The SME Stream

It's set to get easier for New Zealand businesses trading in South East Asia, as the Prime Minister's in Malaysia to finalise a regional deal. Chris Luxon is in Kuala Lumpur for the ASEAN summit and will finalise a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the association. ASEAN has 11 member countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Laos. Trade Minister Todd McClay told Mike Hosking that...

It's unclear how much the Labour government will raise, from its just announced new capital gains tax. The targeted tax would apply to profit made from selling commercial or residential property, to raise funds for universal free doctors visitors. The family home, farms, KiwiSaver, shares, business assets, inheritances, and personal items will be exempt. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen...

New Zealand's economy could look to benefit from Fonterra’s proposed sale. The proposed sale of Anchor and Mainland brands to French company Lactalis could unlock around 4.5 billion in additional spending. Forsyth Barr Senior Analyst Matt Montgomerie shares his thoughts.  The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professional advice. Any...

Kiwis will be able to buy a share in a house for as little as $100 with a new investment platform launched today that promises to break down the barriers to home ownership. Housies will allow investors to buy shares in a house and receive returns from rental income or long-term capital growth. Co-founder James Jordan says this will allow people to easily get access to a home if they invest enough....

'Quality stocks' such as healthcare companies are trading at their cheapest level relative to the market in decades. This is taking place while market concentration is at record levels. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explained further. LISTEN ABOVE The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professional advice. Any opinions expressed in the podcasts a...

As business owners, you know how hard it is keeping up with your business, let alone the news. Join Wilhelmina Shrimpton each week as she gives you a rundown of the biggest stories that could impact on your business, so you can make informed decisions with expert advice.   This week, Our economy is on the decline and inflation is on the way up, Labour announces its first major economic p...

It’s been a year since AI agents burst onto the tech scene, driven largely by the vision and product roadmap of Salesforce founder Marc Benioff, who is betting the company’s future on the “agentic enterprise”. Saleforce’s Agentforce platform, which allows customers to build and deploy agents in days or weeks, automating aspects of sales, customer service, marketing, a...

Massey Uni releases these numbers each year.  They tell you how much you might need to retirement.  In the city... two people in a house... want to live comfortably... need $1 million.  $450,000 in the provinces. Now, you then start working backwards. In terms of you're net worth.  Depending on your age, you may not be able to rely on the pension.  Some government will eve...

A new report reveals the importance of contributing to Kiwisaver after buying a first home.  The Retirement Expenditure Guidelines from Massey University and Fin-Ed Centre suggests Kiwisaver is great for funding retirement - if utilised correctly. It finds a modest retirement goal can be reached by age 65 even after withdrawing funds for a first-home at 35.  But report author Associate P...

  Labour released some policies yesterday. Very late in the piece, and you can kind of see why. Just like that, we're back to 2017 with a cut and paste of lofty rhetoric, promises to spend lots of money, and little to no detail. It's a dud, I think it's fair to say. And it's not just me saying that. Oh, we'd expect you to say that, you hate Labour. No, I don't hate Labour. I just hate really,...

Labour unveiled their first major policy a year out from the 2026 election, and it's prompted mixed reactions from experts. Some have lambasted the proposed New Zealand Future Fund for being light on details, and Labour has yet to confirm which public assets will be managed by this fund. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie offered his take on the proposed idea. LISTEN ABOVE The podcasts...

Inflation has risen even further. Latest Stats NZ figures show inflation reached 3% in the year to September. Economists had tipped to hit the top end of the Reserve Bank’s target band of between 1 and 3%. But, some say the period of circa 3% could be short-lived.  At the same time, Labour has broken its silence on what it thinks will help the economy. Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald...

How do you turn a $3,000 idea into 100,000 sales in under three years? In this episode of Make It Happen thanks to Uber One, I take you behind the scenes of building Celebration Box. From spotting the opportunity on Instagram, to the viral moment that brought in 3,000 orders in a single week, to the chaos that nearly broke the business. I share the three biggest lessons I learned along the way: so...

Annual inflation has risen to a 15-month high of 3%.  Economists had been expecting inflation to reach or surpass the 3% upper limit of the Reserve Bank's target band.  The central bank's expected to look past this current spike when it reviews the OCR next month.  New Zealand Herald Business Editor-at-large Liam Dann told Kerre Woodham that, “this this drip feeding of the rat...

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  How many more dirty secrets are we going to find out about Prince Andrew? Could the royals have done more to get a handle on this? Labour has unveiled their first big policy promise ahead of the election with their newly-propo...

More investment in New Zealand businesses is Labour's announced goal in a policy released today. It's modelling the Future Fund off the existing Super Fund, to be seeded with $200 million in Crown money and existing assets. It'll invest solely in local projects.  Labour leader Chris Hipkins says this project is designed to create jobs and keep more wealth here at home. "We're focused on long-...

Recent Stats NZ data shows annual inflation hit three percent in September - the upper limit of the Reserve Bank's target range. This has sparked mixed reactions from the Government, but it's unclear if New Zealand avoided another technical recession. Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly unpacked the market responses. LISTEN ABOVE The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information o...

Belief that small businesses are the backbone of New Zealand but are under-served in current Government schemes.  Labour has pledged to launch a Future Fund - that re-invests dividends from specified Crown assets into businesses and infrastructure projects. Prospa Managing Director Adrienne Begbie told Ryan Bridge her company helps small businesses get off the ground, and it's great Labour is...

There are concerns that Labour's trying to fix a capital problem that kiwis don't have.  The party's pitching a $200million Future Fund that re-invests dividends from specified Crown assets,  into businesses and infrastructure projects. It'll invest solely in local projects.  Icehouse Ventures CEO Robbie Paul told Mike Hosking the policy is agreeable and directionally correct, &nbsp...

After yet another OCR cut, economists and mortgage holders alike are holding their breath for December - the last announcement of the year.  A new report from Infometrics suggests the Reserve Bank may be taking the cuts too far, and risking an overstimulated economy.  Most forecasts have predicted more cuts coming, but it's possible that Dr Anna Breman may have a different way of handlin...

Tech stocks have been leading the charge recently, and with the way AI is headed, it's unlikely it will slow down any time soon.  So if you're a KiwiSaver investor, now would be a good time to start asking yourself what your long-term strategy is, and how you're thinking about risk.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recent cuts to the Official Cash Rate and the potential for more to come will be a relief for many borrowers, but the real game changer in getting mortgage free faster isn’t the interest rate. Shelley Palman, financial advisor at enableMe, joins Nadine to share the tips that could see you saying goodbye to your mortgage sooner.  The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general inform...

Economic consultancy Infometrics says the impacts of the latest OCR cut probably won't be felt until mid to late next year - by which point the economy will be growing.  It could mean greater inflation - with predictions the OCR will rise again as early as late next year.  Independent economist Cameron Bagrie told Ryan Bridge that caution is needed. He says if the economy does kick into...

There are fears that inflation could come back into the picture as the OCR falls.  Infometrics expects the OCR to fall to 2.25% next month - it's 2.5% at the moment.  Infometrics Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan says they expect to see growth hit 2.3% annual growth in 2027.  He says alongside stoking inflation, it could create other problems.  Kiernan says it risks stretching ca...

As business owners, you know how hard it is keeping up with your business, let alone the news. Join Wilhelmina Shrimpton each week as she gives you a rundown of the biggest stories that could impact on your business, so you can make informed decisions with expert advice. This week, Kiwis are still leaving New Zealand in droves but we’re on track to beat pre-covid tourism numbers. Food prices...