The SME Stream

New research paints a gloomier picture for business leaders.   The latest 2degrees Shaping Business Report suggests optimism about post-pandemic recovery has fallen away.   It says leaders are now shifting from recovery mode to simply playing the hand they've got.  Chief Business Officer Andrew Fairgray told Heather du Plessis-Allan people were looking for a return to normalcy in th...

Aspire Property Management's Mike Atkinson discusses tough times for landlords, calling it the worst market in 50 years.  For years the story was rental shortage, rising rents, desperate tenants, but now we’ve got softer rents in some main centres, more townhouses and apartments, and tenants needing affordability. So, the question arises, is it a renter's market, and if so, how long wil...

Could an old job be holding money you’ve forgotten about? In this episode of The Prosperity Project , Nadine Higgins speaks to NZBritannia founder Alun Rees-Williams about the UK pension money many Kiwis lose track of after working overseas. Some people discover multiple pension schemes from different jobs, and in rare cases, the amounts can be life-changing. They discuss why these funds are...

The former Minister for Primary Industries and current NZ Special Ag Trade Envoy, just back in the country, talks about Trump’s latest tariff debacle. Plus we look at the perilous state of the honey industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to chat about his Australia trip. Lat week, after it was announced four New Zealand MPs would be banned from China for a year, Australia commented condemning China's decision. Luxon responded saying it was not a matter for Australia to be involved in, but today he stated he was 'appreciative' of the support anyway.  A focus of t...

Interest rates have begun to creep back up.   New Zealand’s largest bank, ANZ, has increased its rates across the board, hiking everything by 20 basis points except the one-year rate, which only increased by 10.  It's rates now start at 4.69% for its six-month “special” and go up to 6.49% for five-year terms.   So how high will they go and what should you do? Ed Mc...

A Christchurch mother is calling for changes to bereavement leave laws.  Sheena Hemens’ 27-year-old daughter Lauren was killed in a car accident nearly three years ago.  Hemens says grief kept her from working for months, but currently, the law only provides three days of leave.  She’s launched a petition to increase minimum bereavement leave to 10 days, saying many peop...

A Christchurch mother says current bereavement leave rules don’t give families enough time to grieve.  Sheena Hemens has launched a petition to increase the minimum entitlement from three days to ten, after her 27-year-old daughter Lauren was killed in a car crash nearly three years ago.  She says most people don't realise how little time you get to grieve until tragedy strikes, an...

New data shows how unstable the construction sector is right now, with building activity dropping to a 10-year low.  Infometrics says building activity fell 3.5% in the March quarter.   The value of non-residential work in the South Island rose more than 8% as Wellington and Auckland recorded significant drops.   Combined Building Supplies Co-Op CEO Carl Taylor told Heather du Pless...

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 uncertainty for exports to the US as another potential tariff looms, Kiwis are catching up on their debt...

In episode 63 of the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast, our guest is the Founder of Orion Health, Ian McCrae. He is regarded by many as one of the early “heroes” of the New Zealand tech sector, but Ian McCrae refers to himself as simply a passionate engineering entrepreneur, and he remains committed to his mission to  leverage technology in order to improve the quality and accessibil...

When it comes to scaling high‑growth tech companies, AJ Tills has been in the engine room.  As one of Uber’s earliest hires in New Zealand, he helped the ride‑hailing giant push through regulatory resistance and turn the controversial startup into a default verb for getting around town, briefly serving as Uber’s US and Canada marketing chief of staff in New York.  Later, as c...

Australia has just handed its lowest-paid workers a 4.75% pay rise, lifting the minimum wage to just over $25-Australian-dollars an hour – which is about $32-New Zealand-dollars.   That means a full-time worker across the Tasman will now earn nearly $1004-Aussie-dollars, before tax. -- or $1216- Kiwi dollars.  Here, the minimum wage went up just 2% this year to $23.95 an...

The Prime Minister ponders his Fieldays plans, the latest Roy Morgan poll, and whether we are freeloading on defence spending. Plus, should we remain nuclear-free, and why should we even contemplate bailing out Moana Pasifika? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Higher mortgage rates have given the Reserve Bank a 'bit of breathing space', its chief economist says. Paul Conway, one of the Reserve Bank committee members who voted to keep the OCR on hold last week, said the market is doing some of the work for the central bank. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

The Trade Minister believes the US is simply looking for a new reason to reintroduce tariffs.  The Trump administration announced a new 12.5% tariff on dozens of countries, including New Zealand, Australia, and many of our major trading partners.  It's accusing us of not doing enough to prevent the importation of goods produced by forced labour.  Todd McClay told Heather du Plessis-...

A youth programme leader is delighted to see the Government prioritise early intervention through sport.   Sport and Police Minister Mark Mitchell has confirmed an $8 million cash injection for established initiatives supporting troubled young people.   Blue Light Ventures Chief Executive Brendon Crompton told Heather du Plessis Allan every dollar put into their programmes returns more t...

The hospitality squeeze continues, with a flurry of closures. Credit reporting agency Centrix says liquidations are up 49 percent year-on-year. Cafes, restaurants and takeaways made up the most of the 414 liquidations recorded in the past 12 months. Hospitality NZ CEO Kristy Phillips says the latest impacts are the cost of living and the fuel crisis. But she says businesses have taken many hits in...

Should the retirement age rise to 67? Liam Dann and Tamsyn Parker discuss the growing cost of NZ Super and whether younger generations are being asked to foot the bill. They also look at the surprising figures opposed to the potential rise in retirement age. Plus, a new levy on banks and insurers, the Heartland-TSB merger and what a split OCR vote could mean for mortgage holders.   The Econom...

TSB and Heartland Bank are looking to join forces by the end of the year. TSB owner Toi Foundation's seeking feedback on the plan to join with Heartland Bank, to the tune of $620 million. Finance Minister Nicola Willis welcomes this decision to team up and take on the big Australian banks. "That's positive, and good for the state of banking competition." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Deloitte's Robyn Walker on tax changes and how they'll affect kiwi businesses.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investment strategist, Zoe Wallis says there may be cause for optimisim in global markets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's cementing itself as a premium tourism destination.  Market data from Grand View Research estimates our luxury travel market brought in more than $8 million last year and could double by 2033.  Luxury Travel specialist Southern Crossings says overseas couples on their honeymoon for instance, consistently spend about the equivalent of a Central Auckland house deposit.  T...

Airlines are taking another hit from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.  Oil prices jumped 7% after an Iranian news agency announced Tehran has suspended the negotiations with the US.   Contributing to the dwindling stocks of jet fuel is a new ban on exports by Russia, set to last until the end of November.  Business Correspondent Vicky Pryce told Francesca Rudkin airlines are...

There's a view a merger by Heartland and TSB won't hand the big four banks a massive blow.  Heartland Bank has struck a deal to buy TSB for $620 million, pending consultation and regulator approval.  Massey University banking professor Claire Matthews says the combined bank will still be smaller than the big four, and Kiwibank.  She says a lot of work's still needed to increase comp...