones told Ryan Bridge they're expecting inflation to rise to 4.7 percent in the next update. He says most of it is...

The Reserve Bank will be looking under the hood of inflation numbers today as it weighs up interest rate hikes.  Stats NZ is releasing its latest inflation data at 10.45 this morning.  The central bank forecasts the numbers would fall to 3.9%, down from 4.1% last quarter.  Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold told Mike Hosking if the Reserve Bank sees core inflation rising, they'll...

KiwiSaver provider Milford Asset Management’s performance has been lagging compared to its competitors in recent times. In the year to September, its active growth KiwiSaver fund returned 3.4% (after fees and before tax) – a result well below others in the market that delivered above 10%. NZ Herald Wellington Business Editor Jenee Tibshraeny joins Heather du Plessis-Allan to break down...

Inflation could fall in the latest figures, but rising fuel costs are already threatening another squeeze on household budgets. Could more interest rate hikes follow—and what would that mean for an economy still struggling to build momentum? On The Economy of Everything, Liam Dann and Tamsyn Parker discuss the gap between economic recovery and how people actually feel, why that’s a dif...

Today's the day New Zealand's landmark free trade agreement with India enters into force.  The deal creates new opportunities for our exporters with one of world's fastest growing markets - by giving us preferential access.  Almost 57% of our existing trade can now enter India duty-free and over time, tariffs will be reduced or removed for 95% of our exports.  Tariffs are...

Our Superannuation fund is seeing great returns, but growth is still needed for the long term.  The 25-year-old fund is now worth $94.35 billion dollars, excluding tax, with it earning $9.3 billion in the past reporting year – a return of almost 14.2%.  Infometrics' Brad Olsen told Andrew Dickens that it's useful money to have, but the expectation for the fund is to grow it to $200...

Retailers are celebrating the Police crackdown on retail crime. Annual Ministry of Justice data to June, shows record-high finalised charges for theft from a retail premises, topping 21-thousand - more than tripling since 2022. Retail NZ believes offending's down as much as 30 percent since last year. Chief Executive Carolyn Young told Andrew Dickens Police's national retail crime unit has had suc...

The Police Association is highlighting that retail crime is falling amidst rising related charges.  Annual Ministry of Justice data to June shows record-high finalised charges for theft from a retail premises at over 21,000 – more than triple that of four years ago.   Convictions also reached nearly 18,000, also more than tripling over the same period.  Police Association Pres...

How do you build People & Culture capability when you're supporting more than 150 organisations, all with different structures, resources, challenges, and communities? In this episode of HR Unlocked, Lisa Oakley sits down with Claire George, Acting Business Capability Manager at Sport New Zealand, to explore what it takes to strengthen leadership and people capability across the sports sector....

ANZ Investments Head of Asset Allocation Christian Carrillo on market volatility, rising interest rates and AI risks and what it means for KiwiSaver. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forsyth Barr's Aaron Ibbotson says investor faith in AI is on shaky ground, and what to watch from the markets this week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fran O’Sullivan, Herald Business commentator reveals what’s top of mind for business leaders in this year’s Mood of the Boardroom. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.