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,  more talk of green shoots, so when exactly will they become a garden? Petrol prices come down, but will they...

The Opportunity Party has outlined their new vision for the economy ahead of the election. The party's looking to invest more into technology and AI, strengthen the Commerce Commission to stand up to the supermarkets and gentailers and boost small Kiwi businesses. The party also wants to forgive student loan interest in order to draw local talent back into New Zealand. Leader Qiulae Wong outlined...

Seeing that exporter confidence growth in real time - Andrew Balgarnie Chief Strategy Officer of Trade Window. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inflation expectations fall in June ANZ Business Confidence survey. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Centrix's Keith McLaughlin reveals what's behind the latest Centrix stats. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humanoid robots taking on factory jobs seemed like a sci-fi concept, but more businesses have made that concept a reality. These robots are powered by AI to make decisions, and Tesla's San Francisco production line is utilising more of them.   Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Westpac’s done a deal to put that info on its app. Others advocating for central register of properties at risk. 2degrees Business wrap Garth Bray.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian startup Heidi Health has become one of the most visible examples of AI actually shifting the dial on healthcare productivity – and New Zealand is at the forefront of that story.  In this week’s episode of The Business of Tech, I talk to Heidi co‑founder Yu Liu about the company’s journey from student training tool to AI “care partner” for clinicians, a...

The Prime Minister on a buoyant primary sector and how New Zealand’s Michelin-star-winning restaurants benefit tourism. Plus, the OCR, how heavy machinery rules affect farmers, and the Treasury Performance Improvement Review. And how is Police Minister Mark Mitchell doing after breaking his ribs at a charity rugby match? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The International Monetary Fund is broadly happy with how the Government and Reserve Bank are steering the economy - but it's warned some changes need to take place. The agency says the Government will need to hike taxes, as well as continue cutting spending, to get the country’s finances on a more sustainable path forward. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained how...

2026 is halfway over, and experts have noticed which trends are leading investor conversations. The chips and computer hardware sector has seen some growth thanks to the AI boom, but the Middle East conflict has continued to generate concerns. Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister believes all signs are pointing to economic growth this year.  The International Monetary Fund's recommending the country continue to hike taxes and make spending cuts.  It predicts the economy will grow by 2% throughout this year, rising to 2.7% next year.  Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking the IMF's quite optimistic about our growth this year, and she believes t...

The ACT Party says it has killed three birds with one stone as new workplace legislation is passed.  The bill reverses a number of changes in the 2015 Health and Safety at Work Act, and will shift focus to critical risks.   It passed its third reading in Parliament yesterday, despite criticisms from New Zealand First.   Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke Van Velden told...

After building and selling EnableMe, Hannah McQueen is tackling another challenge through Age Brightly. She joins Paula Bennett to talk about wealth, purpose, business and why New Zealand needs to rethink ageing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government currently spends about a billion dollars a fortnight on superannuation payments, it's a growing problem that we're running out of time to address. So who shouldn’t be counting on getting the pension in future? Shamubeel Eaqub, Simplicity chief economist and head of policy, joins Nadine Higgins with some hot takes about the future of NZ's pension scheme and his thoughts on prop...

Could the AI frenzy end in a painful market correction? Liam Dann and Tamsyn Parker discuss the warnings and what it could mean for KiwiSaver. Plus, should the Reserve Bank should leave interest rates alone? And what does the falling New Zealand dollar mean for you? The Economy of Everything is brought to you by CMC Markets.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ANZ's big cheese economist says New Zealand has a super problem - and here's how to fix it.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

IAG's Bryce Davies on government responsibility and the role insurers.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'Putting the mideast aside the currency play has been quite dramatic for the NZ market'  Mohandeep Singh Craigs Investment Partners. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The worst seems to be over when it comes to the job market.  Filled jobs rose 0.3% in May —an extra 2,515 roles— with strong gains in the service and public sectors.  The annual lift of 0.7% was the fastest in over two years.   Independent economist Cameron Bagrie told Mike Hosking in terms of the economy, it’s as if we’re on State Highway 1, travelling aroun...

Surprise over jobs in the public service rising, despite cuts planned by the Government. Seasonally-adjusted Stats NZ data shows filled jobs rose 0.3 percent last month - and 0.7 percent for the past year. The most jobs were in the public sector, with more than six-thousand jobs created in the year to May. Infometrics Economist Rob Heyes says there's still plenty of work to do in the public sector...

Kiwibank believes there’s no need to increase the Official Cash Rate just yet.  They believe the figure should be held at 2.25% when the Reserve Bank reviews it next week.  Kiwibank Chief Economist Jarrod Kerr told Mike Hosking that oil prices were a temporary shock and some of the fears around secondary inflationary pressures haven’t eventuated.  He told Mike Hosking th...

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, does National’s new Kiwisaver policy fill enough gaps in the scheme? …. Another confidence knock to our job...

In this special series of The SME Stream Podcast, Wilhelmina O’Keeffe steps inside some of Aotearoa’s most loved small and medium businesses - exploring their culture, their stories, and how coffee helps bring people and ideas together.  In this episode, Wilhelmina catches up with Toni and Christina Sills to chat about the growth,...

Our relationship with China takes centre stage in Auckland this morning.   The 12th annual China Business Summit brings together business and political leaders to explore areas for cooperation amid deepening global uncertainty.  New Zealand exported nearly $20 billion worth of goods to China last year.   Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Simon Bridges told Mike Hosking polit...