The SME Stream

Labour's leader is doubling down on his concern about the India-New Zealand free trade agreement's $33 billion Kiwi investment target.  The party's finally agreed to support the FTA, but is warning businesses to proceed at their own risk.  Chris Hipkins says the multi-billion-dollar target is unrealistic.  He says down the line, it could affect businesses that redirect exports to In...

I see ACT is flying a kite on free money for school kids.  Which sounds odd given the party's aversion to free lunches.  Seymour's talking about giving each Year 11 student, 5th form, $500 each to invest. It'd cost $30 million a year and could be funded via the KiwiSaver subsidy.  They'd be able to invest in a term deposit, managed fund, and equities. It'd be a controlled fund so th...

Artificial intelligence isn’t coming to the New Zealand public sector – it’s already here. AI is shaping everything from your tax bill to how quickly police process crime reports. And right now, it’s happening in a way that’s fast, fragmented and largely hidden from public view. On the latest episode of  The Business of Tech , I talk to BusinessDesk journalist C&...

After a tough day at the office yesterday, the Prime Minister is all fired up over the media, Winston and the Indian FTA. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The revamped Golden Visa is providing a major boost to the economy. The Active Investor Plus visa's brought in $1.5 billion, with another $2.4 billion in the pipeline.  More than 600 applications have been lodged since last April, from nearly 2,000 people.  Immigration Minister Erica Stanford told Mike Hosking she's thrilled with those numbers.  She says the impact for individual bu...

Labour is still mulling whether to back the India free-trade agreement, despite it being set to be signed on Monday. Speaking to the Herald after Labour’s caucus met on Tuesday, leader Chris Hipkins couldn’t say how close the party was to finalising its position on the agreement, but said it was continuing to talk to the Government “in good faith”. NZ Herald Wellington busi...

The Reserve Bank may have to hike the OCR sooner than expected, with inflation tracking higher than forecast.  Inflation remains at 3.1% – unchanged on three months ago.  ASB economists say the central bank could be facing a "nightmare scenario" of soaring inflation, against the backdrop of a fragile economy.  Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Ryan Bridge it’s increasing...

Imagine having a financial adviser in your pocket. With AI innovations transforming what finance apps are capable of, that reality might not be too far away. Instead of just tracking your spending, saving and investments, advances internationally are increasingly seeing the apps able to do everything from scanning the market for better deals or returns, to making recommendations and then executing...

Inflation was higher than it should be, even before factoring in the full impact of the war on Iran.  Stats NZ data shows the inflation rate remained unchanged at 3.1% in the March quarter.  Internationally driven tradeable inflation dipped to 2.5% and the domestically driven non-tradeable rate was unchanged at 3.5%.  The Herald's Liam Dann told Kerre Woodham these figures come befo...

'About 50% of the rally we've seen over the last few weeks has been driven by equity fundamentals.' Alice Mew - Craigs Investment Partners See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister is concerned about an expected spike in inflation.  The inflation rate has remained unchanged at 3.1% in the March quarter, despite forecasts of a drop.  ASB economists now expect it to approach 4.5% this quarter, remain above 4% until the end of the year, and remain above 3% until at least the middle of next year.  Nicola Willis told Mike Hosking there's no dou...

Will Labour’s trade spokesperson have breaking news on the Indian FTA after today’s caucus? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NZFOA Chief Executive comments on the Indian FTA and challenging times for the forestry industry, off the back of the fuel crisis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inland Revenue is reminding crypto-investors of their tax obligations.   The agency says it has identified 355 thousand unique crypto-asset users in New Zealand conducting some 57 million transactions.  It says any profit from selling, trading, or exchanging the assets is taxable as income.  Tax Partner at Dentons, Bruce Bernacchi told Mike Hosking there’s quite a lot of misun...

Apples & kiwifruit export quotas tied to NZ help with productivity gains for Indian orchards; council says fast-track approval for Sunfield development ignored flood risks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's inflation numbers could represent calm before the storm.  Annual inflation's likely to have fallen in the first quarter of this year after ending last year at 3.1%.   BNZ is picking 3.1%, KiwiBank's is picking 3%, ASB and ANZ are picking 2.9%, and Westpac is picking 2.8%.  ASB Senior Economist Mark Smith told Ryan Bridge that the future trajectory is more important.   H...

The latest NZIER Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion has revealed business confidence has taken a hit for the March quarter. Only a net 1 percent of firms expect better general economic conditions over the coming months on a seasonally adjusted basis. EMA Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald says people were expecting the economy to get better - and this conflict put an economic 'handbrake' on recovery...

The Finance Minister has raised some concerns over NZ First's bid to break up the supermarket duopoly.  NZ First has announced that if re-elected, it will split Foodstuffs into two nationwide co-operates: one for New World and Four Square, and the other for Pak'nSave.  Nicola Willis says it's good idea, but it needs to be carefully implemented.  "That's why I've been taking my time...

'Aspiration to invest $33b in 15 years. "I'd be very surprised if we get anwhere in coo-wee of that, however it indicates that the doors are open to NZ" See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'We're more exposed as an economy to the Middle East pressure point' Shane Solly - Harbour Asset Management. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talks are set to resume this week in Pakistan, but currently it's unconfirmed whether Iran will be in attendance. Previous talks have been unsuccessful, and over the weekend the Strait of Hormuz was opened and then reclosed by Iran after the US continued to block Iranian ports.  This instability has raised questions over the ever-increasing fuel prices.  Business correspondent Vicky Pryc...

Tesla and Boeing results in the spotlight as reporting season continues. Forsyth Barr's Zoe Wallis joins the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Your biggest obstacle in business is not money, time, or the right idea. It is the voice in your head. In this episode, I break down why your brain turns against you when you start building something, and five simple tools to take back control and redirect that mental energy toward the life you actually want. Ready to build a business that changes your life? Join my Business Masterclass and get th...

Today's inflation numbers won't reflect the full impact of the war in the Middle East.  The first quarter of this year's expected to show a dip in annual inflation after 2025 ended with a rate of 3.1%.   Bank economists are predicting an inflation rate between 2.8 and 3.1%.  BNZ Chief Economist Mike Jones told Mike Hosking despite not showing the current picture, there will still be...

Tesla and Boeing results in the spotlight as reporting season continues. Forsyth Barr's Zoe Wallis joins the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.