The SME Stream

The Labour leader on the India Free Trade Agreement, which he calls a "botched process by the government". See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's ability to cope in the current geopolitical landscape is set to be the hot topic at the Economics Forum this week.   Leading economists, business leaders, and public sector officials are gathering at Waikato University's Management School to talk economic priorities, challenges, and opportunities.   Former Finance Minister Steven Joyce told Mike Hosking they'll discuss the...

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The Trade Minister's hitting back at suggestions the India Free Trade Agreement will lead to a flood of immigration. Foreign Minster Winston Peters has said the agreement won't let us specifically cap Indian student visas, among other commentary on the deal. Todd McClay's confirmed that's the case but says they can cap student visas from all countries - as long as India isn't specifically discrimi...

Trade Minister Todd McClay's recognised he could have been clearer about aspects of his India trade deal.   He's in battles with Foreign Minister Winston Peters about the agreement's text, which hasn't been released.   Peters has criticised student visas being uncapped but McClay says over-arching immigration settings can still change.   He told Mike Hosking the deal's being legally...

The chief executive of DairyNZ encourages farmers to vote YES in the upcoming Milksolids Levy vote.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Justice Minister says his retail crime advisory group has been successful and productive. It'll been cut short, ending in May - not the planned September - after three members resigned last month. It leaves just two members, chair and dairy owner Sunny Kaushal and liquor retailer, Ash Parmar.  Paul Goldsmith says he could have appointed more people for the next six months or wrapped it up...

The Retail Crime Group chair is brushing off criticism from former members. The Government's scrapping its retail crime Ministerial Advisory Group early after three members resigned, leaving just two members out of five. Retail NZ boss and former member Carolyn Young said her relationship with chair Sunny Kaushal made the role untenable and as a politician, he's focused on making headlines. But Ka...

There's nothing to suggest the rates of retail crime have fallen. The Government's scrapping its retail crime Ministerial Advisory Group early - after three members resigned.  Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith's confirmed it'll wrap up in May - not the scheduled September end date.  Retail NZ CEO and former group member, Carolyn Young told Ryan Bridge there are no signs offending is fallin...

Regional Development Minister Shane Jones is defending the financial track record of his regional funds. Around half of Crown Regional Holdings' loan book is considered at risk of default. Most of the $433 million portfolio covers the Provincial Growth Fund and the current Regional Infrastructure Fund, were both looked over by Shane Jones. Jones says his party supports investment in regions. "Not...

More consistency across the Tasman in the standards for goods and services - could reduce administrative burdens and free up business capacity.  A new agreement aims to streamline operations, reduce costs, improve quality and meet regulatory requirements in New Zealand and Australia. Infometrics chief executive Brad Olsen told Ryan Bridge we were out of kilter with the Aussies on about 24 sta...

More companies are reporting their profits from the final portion of 2025, and it's sparking investigation into what investors need to pay attention to. Harbour Asset Management expert Shane Solly explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Forsyth Barr's Zoe Wallis has all the investment tips for your Monday morning.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was having a good old debate with a mate at the weekend about interest rates.  We're of the age where, mortgages are a thing.  In Auckland, quote a bog and annoying thing.  Paying them down is the aim of the game.  Now this mate of mine knows a bit more about this stuff than I do and watches the markets closely. He's worried about the middle of the year - potentially this rec...

In this episode, Iyia breaks down why staying focused as a business owner feels so hard when you’re juggling nonstop decisions, interruptions, and mental load, and why it’s not a discipline issue, it’s a system issue. She explains “attention residue” and how constant task-switching keeps you stuck in reaction mode, then shares practical strategies to regain control: s...

The Prime Minister remains hopeful for a fall in unemployment this year. Unemployment's reached a 10 year high of 5.4% - with Auckland's unemployment rate rising again to 6.4%. Job numbers have increased, but that's been offset by more people joining or re-joining the labour market. Chris Luxon told Mike Hosking that the economy's rebounding, and that should flow through to the job market soon. He...

The job market's remaining tougher, for longer, than many economists were expecting.  Unemployment's reached a ten-year high of 5.4% in the December quarter, and the broader under-utilisation rate is close to a ten-year high as well, at 13%.  Finance Minister Nicola Willis is trying to point out silver linings, saying the data also shows more jobs have been created, and hours worked are...

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, Unemployment is up but is the picture as bad as it sounds? Insurance premiums are in the spotlight as the gov...

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New jobs data out today spells worry for New Zealand’s economy.  The unemployment rate was 5.4% in the December 2025 quarter – the highest since September 2015.  Most banks had expected unemployment to hold steady at 5.3%, ASB was a bit more bullish picking 5.2%.  It means 165,000 people were unemployed last quarter – a quarterly increase of 5,000 people....

There are hopes things will gradually turn a corner for Canterbury milk processing firm Synlait.  It's revealed it expects to report a $77 to $82 million half-year loss, due to the ongoing impact of previous "manufacturing challenges” at its Dunsandel plant.  Ashburton-based supplier Willy Leferink says suppliers are worried, but they have supply contracts to honour, and what reall...

New Zealand's economic recovery could be more of a crawl, or a climb, than a bounce.  The job market remains tough, with unemployment now at a ten-year high.  EMA Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald told Ryan Bridge it's going to take a while for improved conditions and Government policy changes to flow through to the job market.  ASB Senior Economist Mark Smith says while jobs are being...

The Government has launched a review into soaring home insurance costs - to take place over a six-month period. This investigation comes as AA Insurance moves to pause new home insurance offers across the South Island. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny unpacked what we can expect from this deep dive. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.