The SME Stream

The economy's on the mend but households are still feeling a squeeze.    Westpac's August overview points to an uplift in activity after a subdued June quarter.   It forecasts 2% growth over the year, jumping to 3% in 2027.   Chief economist Kelly Eckhold told Mike Hosking that the growth the country's achieved in the last few quarters is coming from good sources such as export...

What can international HR experience teach us about leadership in an increasingly connected world? In this episode of HR Unlocked , Lisa Oakley sits down with Wendy Baker , Chief People Officer at Brosnan, to explore global HR, commercial leadership, organisational culture, and the leadership capabilities needed to thrive in today's rapidly changing workplace. Drawing on more than 20 years of expe...

What if space was not simply a place to launch satellites – but a factory floor for making things that cannot be produced on Earth? That is the bet being made by Auckland startup Outlier Space, which has raised around US$7.35 million (NZ$12.3 million) in pre-seed funding to build reusable spacecraft that carry customer payloads into microgravity, operate them in orbit, then return them safel...

Senior macro strategist at RaboResearch says New Zealand’s economic recovery remains on track despite a dip in retail spending and ongoing global supply chain risks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lightspeed's Nicole Buisson on NZ retailers seeing more transactions but smaller baskets as Kiwis spend more often but more cautiously See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tourism Holdings CEO Grant Webster on rental growth despite negative impacts of the mideast conflict and what to expect heading into the warmer months. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwibanks challange isn't getting cheap deposits, it's lending those deposits out and growing their share in mortgage market. Matthew Goodson Salt Funds.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi Group Capital is making an eleventh hour push for TSB’s owner to consider its 'superior' offer to buy the bank, before selling it to Heartland Group Holdings. The renewed call follows a High Court judge dismissing a Taranaki community group’s bid to stall the sale of their local bank. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny weighs up Kiwibank's chances. LISTEN ABOVE...

Can we read The Warehouse Group guidance and SkyCity bids as evidence consumer recovery is close? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Demand for our dairy exports is expected to remain stable despite volatility in the global market.  A report commissioned by DairyNZ and the Dairy Companies Association has found dairy exports reached almost $29 billion in 2025 and supports more than 51 thousand jobs.  It finds the dairy sector is a backbone of much of regional New Zealand's economy, wages, and job market.   DairyNZ...

The NZX reporting season is underway and results have improved, but some concerns have been raised. The numbers are moving in the right direction, but there's growing frustration around the state of the Iran conflict and increasing fuel prices. Milford Asset Management expert Jeremy Hutton explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stanely Druckenmiller lets rip at Scott Bessent's efforts to try to curb the rising cost of borrowing by expanding debt buybacks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Financial Times says Auckland has solved its housing crisis — but has it really? Liam Dann and Tamsyn Parker look at why housing affordability has improved, the economic pain sitting behind falling Auckland house prices, why older workers may be particularly vulnerable in the current jobs market, and what mortgage holders can expect from next week’s Reserve Bank decision. The Econo...

Chris Hipkins says he'd let councils enforce their own bed tax. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Managing director of Bagrie Economics on rising global bond yields, China’s two-speed economy and why the OCR may need to move closer to neutral. Plus, election-year tax and spending choices, regional property market trends, and the impact of rising farm inflation on food prices. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Development West Coast's Heath Milne on what's behind the region's 1.6% jobs growth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Craig's Mohandeep Singh unpacks what the NZ earnings season has revealed so far about the state of the market. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers board member Mark Hooper explains the modeling that shows farmers could be up to $48k worse off under Opportunity's tax system. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retail's been taking a hit since the Iran war began, with people staying home to save money and fuel.  Stats NZ data shows the June quarter's inflation and seasonal-adjusted sales volumes fell 0.5% on the three months to March, but after accounting for surging fuel prices, petrol station sales actually plunged 13%.  The only significant growth was in computer and appliance store sales, w...

Labour's fallen into a cunning wee trap set by Nicola Willis a few weeks ago. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you ready to serve? Because we could all being drafted into this one. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What separates truly high-performing organisations from everyone else? In this episode of HR Unlocked, Lisa Oakley sits down with Estelle Curd, Chief People Officer at Kami, to explore leadership, organisational culture, startup growth, and the role people leaders play in building exceptional workplaces. Drawing on experience across Rocket Lab, Armstrong's and Kami, Estelle shares practical lesson...

National is committing to no new taxes if re-elected – but the jury is still out over whether that means no tinkering to existing taxes. This means the party is scrapping both a bed tax and bank tax – something that's disappointed Mayors in tourism hotspots around the country. Meanwhile, Labour's banking on its capital gains tax to get us back to surplus by 2029/30. They released their...

National's Nicola Willis refuses to rule out an increase to the ACC levy if she's returned as Finance Minister. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Party has confirmed it's not going to introduce any new taxes if elected for a second term. Earlier this month, it indicated  it was looking at new bank tax settings and progressing a bed tax, but they've ruled those out. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says the party was very clear two weeks ago - and they've clarified these new taxes have been ruled out. "The three parties of th...