Tucked away in a remote corner of the South Island, Golden Bay businesses are confident that community support and resourcefulness can see them through these tough times. One of the most striking features of Golden Bay – other than its beautiful beaches, rivers and forests – is its coffee. For a sparsely populated rural region … Read more
While the pandemic will have a deadly effect on the local industry, New Zealand fashion was already in a fragile state before the coronavirus hit, writes former FQ editor Zoe Walker Ahwa. Most days at 1pm, like everyone else trying to find some semblance of structure in their life right now, I watch the government … Read more
The weight of Covid-19 will be very unequally distributed. Duncan Greive writes about where it will land, and how those it hits might come out from under it. This is the second of a two part series – read the first here There’s a graph I keep thinking about which shows the potential strangeness of … Read more
In the first part of our new series with Kiwibank answering your questions about Covid-19’s impact on New Zealanders’ finances, a reader asks about ways to get their business through the economic downturn and take advantage of new opportunities. Kiwibank’s Nigel Gaudin responds. Dear Nigel, I run a small retail business with five staff and … Read more
Non-essential business has taken a hit over the past month, but innovative New Zealand companies are finding the silver lining. Restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 lockdown have caused some businesses to consider closing up shop for good. While some have taken this route, others have used the restrictions forced upon them to pivot into areas … Read more
As the countless graphs of Covid-19 cases have shown us, what comes up must invariably come down. Justin Connolly asks if we need to think that way about the economy. There have been many funny posts circulating on social media about life in Covid-19 lockdown. One in particular caught my eye because it was funny, … Read more
Business after Covid: The pandemic is causing enormous disruption, but disruption can be an incredibly positive force. We must grasp the chance to reset, writes Cecilia Robinson, founder of My Food Bag, in the fourth of a special business series. Out of every great challenge arises a greater opportunity. And it’s hard to think of … Read more
Business after Covid: A return to normal might seem appealing, but as Tim Brown of Allbirds writes as part of a new business series, now is the time to strive for something better. The Covid-19 crisis has yanked our freedoms out from underneath us. Our sense of safety, community, and day-to-day life is no longer … Read more
As New Zealanders await the end of alert level four and the chance to escape their homes, some are in such scenic lockdown refuges they won’t want to leave. Every morning, the 11 residents at the Lake Tekapo Holiday Park wake up to silence. It’s dense and thorough – the kind that presses on your … Read more
Business after Covid: In the second of a series featuring business leaders assessing the world that will rise after Covid-19, consultant Roger Dennis looks at the lessons that can be learned from the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake. Never waste a crisis. This should be the mantra that guides political decisions for the foreseeable future. … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Mel Lewis from Ultrella. Every day a lot of people get up and apply a layer of aluminium … Read more
Business after Covid: In the first of a series featuring business leaders assessing the world which will rise after Covid-19, Rachel Taulelei of food and beverage business Kono looks forward to a renewed commitment to kaitiakitanga. Mate atu he tētēkura, ka whakaeke mai he tētēkura As one frond perishes another grows in its place. Having … Read more
As New Zealand prepares to move out of the strictest lockdown status, we need to ask a wider question: What kind of economy to we want to build? Iain White writes. Like you, I want things to go back to the way they were. I crave normality. I miss my morning coffee from my local … Read more
On Tuesday April 28, New Zealand moves out of alert level four and to level three, giving the green light for many workplaces to reopen. What does a business have to do to open? The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has released its guidance around workplace activities and obligations under the various levels. MBIE … Read more
The country has been asked to prepare for a shift back to alert level three, which will entail the reopening of schools and early childhood education centres. Educators are worried lack of clarity around the reopening of schools could risk student and teacher safety. On Thursday, Jacinda Ardern laid out guidelines for a relaxation of … Read more
A move to level three will see a wave of businesses crank back to life, and the pressure on courier operations will surge further. Once a week, maybe twice if I’m lucky, a courier driver knocks on my front door. It’s an exciting sound, those three quick taps, and I immediately leap up from my … Read more
Even as New Zealand contemplates the end of lockdown, more closures and a major snub continue to rankle publishers, Duncan Greive reports. The magazine industry, still reeling from the abrupt closure of its biggest publisher, Bauer Media, received two further blows this week after being left out of the media session of the Epidemic Response … Read more
Fresh data shows most New Zealanders are staying at home, while activity in some regions has plummeted by 100%. Jacinda Ardern warned that week three would be the hardest period of level four lockdown, and more people would be tempted to leave their homes as the country reached the final stretch. According to Google’s latest … Read more
February 2020 is never coming back. In part one of a two part series, Duncan Greive looks at which industries will be smashed post-lockdown – and how elimination might provide unexpected opportunities to recover. As we turn to face the end of lockdown, the precise shape of which is necessarily still being determined, there’s an … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Matthew Chapman from HR search company ChapmanCG. Matthew Chapman, founder of HR search company ChapmanCG, has grown his … Read more
With more New Zealanders feeling isolated, anxious and stressed from the Covid-19 effect, the need to take a moment and establish a sense of calm has never been more important. That’s where a new free app can help. In late 2018, when mental health advocate and All Black legend Sir John Kirwan launched his company … Read more
Every pair emits 7kg of carbon. They’re putting it on the shoe so no one can miss it. Allbirds founder Tim Brown tells Duncan Greive why it’s making the move, even in the depths of the Covid-19 crisis. “We’re right in the deep darks at the moment.” Tim Brown, former All Whites footballer and co-founder … Read more
A range of scenarios has been released by Treasury, modelling the potential impact of Covid-19 on the economy. How bad could the damage be? Here’s a cheat sheet. What is the starting point for these scenarios? Treasury has looked at several different scenarios for how lockdown measures to fight Covid-19 will affect the economy, and … Read more
With many of us forced to adapt to get through Covid-19 and the lockdown, the constant juggling act of freelancers should be a source of inspiration. Waiting for pay, waiting for work. Taking what you can get in between. For many people, such an austere scenario sounds like a scene from a grey and dusty … Read more
The second week of lockdown mobility data reveals NZ remains compliant with lockdown measures. Google mobility data covering most of the second week of lockdown shows New Zealand continuing to comply with the rules imposed by the level four lockdown. Compared with week one, the country is near identical in the six categories reported on … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Pat MacFie from Manaaki. This week we have another special podcast highlighting some of the support and services … Read more
There’s a desperate scramble to stop more major media companies failing. Duncan Greive explains what’s going on – and how it might play out. The most recent edition of the reigning newspaper of the year, the Sunday Star-Times, was a pearler. It opened with a substantial analysis from political editor Luke Malpass about the tension … Read more
For those keen to avoid the long and awkward queues at supermarkets, there may be a new technological solution. Long supermarket lines have become the bane of the lockdown era, with many people worried that the overcrowding and long wait times may burst their bubbles. Those concerns have prompted a Dunedin-based software engineer to create … Read more
In times of economic uncertainty, good information can be an invaluable commodity. So we’ve been working on a way to channel it to you. For many people, knowing what to do in our radically changing economy is like trying to figure out what to do when the power in your house stops working. You’re at … Read more