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 Reserve Bank shocks many by holding the OCR steady, but was it the right move? More Kiwis are in work, an...

The Monetary Policy Committee voted to hold the OCR at 2.75% See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Southern Cross Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Regan Savage on how employers can better support workplace health. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Salesforce's Richard Phillimore-Smith explains how AI agents could transform Kiwi businesses, lift productivity and move beyond chatbots. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forsyth Barr's Zoe Wallis breaks down the latest OCR and Fed decisions, the UK Budget and what the big economic calls mean for investors and markets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Promising signs for small businesses, even in a shaky economy.  A Xero Small Business Insights report shows sales rose 5.6% year-on-year in the September quarter.  New Zealand out-performed all four other countries Xero tracks, with sales growth ahead of Australia, the UK, the US, and Canada.  Xero Country Manager Bridget Snelling told Mike Hosking they'd like to see this momentum c...

Mike and Scott get into the metric every business owner loves to hate: KPIs. They break down why most businesses pick the wrong ones, and introduce the traffic-light system that replaces pass/fail pressure with a simple "who needs help" culture.   Drinking beer from: Panhead - Port Road Pilsner (5.2%) Eating a pie from: The Receptionist - Steak and Cheese   You'll learn: -The difference...

The farming sector is in a cyclical boomtime at the moment and we’re all hoping it will continue forever. But we’re not hearing a lot from our farmers as the election date nears. So who better to talk to about that than the host of the most popular farming programme on New Zealand radio. Jamie MacKay is the host of The Country. He’s a quintessential Kiwi bloke. He grew up farming...

Two days into the job, Roman Reyhani was confronting a $231 million question: how does New Zealand turn clever science into businesses that deliver lasting value here? The founding chief executive of the New Zealand Institute for Advanced Technology joins this week’s episode of The Business of Tech to explain his approach. The institute represents a pivot towards high-tech research and comme...

HR professionals spend their careers helping other people develop, prepare for opportunities and navigate change. But how good are they at doing the same for themselves? In this episode of  HR Unlocked , Lisa Oakley speaks with Sandy Gibbs from Tribe about preparing for career opportunities, creating stronger CVs, interviewing effectively and understanding what organisations increasingly expe...

What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't your circumstances, your experience or your resources, but the way you think? Your mindset influences everything from the opportunities you notice to the decisions you make and the actions you take. And the scary part? Most of us don't even realise how much our own thoughts are working against us. In this episode of Make It Happen, I'm breaking down...

The Reserve Bank is keeping a close eye on several factors as it weighs up whether to hike the Official Cash Rate before Christmas.  The Monetary Policy Committee voted, four votes to three, to hold the cash rate yesterday.  The shock decision has had an immediate impact on exchange rates, with the already weak Kiwi dollar seeing its biggest drop against the Aussie in almost a decade.&nb...

The Prime Minister comments on the OCR, the One News poll, Chloe Swarbrick as Finance Minister, and why true-blue National Party supporters should not split their votes to get a centre-right coalition across the line. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jodie Shipway, Deputy Mayor of Moreton Bay, on the business opportunities for Kiwi firms as Queensland gears up for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carolyn Young, Retail NZ CE, on the challenges facing retailers, hiring pressures and what it will take to deliver a strong Christmas trading season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank's surprise decision to keep the OCR on hold has had an immediate impact on the already weak New Zealand dollar. The Kiwi's had its biggest drop against the Aussie in nine years. Finance Minister Nicola Willis shares her thoughts with Ryan Bridge.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank Governor is defending voting to keep the Official Cash Rate unchanged for another six weeks. Three members of the Monetary Policy Committee voted to hike the rate to 3 percent. But four - including Governor Anna Breman - opted to stick at 2.75 percent. Breman says the effects of high fuel prices haven't been as severe as feared. "We've seen the indirect effects, so how fuel prices...

The Reserve Bank could have its hands full over the next few months, with inflation still stuck at elevated levels.   Economists are predicting the Monetary Policy Committee will lift the official cash rate by 25 basis points at 2pm today.   This would take it to 3%.   ASB's Kim Mundy told Mike Hosking we could see further hikes in December and February.  She says the Reserve B...

The Reserve Bank moved to keep the OCR on hold today, surprising experts who were expecting an increase. The Monetary Policy Committee voted four votes to three to hold the cash rate at 2.75 percent. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains what this development could mean for mortgage holders. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank moved to keep the OCR on hold, and it caused a stir among financial experts. The markets had priced in a 95 percent chance that the cash rate would go up - resulting in a sharp weakening of the New Zealand dollar. Milford Asset Management expert Remy Wisenberg explained the impacts further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is fair to say the overwhelming reaction to the Reserve Bank's decision to hold the OCR was surprise and, in some cases, shock. Everyone thought the Reserve Bank would raise the OCR. ASB says it was 95 percent priced in. Even economists who believed the OCR should be held, so as not to kill the nascent recovery, were on record saying they thought the Reserve Bank would do it anyway. They expect...

Sounds like punching down, but those paying their tax on time compete with those using unpaid tax as working capital. Garth Bray 2degrees Business wrap. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parts of the economy are picking up, but many shops, cafés and restaurants are still waiting for customers to return. With Tamsyn Parker away, Business Herald reporter Tom Raynel joins Liam Dann to discuss the squeeze on household spending, changing drinking habits and the pressures facing small businesses. They explore what’s keeping customers at home, what communities lose when thei...

Independent economist previews tomorrow’s OCR announcement, where a .25% rise is on the cards. Plus, do we have an issue with our exchange rate? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Odds are on we'll get another hike to the OCR tomorrow. It's not great timing for a Coalition government trying to get elected when cost of living is the number one issue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.