The SME Stream

A must read for a reality check is the ABC, as in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and their exploration of the New Zealand vs Australian economy.  Normally the ABC, like a lot of public broadcasters, tease you with a headline and end up concluding nothing so they can claim to be balanced.  Not so in this case. Gareth Hutchens is your author, and the headline is "Inflation has fa...

An economist says New Zealand needs to have a tough conversation about superannuation. Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday told Newstalk ZB the scheme needs to become sustainable and a debate about age eligibility will be needed eventually.  Bagrie Economics says raising the age makes sense, with the average life expectancy up a lot. Cameron Bagrie says we can't keep kicking the can down...

The Prime Minister has copped some backlash over the state of the economy during his morning media round. This follows two disappointing showings for the coalition in the polls, with Chris Luxon's standing as preferred Prime Minister taking a hit. Luxon has stayed optimistic - and Infometics Principal Economist Brad Olsen is hopeful things will turn around later in the year. "Those interest rates...

A banking expert believes New Zealand First's move to fine banks for withdrawing services on environmental or social grounds misunderstands the situation.  MP Andy Foster has introduced a bill to the members' ballot in a bid to ensure banks make withdrawal decisions on a purely commercial basis, with fines of up to half a million.   Massey University banking expert Claire Matthews told A...

[VIDEO EPISODE ON YOUTUBE & SPOTIFY]. The world is covered in conflict and investors may be too optimistic about the year ahead. Here’s what a wartime economy may look like in 2025. 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 BNZ, or its rela...

A lot could be riding on the Government's upcoming global investment summit.  Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's hoping to tease out more foreign financial investment in New Zealand's projects and industries at the two-day event in March   But Simplicity Chief Executive Sam Stubbs says he's concerned Luxon will spend more time focused on offshore money than domestic money.  He told...

The Government has unveiled its first quarterly action plan for 2025, with a focus on growth and expanding the economy. A two-day international investment summit next month is one of 40 actions in the plan, with Luxon saying he wants to encourage more investment in New Zealand. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explains what projects might draw potential investors into this country. LI...

Banks are clearing a backlog of lending requests after 'unacceptable' delays of up to five weeks, which caused stress for borrowers before Christmas.   A significant drop in interest rates late last year resulted in a surge of new home loan applications and refinancing and restructuring requests, according to mortgage brokers.   Loan market advisor Michelle Isemonger says the weeks befor...

US President Donald Trump has signalled an incoming announcement of 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into the US.  Trump also reaffirmed that he would announce 'reciprocal tariffs', meaning the US would impose import duties on on products in cases where another country has levied duties on US goods. Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly explains what this means for the N...

Kerre Woodham speaks to NZ Herald Business Editor at Large, Liam Dann, to explain how the changes to foreign investor visas will grow our economy. LISTEN ABOVE. 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 BNZ, or its related entities. BNZ is not liable...

Having a baby is life-altering in every respect - and your finances are no exception.   But there are ways to navigate how much growing your family can turn your finances upside down.   Stephanie Pow is the founder of Crayon. She’s on a mission to make it easier for parents to effectively manage the dollars and cents alongside the nappies and sleepless nights.  She j...

In the past, overseas investment in New Zealand has been seen as a privilege – rather than a right. But – could that all be about to change with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s latest push for economic growth? He kicked off 2025 by announcing the establishment of a foreign investment agency – similar to those seen in Ireland and Singapore. The Government’s holding...

New data from Centrix reveals that the number of homeowners behind on their mortgage increased by 1,100 in December alone. With the interest rates dropping significantly recently, why is it that homeowners are falling behind?  LISTEN ABOVE The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professional advice. Any opinions expressed in the po...

This afternoon the Prime Minister announced New Zealand will be relaxing immigration settings for investors.  Two new immigration categories will be created to encourage wealthy foreigners to invest in Kiwi businesses.  Investors will need to invest a minimum of $5 million over three years, or $10 million over five years.  The visa's English language requirement will also be strippe...

The Government is replacing the current visa settings with two new categories that will see visa settings relaxed.  In a bid to encourage more foreign investment, the Government is introducing the balanced category and the growth category, the latter requiring a minimum a $5 million invested for a minimum of three years.  Auckland Business Chamber Chief Executive Simon Bridges explains t...

This week we speak to Max Ferguson who started Lumin in 2010 to address a growing need for a robust, cloud-based way to edit and share portable document format files, better known as PDFs. 15 years on and Lumin has over 100 million users worldwide and is successfully rolling out more document collaboration products and features, managing to find success with the often-tricky freemium model. Plus,...

Curiosity has brought us this far, but the journey is just beginning. Join me as we explore the latest trends, insights, and opportunities shaping the future. 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 BNZ, or its related entities. BNZ is not liable f...

The Government is talking up the fact it’s exploring ways of making the tax system more business-friendly, with details of potential changes to be unveiled at the May 22 Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis is wary that at 28 percent, New Zealand’s corporate tax rate is above the OECD average of 24 percent. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny speculates what the Gov...

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has reported its latest financial earnings - and the investors aren't thrilled. Shares reportedly dropped 7 percent after the company posted a slight miss in expected revenue. Milford Asset Management's Stephanie Batchelor unpacked the market factors behind this drop. LISTEN ABOVE The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only...

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.  In this weekly wrap, as predicted, things have gotten worse for the job market with the latest unemployment figures o...

The Prime Minister has taken aim at the chief executives of New Zealand’s largest banks saying it was 'utterly unacceptable' that some were withdrawing banking services from petrol stations and mines. Chris Luxon joined Mike Hosking earlier today to explain that the banks needed to keep funding businesses Kiwis need to keep moving forward - and expressed concern at rural petrol stations in p...

New Zealand could have one of the least competitive corporation tax rates - but that could change by May. The Prime Minister has hinted this year's Budget could make way for relief.  The rate has stayed on 28 percent since 2011 - but Finance Minister Nicola Willis is making comparisons with countries like Ireland, with a 12.5 percent rate. Advisory expert Robin Oliver says such a change would...

Treasury has warned the Government that 'significant reforms' or 'reductions to public services' will be needed in the not-too-distant future if it sticks to its current, restricted spending track. New reports reveal the Government will not post a surplus under the traditional Obegal measure until 2031 - even with this relatively tight spending. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen explains...

Possible corporate tax cuts could be on the way in this year's Budget.  Nicola Willis told Ryan Bridge yesterday that our corporate tax system isn't competitive enough with other countries, hinting at potential changes.  Christopher Luxon confirmed to Mike Hosking this morning that they're willing to make changes, and there's a lot of possible options.  Dentons Kensington Swan Tax P...

We know times are tough. We know that we're in a period of rebuilding, we know that there are green shoots starting to come through. We're looking towards the end of 2025 as a time when things will turn around, when things will start to improve, and things will start to get better on a micro level in our own households, and on a macro level when it comes to the government.   But there are sti...