Jihee Junn 
Wisdom and experience come with age, but these young people are proving to be wise beyond their years. We’ve picked out ten Kiwi business moguls aged 30 years or under that are promising good things for the future of New Zealand business. We love to perpetuate the stereotype of the slacker millennial, spending hours on … Read more
A handful of employers in the retail, hospitality, food manufacturing and events industry have gone above and beyond the minimum wage requirement by paying all their staff at least $20.55 per hour – in line with the official living wage for 2018. Here, they explain why they believe paying staff properly is important and how … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, it’s all about the government’s compulsory recall of Takata airbags. This article was published in April 2018 Remind me, what’s being recalled again? Airbags. More specifically, airbags manufactured by the Japanese company Takata. A fault was discovered in … Read more
Smoked kahawai, hāngi-cooked pork and watercress dressing are just a selection of what fusion food truck Pūhā & Pākehā has to offer. Jihee Junn talks to one-half of the couple behind the rising business on filling a gap in the market, the challenges of cooking fusion food, and why a permanent restaurant might well be … Read more
For the greater good of television, three industry heavyweights put their differences aside for the launch of research and advocacy group ThinkTV in New Zealand. Jihee Junn tags along to see what the fuss is all about. It’s not every day you have the heads of New Zealand’s three biggest TV providers on stage at … Read more
The honesty box our cashless society has been waiting for has arrived in the form of an online app. Jihee Junn talks to the Taranaki-based developer behind My Honesty Box to find out how it works, why it doesn’t take commission, and how it already has interest from vendors in the United States. Honesty boxes … Read more
Nick Mowbray, the entrepreneurial brains behind the brand that brought us Robo Fish, X-Shot and Bunch O Balloons, talks to Jihee Junn about YouTube, sustainability (or lack thereof) and the $27 million loss caused by the collapse of US retailer Toys ‘R’ Us. At last week’s Better by Design summit at Villa Maria Estate, Nick … Read more
From a platform that helps you lend support to the Māori economy to a system that allows you to donate your transactions fees to charitable causes, this year’s cohort for the second ever Kiwibank FinTech Accelerator promises big things for the future of the country’s financial system. Sharesies was built on a simple idea: to make investing … Read more
It’s food delivery app versus food delivery app as we pit the industry’s two main competitors in a head to head battle. Which one is fastest, cheapest and easiest to use? Jihee Junn weighs up the pros and cons of each one by doing what she does best – buying lunch. Ordering in is the new eating … Read more
What do deprivation, bar location and time of day all have in common? They all affect the rate of assault in New Zealand. It’s safe to say that when it comes to assaults, alcohol matters. In 2009, the New Zealand police estimated that approximately 31% of all recorded crime (including assault) was perpetrated by an … Read more
For years, Milo has (literally) been milking its Health Star Rating thanks to a loophole which allows calculations on an ‘as prepared’ basis. Jihee Junn looks at how the Milo’s removal of its rating puts the spotlight back on the system’s shortcomings and why the HSR is due for a serious review. Milo has always … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, Jihee Junn finds out what all the fuss is about with global doughnut brand Krispy Kreme, which launched in New Zealand this week. Doughnuts! Delicious! What’s your favourite? Can’t go wrong with a good ol’ glazed. There are few … Read more
For thousands of New Zealanders in the past year, food delivery has become synonymous with UberEats as customers love it for its simplicity and convenience. But what about the restaurants? What’s it like to be on the other side of the table? Jihee Junn talks to Auckland restaurant owners to reflect on a year of … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, we explain why swimming at some of Auckland’s best beaches might just be a terrible idea. So why can’t I swim at the beach? It’s contaminated. By what? Poop. Excrement. Fecal matter. And a few other nasty rogue … Read more
A life in plastic doesn’t have to be all bad. Just ask Kiwi company Globelet, whose recycled plastic cups have brought the reusable revolution to some of New Zealand’s biggest summer events. ‘Tis the season of live music and sports — Splore, Womad, T20 cricket to name a few — but once the bands clear … Read more
Before opening for the inimitable Foo Fighters on Saturday night, Rivers Cuomo and Scott Shriner of Weezer sat down with Jihee Junn to talk about what’s changed (and what hasn’t) during the band’s 20+ years of making some of the most infectious and iconic music. Drenched. Doused. Soaked to the bone. However you describe it, the Foo … Read more
Driverless cars are all the rage right now, but you don’t have to be a Google or Tesla to have your head in the game. Jihee Junn talks to Auckland-based company HMI Technologies about Ohmio, its self-driving subsidiary set to deploy its first shuttles at Christchurch Airport later this year. On most days along the … Read more
The Spinoff continues its deep dive into the world of weird and wonderful fashion and asks: is luxury French fashion house Maison Margiela taking inspiration from a 90s Kiwi television icon? Since its start in 1981, What Now? has managed to accomplish a lot of things in its 37-year history. It’s become New Zealand’s longest-running … Read more
Stats NZ’s decision to exclude sex, gender and sexuality from its upcoming census has come in for criticism from the queer community. But it turns out businesses in New Zealand – most recently Southern Cross Health Society – are already well ahead of the curve. Despite announcing back in 2015 that ‘gender diverse’ would join … Read more
A woman prime minister having a baby while in office? It’s already happened once, in Pakistan. As the fervour ensues over Jacinda Ardern’s bombshell announcement, many have been asking: “How historic is this really?” We know it’s unusual – it’s not every day you have a female head of government, let alone one that’s three … Read more
The Kiwi footwear has become a favourite of Silicon Valley elites. But are the shoes now furnishing the feet of top Republican and speaker of the house Paul Ryan? Jihee Junn investigates As the fire and fury raged through Washington DC, Donald Trump took to his Camp David retreat earlier this week to hash out … Read more
Kids around the world are flexing their entrepreneurial muscles by making, selling and marketing the latest craze in tactile fun: slime. Jihee Junn talks to one Auckland-based 11-year-old who’s decided to cash in. Update, 22 August 2018: Katharina Weischede has launched a Givealittle campaign to fight kids entertainment giant Nickelodeon, which is opposing her ‘Slime … Read more
Jihee Junn visits Microsoft’s sprawling headquarters in Seattle to find out how the tech giant is clawing its way back to relevance. This post was first published on November 6, 2017. In Cupertino, California, Apple is on the verge of completing its mothership – a glistening monolith of immaculate Norman Foster design. Its seamless curves and … Read more
‘Vote with your wallet’ they say, which is why Conscious Consumers wants to make sure you cast your vote in the right place by linking your values to the businesses that match them. Jihee Junn talks to co-founder and CEO Ben Gleisner about turning ethical consumerism into a mainstream reality. Christmas time turns us all … Read more
In 2014, New Zealand was one of the first countries to legalise peer-to-peer lending. Jihee Junn takes a look at what effect it’s had on the country’s borrowers, lenders and financial institutions three years on. You might not remember much of it, but a lot of stuff happened back in 2014: John Key romped home … Read more
One of these things is a lot like the other – which is why Allbirds is suing Steve Madden for allegedly copying its signature Wool Runners. Three years ago, former All Whites player Tim Brown set out to make a woollen shoe. In 2017, everyone from Larry Page to Mindy Kaling is sporting Allbirds, rounding … Read more
Now in its second year, the annual Bad Taste Food Awards run by Consumer NZ looks past the marketing hoopla to show some foods aren’t quite as harmless as they seem. Jihee Junn looks at this year’s (un)lucky winners. ‘Fat-free’ or ‘sugar-free’? ‘High in protein’ or ‘low in sodium’? Which is better? Which is worse? … Read more
When you need to go, you need to go – unless you’re the type of person who has a hard time telling. Jihee Junn talks to the team behind wearable bladder sensor Uri-Go, winner of Callaghan Innovation’s C-Prize for 2017. Five and a half years ago, Mike Brown broke his back, leaving him paralysed from … Read more
Google sister company and darling of the smart home industry Nest has finally arrived in New Zealand. Jihee Junn tries out its range of safety and security products, concluding that while Nest might not be for everyone, stalking people on camera sure is a hell of a lot of fun. Before companies like Google and … Read more