The SME Stream

What does it REALLY cost to start a drinks brand and get your products stocked in supermarkets? When we launched Brewe, our iced coffee and matcha brand, we invested around $300,000 to get the business off the ground. Less than a year later, we're stocked in Woolworths supermarkets across New Zealand. But getting there has been a much bigger learning curve than either of us expected. In this episo...

It’ll come as no surprise that new data’s revealed more Kiwis are struggling with cost of living.  The latest New Zealand Consumer Lifestyles survey from the University of Otago shows just over half of respondents went without something to buy essentials.  More alarming though, 48% believe they need to leave the country to get ahead, up from 28% in 2020.  Today on The Fr...

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,  National and Labour’s fiscal plans are out so how do they compare? Food costs are up again, and is AI...

Mike and Scott unpack the strategic foundations most businesses skip - purpose, vision, values, CVP and goals - and why skipping them means growing by accident instead of on purpose. They trace real examples from Lion Brewery's purpose statement to Point16's own vision, plus a listener Q&A on when to bring in a consultant.   Drinking beer from: Canyon Brewery - Monsoon Hoon Bright IPA (6%...

With the election campaign in full swing, it’s a pleasure to host Finance Minister and Deputy Leader of the National Party, Nicola Willis, for Episode 72 of Leaders Getting Coffee . When former Finance Minister Steven Joyce resigned from Parliament in the aftermath of the 2017 election, his departure created an opportunity for a relative unknown to enter Parliament from the not-so-lofty posi...

What happens when someone with deep operational experience steps into the Chief People Officer role?⁣ ⁣ In this episode of HR Unlocked, Lisa Oakley sits down with Nicki Mackay, Chief People Officer at FMG, to explore leadership, trust, resilience, culture, and the future of People & Culture.⁣ ⁣ After 17 years at FMG across operational and leadership roles, Nicki brings a practical understandin...

The people building the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence systems promise extraordinary gains. They also warn those systems could escape our control. That is the ethical fault line running through this week’s episode of The Business of Tech . My guest, New Zealander Peter Barnett, works at the Machine Intelligence Research Institute in Berkeley, California. The University o...

New Zealand keeps announcing infrastructure projects, putting them on hold and paying more when they finally move ahead. A new industry survey shows overwhelming support for cross-party agreement, with 44 percent of responding organisations cutting staff in the past year. Infrastructure New Zealand chief executive Nick Leggett joins Katie Bradford to explain the cost of political stop-starts, why...

What would you rather? New Zealand jobs in a premium product or cheap materials? The aluminium extrusion industry says the government's decision not to impose a safeguard on imports may have signed the New Zealand industry's death warrant. Under advice from MBIE, the government has rejected a request to give special temporary protection to the aluminium extrusion industry in the face of growing co...

Deloitte tax partner Robyn Walker on how to separate credible tax policies from political promises and whether the numbers really add up. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight's leaders' debate between Luxon and Hipkins isn't the only big political face-off happening tonight.  The ‘ASB Great Finance Debate’ will take place in Queenstown this evening, and the finance spokespeople from all the major parties will outline their campaign announcements.    NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny was there - and she unpacked the...

New Zealand's looking to attract more tourists from Europe and the US, to reduce our reliance on Australians. Stats NZ data shows almost 249-thousand overseas tourists arrived in August - 99 percent of 2019 levels. The figure includes more Australians than in any August on record. But Tourism Holdings Chief Executive Grant Webster told Ryan Bridge Chinese visitors have overtaken Australians as Que...

While our politicians are busy lobbing grenades about fiscal holes, perhaps we should be asking a bigger question. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Australia really doing better, or does it just look that way on holiday? Back from across the Tasman, Tamsyn Parker joins Liam Dann to compare petrol prices, supermarket bills and construction activity. They also discuss research on election uncertainty, whether booming exports will lift New Zealand’s wider economy, and the challenge of getting young people into work. Plus, 1000 applicati...

Both National and Labour are banking on economic growth to help repair the Government’s finances. But could their spending plans undermine the recovery they’re counting on? With households reluctant to spend, property values under pressure and an ageing population putting more demand on public services, journalist and economic commentator Bernard Hickey says the numbers deserve a harde...

The escalating conflict in the Middle East has sparked concerns about the state of the economy. The conflict and resulting impact on fuel prices has altered the current inflation outlook, but there's calls for further assessment following the recent attacks over the weekend.   HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

Our economy seems to be faring better than our neighbour across the Tasman.  The International Monetary Fund has issued a stark outlook for the Australian economy, as it’s dealing with some of the worst inflation in the developed world.  It’s forecasting GDP growth of just 1.6% next year, and the biggest rise in unemployment among developed economies – going from 4.4% t...

ASB says elections aren't usually a handbrake for business or household decisions.   Fresh analysis from the bank has found activity doesn't tend to slow down before an election or speed up right after one.   Senior Economist Mark Smith says there were two exceptions around the 2008 and 2020 elections but adds that was probably because of the GFC and the pandemic.  Business Canterbu...

What happens to the future of work if half your workforce gets left behind? In this episode of HR Unlocked , Lisa Oakley sits down with Rose Powell, General Manager People & Capability at Vitaco Health Group , to explore what future-focused People & Culture looks like inside a complex, vertically integrated organisation. Rose's leadership philosophy was shaped early in her career when she...

ACT Leader David Seymour discusses fiscal plan and tax cuts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Party has confirmed it doesn't have a firm policy on the Super age this election. It's campaigned in the past on gradually raising entitlement to 67 - which is still the position.  But it isn't part of the Party's fiscal plan, out today.  Finance spokeswoman Nicola Willis says there needs to be consensus.  She told Heather du Plessis-Allan she can't dance alone - and wh...

National claims it has a credible path for paying down the country's debt.   The party plans to keep the Budget operating allowance at $2.4 billion —matching Labour's— and return to surplus in two years.   It would cut foreign aid and welfare spending to fund its election commitments, with $7.5 billion left over.   Tax cuts are off the table until New Zealand's in the bl...

Well, it looks like a matter of when, not if, given that Barbara Edmonds and Nicola Willis, Finance Minister and Finance spokesperson respectively, were appearing on Jack Tame's Q&A yesterday, and they've agreed they'll work together on the future of superannuation in this country. This is Nicola Willis: "We can afford superannuation right now, but in the future the settings are going to have...

UK based tech entrepreneur and investor Dr Oliver Hardick is at Auckland Startup Week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NBR Rich List estimated wealth of those on the list had grown to $129 billion. Herald Business Commentator Fran O'Sullivan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.