The SME Stream

Self-employed Kiwis are prioritising their businesses rather than thinking about retirement.  A report by the Retirement Commission and accounting firm Hnry shows just 44% of self-employed people actively contribute to KiwiSaver.  This is compared to 78% of employees.  The report also reveals 41% of self-employed workers don't get any government KiwiSaver contribution.   Retire...

The OCR got another cut this week, now down to 3%.  While there have been questions for a while around whether banks are passing the cuts down to consumers, the real question is whether the cuts will actually solve anything at all.  LISTEN ABOVE The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professional advice. Any opinions expressed in the p...

You got into your first home unscathed, so buying again will be a breeze, right? Wrong.  When it comes to moving up the property ladder, going from your first home to your second introduces a whole new level of stress to a homeowner's journey.  Squirrel mortgage adviser Kat McInnes joins Nadine to talk through what can go wrong, and how to avoid sabotaging yourself on the next rung...

The Government has announced a $2.7 billion defence spending boost to upgrade the aircraft fleet.  The money will be spent on five Seahawk helicopters and two Airbus aircrafts, to replace the Defence Force's "embarrassing" planes, in Judith Collins' words.  It's part of National's pledge to boost defence spending by $9 billion over the next four years, but why now?  LISTEN ABOVE The...

Parliament's finance and expenditure committee released the findings of its banking inquiry today, making 19 recommendations - 14 of which have cross-party support.  It concluded there is no silver bullet for more competition in the sector.  Committee member Todd Stephenson saysthe first step is reducing barriers to entry.  He says a large part of that is capital requirements for ne...

 [VIDEO EPISODE ON YOUTUBE & SPOTIFY]  Drones were harmed in the making of this episode, and that’s exactly the point. This episode takes you behind Australian counter-drone company DroneShield’s expansion. The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professional advice. Any opinions expressed in the podcasts are not necessa...

While experts are weighing up the results of US-based tech giants, one Chinese company is dominating markets. Tencent is a Chinese multinational technology conglomerate - and one of the highest-grossing multimedia companies in the world based, on revenue. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explains further. LISTEN ABOVE The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial&...

Workers are now able to speak freely about their salaries, and it's got experts speculating about what this means for Kiwis. The House passed a new law last night preventing employers from taking legal action against workers talking about their pay.  The bill, introduced by Labour's Camilla Belich, essentially renders pay secrecy clauses unenforceable.  Employment lawyer Jordan Boyle say...

Will the latest cut to the Official Cash Rate provide some much-needed stimulus to the business sector?  The central bank's cut the OCR 25 basis points to 3% and is signalling more are possible.  It's recognised unemployment is high, and businesses aren't producing as much as they could.  Prospa Managing Director Adrienne Begbie told Mike Hosking that while some people were hoping f...

One of the "never the twain shall meet" moments that came out of Covid was working from home.  Here we are, five years on, and the battle has not only not died, it's intensified.  The big gab fest this week in Canberra had the unions asking for a four-day week.  Victoria, run by communists, has already stated they will put it into law, even though they can't.  Now the obligator...

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, the service sector is in decline but there’s greenshoots for other industries, plus New Zealand is on tr...

In this bonus episode of The SME Stream, brought to you by BNZ, host Wilhelmina Shrimpton sits down with tech expert Paul Spain to talk all things cybersecurity, what the biggest risks are and how to best protect your business. The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professional advice. Any opinions expressed in the podcasts are not necessarily shared by...

Broadcaster, author and Taskmaster NZ star Bree Tomasel reckons her whole job can be summed up as “talking shit for a living.”  But behind the laughs is grit, hustle and a surprisingly conservative approach to money. She chats with Liam Dann about farm life, broke uni days, indulgent splurges and whether she'd take a million right now or risk it all for a 50/50 shot at a billion....

The Reserve Bank cut the OCR by 25 basis points to three percent today, but the markets still saw some surprises. Today's cut was divisive, with 2 of the 6 committee members voting for a 50 basis point cut. Remy Morgan from Milford Asset Management explained further. LISTEN ABOVE The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professional advice. Any op...

As the global race to develop quantum computers heats up, New Zealand is working on specialist areas of technology that could add crucial elements to the quantum supply chain. That’s according to the University of Oxford’s Professor Andrew Daley, a principal investigator in the UK’s national quantum programme tasked with developing more accurate and functional quantum computers....

The Reserve Bank Governor is defending not going harder with cuts to the Official Cash Rate.  The cash rate has been cut 25 basis points to 3%.  But it's signalling more cuts than it was before, and has revealed two of the six Monetary Policy Committee members actually wanted a bigger cut.  Christian Hawkesby told Mike Hosking he stands by the central bank's decisions.  He says...

A steady slide to the OCR is gently flowing through to households.  The Reserve Bank's cut the cash rate from 5.5% to 3% over the past 13 months and is also signalling further possible cuts on the way.  Assistant Governor Karen Silk says many people have been fixing on higher short-term rates while they hold out for lower long-term rates.  Finance Minister Nicola Willis told Ryan Br...

The Reserve Bank is signalling further OCR cuts, but making no promises. It's slashed the cash rate 25 basis points today, to 3 percent. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this is a sign that the screws are off the economy. LISTEN ABOVE The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professional advice. Any opinions expressed in...

The Reserve Bank is widely expected to cut the OCR tomorrow, according to new reports. The OCR is currently sitting at 3.25 percent and the major banks have already been dropping their mortgage interest rates in anticipation. HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham outlined his predictions. LISTEN ABOVE The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professio...

Former economist and investment manager Gareth Morgan was caught off-guard by an AI deepfake using his voice and likeness, and he's warned people to be careful. The investment scam made the rounds on Facebook and Instagram and encouraged Kiwis to invest in a vaguely-defined US-based scheme. Gareth Morgan says his daughter showed him the scam - and it almost had him fooled.  "The only giveaway...

There are tentative signs of recovery, as a troubled construction sector looks to turn the corner.  A new report shows the sector generated $94 billion in revenue in the year to March, down slightly from $99 billion the year prior.  Despite this, the report shows residential consents have levelled off, government infrastructure projects are restarting, and falling interest rates are supp...

Financial results are coming in thick and fast.  a2 Milk is reporting a 21% rise in profit alongside announcing it has bought the Yashili  plant in Pokeno.  It's also sold its majority stake in the Mataura Valley plant in Gore to Open Country Dairy.  Contact Energy's profit is up 13% after a surge in geothermal generation.  Freightways' profit is up 12.9%.  Chief exec...

Financial results are coming in thick and fast. a2 Milk is reporting a 21 percent rise in profit - alongside announcing it bought the Yashili plant in Pokeno. It's also sold its majority stake in the Mataura Valley plant in Gore - to Open Country Dairy. Contact Energy's profit is up 13-percent, after a surge in geothermal generation, and Freightways' profit is up 12.9 percent. Harbour Asset Manage...

Tax deductions can be confusing, especially when you’re trying to figure out what you can and can’t claim if you're running a business or are self-employed. So, what’s a legit deduction and what’s not? How do you make the most of what you can claim without crossing the line? And what happens if the IRD think you've crossed that line? Catriona Knapp, director at Future Focus...

New Zealand could secure a place in the global AI economy with a sustainable data centre Research by the Maxim Institute has looked at leveraging the country's renewable energy, cool climate, and strong privacy laws to become a hub in the Asia–Pacific.  Researcher Thomas Scrimgeour says high energy costs must be tackled in order to seize the opportunity.  He told Mike Hosking AI se...