The SME Stream

The Finance Minister says anxiety about tariffs will be playing a part in slowing down New Zealand's economic recovery.  Unemployment's reached a five-year high of 5.2%.  Economists think it could rise even higher before it starts turning around.  Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking tariffs aren't great, but some people may have been more worried than they should be.  She says the...

Government debt levels are rising globally - with many at risk of permanent structural deficits if they can't bring down interest bills each year. Cutting spending and increasing taxes is an unpopular concept among voters, so experts are wondering what the next steps could be. Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton explains further. LISTEN ABOVE The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general inf...

New Zealand businesses owe more than $1.4 billion in unpaid GST and PAYE from the 2025 tax year, according to new reports. Of 2025's number, $432.9 million relates to employer activities and $1.047 billion to GST. IRD Customer Segment Manager Tony Morris says this data's in line with what's happening overseas - but it's an area they aim to put more focus on. "What we're seeing is a bit of an incre...

2025 is nearly halfway over - and it's been a memorable one for the markets so far. Between new developments in AI, ongoing economic uncertainty and Donald Trump's string of tariff announcements, investors have had to contend with a lot of unique factors. Fisher Funds expert Sam Dickie explains further - and reveals what investors can expect for the months ahead. LISTEN ABOVE The podcasts in the&n...

New Zealand has yet to hear from the US ahead of Donald Trump's latest tariff deadline – 4pm today, New Zealand time.  The White House says all countries will have heard from the US by that time.  The US President has indicated he'll raise tariffs, including the 10% baseline tariff imposed on goods from New Zealand and most other countries.  Trade Minister Todd McClay told Mik...

Agriculture is leading the way as the country's top performing industry.   Xero’s latest Insights report shows consistent under-performance in New Zealand’s small business sector in the past year, with sales falling by 0.1% in the June quarter.  Country manager Bridget Snelling told Mike Hosking sectors that are more sensitive to consumer spending and interest rates are being...

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.  This week, the government’s scrapping surcharges on bank cards but will we actually save more money? Unemployme...

This week, founder and managing partner of property investment company Opes Partners, Andrew Nicol, shares his best and worst money stories with Liam Dann. From his family's financial struggles growing up in Christchurch, bothering banks for their reports for a school competition, choosing a career over uni - and how that led to him buying his first home at 19, sparking a career and a business The...

Concrete might be the backbone of modern society, but it comes at a steep carbon cost. As global climate pressures intensify, the business of “greening” this essential material is heating up, and few are more determined to crack the code than Zarina Bazoeva, co-founder of Neocrete. In the latest episode of The Business of Tech, Zarina sits down for an in-depth interview about how her N...

The New Zealand Chambers of Commerce have warned that the Government’s proposed ban on retail payment surcharges risks hitting small businesses with higher costs. Simon Bridges, CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber, acknowledged that the Government was trying to protect consumers from additional fees - but voiced concerns about what this ban could do for smaller operators. He says the ban is...

The Government has begun looking for possible areas for cutbacks for next year's Budget.  Associate Finance Minister David Seymour said he hopes the Government can equal or exceed the savings achieved in its first two Budgets.  He says the Government's trying to reduce its spending from about 35% of GDP to about 31%.  Seymour told Mike Hosking it's an ongoing process of "looking beh...

Jeremy Williamson, head of private wealth and markets at Craigs Investment Partners, recently claimed there was momentum building for Kiwis to move away from investing in property - but one expert has suggested differently. Matt Ball from the Property Investors Federation acknowledged people were getting more savvy about outside investments and that the property market was changing, but claimed th...

Recent data shows there were 27,850 fewer jobs in New Zealand in June compared to the year before, and young Kiwis are being hit hard by a tightening labour market. Over 12,000 of those lost jobs came from the construction sector, manufacturing lost 5850 jobs, professional, scientific and technical services lost 5150 jobs and admin and support services lost 4860 jobs. Infometrics principal economi...

The Commerce Minister says he's disappointed in businesses who say they will pass on the cost of surcharge scrapping.   Most in-store surcharges on card payments will be banned, with the changes set to kick in next May.   Scott Simpson says this is a win for consumers.   He told Mike Hosking they've also taken action on the fees banks charge businesses.   Simpson says those rat...

The Government's recent ban on on payment card surcharges has been met with criticism from the retail and hospitality sectors. The Government's announced it will scrap extra in-store card fees by next May. The Commerce Commission has already reduced bank interchange visa and master card fees for businesses. Dairy and Business Owners Group chair Ankit Bansal says these proposed changes are 'unfair'...

The Consumer Price Index over the June quarter was lower than expected at 2.7%, and it could mean a rate cut by the Reserve Bank next month.  So is the New Zealand investment winter over?  Shane Solly is a director at Harbour Asset Management and he joins Tim Beveridge for Smart Money.  LISTEN ABOVE The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not...

Trusts are billed as a way to protect your assets and pass your wealth on to the next generation, and they’ve become a common thing for a family to set-up.    But the rules around them have changed significantly over the years – so are they still useful, or more hassle than they’re worth? Henry Stokes is a trust specialist and Perpetual Guardian’s General Council,...

More uncertainty this week for Kiwi businesses exporting into the US. Donald Trump has agreed to a new trade deal with the EU this morning, which includes a 15% tariff on EU imports to the US. Trump's also indicated he'll raise the baseline tariff all countries face, from 10-percent to 15-percent. Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking New Zealand hasn't been advised of an increase. He says they've a...

Times are tough, many businesses unable to survive the cost of living crisis and downturned economy.  Cultural institutions and smaller businesses alike are closing up shop, and Kevin Milne is dismayed by the loss of Kiwi enterprises.  One in particular, the colourful Matakana ceramics firm Morris & James, is particularly saddening for him.  LISTEN ABOVE  The podcasts in th...

The number of Kiwis making withdrawals from their KiwiSaver due to hardship is on the rise.  In the year to June, more than 50,000 were made, compared to 18,000 five years ago.  Early withdrawals can have compounding effects on someone’s financial future – so what other options are there?  Lisa Dudson joined Jack Tame to delve into the topic and offer up some other ideas...

The job market is slowly rebounding from last year's low point.   SEEK's latest Employment Report shows job ads dropped for a second month, down three percent month on month.  Applications per job ad fell two percent.  Country Manager Rob Clark told Mike Hosking this is just a small drop, and we're still at record unemployment levels.  He says the job market in the last 12 mont...

 [VIDEO EPISODE ON YOUTUBE & SPOTIFY]PrimerAI founder Sean Gourley was behind the Pentagon’s Project Maven. Now, he’s investing in the next wartime technology frontier - drones. 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 i...

Stock exchange operator NZX chief executive Mark Peterson has resigned from the role - and will step down at the end of April 2026. Peterson explained that the time was right for him to stand down and for the board to look for a new chief executive. He says he's overseen plenty of challenges and successes in the role over the last few years. "You've got to make these tough calls - but we've also,...

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. This week, Inflation has crept up again so what will that mean for interest rates? After a tough period, there’s optimism...

With Big Tech hyperscalers investing billions in local data centres and the Government taking a cloud-first stand, the migration of our data and applications to cloud platforms is in full swing. But as David Reiss, my guest on this week’s episode of The Business of Tech, told me that moving to the cloud isn’t necessarily the panacea if you are looking to lower the ongoing costs of runn...