The SME Stream

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 ,  The great Auckland bridge debate reignites, inflation is falling but don’t expect that to stop more O...

In episode 69 of Leaders Getting Coffee our guest is one of New Zealand’s most successful business CEO’s, Sir Ralph Norris.   An everyday upbringing in Auckland’s suburb of Mt Roskill, laid the foundations for the humble and softly spoken manner that typifies Sir Ralph Norris. But don’t let that humility fool you. He was an active youngster and clearly bright enou...

How do you build a people strategy that supports one of New Zealand's most recognised global brands while staying true to its purpose? In this episode of HR Unlocked, Lisa Oakley sits down with Faye Restall, Chief People Officer at Les Mills International, to explore leadership, organisational culture, global people strategy, and how HR can create real commercial value. Leading the People & Cu...

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is about to turn 80 – and is still plainly more interested in the next deal, the next big export market and the next practical problem to fix than in winding down. In this week’s episode of The Business of Tech, Brown delivers a typically uncensored account of how he thinks Auckland should use technology to drive economic growth. He has little patience for gl...

New Zealand’s birth rate stats just keep getting worse...  The latest show ‘natural population growth’ has fallen to 18,700 for the year to June – the lowest it’s been since WWII.  Births are at their lowest since 2003.  So should we throw money at people to have babies, or are there some other options on the cards? And how bad is it really?   Toda...

Mercury CEO Stew Hamilton discusses the company’s strong FY26 result, record dividend and $710 million renewable investment programme. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BusinessDesk senior journalist discusses fresh speculation around A2 Milk and Fonterra's interest in Synlait, and the hurdles any deal would face. He also shares insights from company reporting season and what strong dairy markets could mean for upcoming farm sector results. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Global fuel prices have been rising again as conflict continues in the Strait of Hormuz.  The US has now exported much of its diesel supplies – pushing up prices across the US and Europe.  Crude oil prices haven't risen as much due to China's decision to stop exporting refined fuel, but Brent crude prices are rising again after the US and Iran ruled out extending their memorandum o...

We break down a stronger Global Dairy Trade auction with HighGround Dairy’s quantitative analyst, with gains led by whole and skim milk powder. Plus, why global protein demand and El Niño concerns are shaping dairy market sentiment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economist Cameron Bagrie says U.S. government debt of around $40 trillion, and tech borrowing for the A.I. boom, is pushing yields to record highs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HighGround Dairy’s Stu Davison breaks down the latest GDT results and what they mean for global dairy prices and the outlook for New Zealand farmers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The big US companies used to buy back more shares than they issued, but that's changed in recent months. The latest bank estimates claim 2026 could be the first year in almost three decades that that reverses. Milford Asset Management expert Brendan Larsen explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dairy trade customers stock up ahead of any climate hit to winter production; Nicola Willis will consider a "strong commercial" Kiwibank growth plan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If Meta is found guilty, it might have to delete all personal data for children and the algorithms and models that were trained using that information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’ve built and sold multi-million-dollar businesses. But no one’s ever asked me these questions. In this episode, Podcast Producer Holli steps out from behind the scenes to turn the mic on me - asking me the unfiltered questions no one’s ever asked. From paying $300,000 for Kylie Jenner to promote my shapewear brand, to selling the business for $3.3 million , navigating the publi...

How do you build a workplace where people don't just stay, but grow, return, and recommend it to others? In this episode of HR Unlocked , Lisa Oakley sits down with Khush Sethi, Head of Talent & Culture at ClearPoint, to explore leadership, organisational culture, talent management, and the future of People & Culture. Drawing on more than 15 years of experience, Khush shares practical insi...

New Zealand’s housing market remains stubbornly flat, our birth rate has fallen to historic lows, and Auckland is once again talking about another Harbour Crossing. Liam Dann and Tamsyn Parker ask whether the great Kiwi property boom is truly over, what slower population growth means for the economy, and why New Zealand can spend decades talking about major infrastructure without actually bu...

Labour leader Chris Hipkins says he will be saying 'no' to the various tax policies being proposed by his potential coalition partners. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fletcher Building, Spark and Sky City yet to come. Mark Lister Craigs investment Partners. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gorilla Technology CEO Paul Spain says an expected IPO by Claude maker Anthropic would mark a serious turning point for the technology industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jarden’s head of derivatives previews tonight’s GDT auction, expecting stronger dairy prices driven by higher powder values. He also discusses the impact of European production declines, New Zealand milk flows and global dairy market signals. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are apparently more worried here about paying our power bills than consumers overseas in comparable circumstances.' Garth Bray 2degrees wrap. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retailers are optimistic a bump in spending will stick around.   Latest Stats NZ data on electronic card transactions shows July's core retail spending is up 3.5% compared to the same time last year.   Retail NZ says it's an encouraging sign considering the winter months are typically slower for the sector.   Communications Manager Denise Garland told Mike Hosking the FIFA World Cup...

Inflation is easing but further Official Cash Rate hikes are probably unavoidable.  Latest Stats NZ data shows the prices of diesel and petrol have been steadily falling for three consecutive months.  Diesel inflation's fallen to 34.8%, petrol inflation's fallen to 15.1%, electricity inflation's fallen to 9.5%, and food inflation is now just 1.9%.  But Westpac senior economist Satis...

In the property market we often focus on who's winning between the buyer and the seller, but an economist from Simplicity has calculated that renters could be the top dogs at the moment.  But, Ed McKnight from Opes Partners questions the reliability of this claim.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.