Both the outbreak and the measures put in place to staunch it are already having a major impact on New Zealand businesses. It won’t solve all your problems, but amid the maelstrom you can introduce some simple practical measures for health and infection control, writes former public health worker Richard Simpson. How do you plan … Read more
Justin McLeod invented the dating app Hinge twice: once for smartphones, and once more for romantics. He talks about why being open to change is the best path to true love. Six years ago, the online dating service Hinge threw all its money into a launch party before its app was even approved by the … Read more
Former head of Newshub Hal Crawford surveys Australian media, and finds it significantly changed in less than four years. I have a strange relationship with Australian media. In some ways I’m an insider: I’ve worked in the industry for 25 years, I know people from most major companies, and I have a lot of affection … 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 Florence and Chloe Van Dyke from Chia Sisters. What happens if you combine neuroscience, herbal medicine, and a … Read more
Kiwibank’s chief economist Jarrod Kerr looks back to SARS, and into the future, to help make sense of this once-in-a-generation economic storm. Covid-19 has drawn comparisons to the 2003 SARS outbreak, but those who lived through that should know that this is a very different era. Hits to our short-term confidence, business’s supply chains and … Read more
Financial markets around the world have been jumpy this week, with fears around the coronavirus putting them on edge. What does it mean for New Zealand? US Stocks Plummet Amid Oil Fears. Wall Street Plunges in Worst Drop Since 2008. Sharemarket Recovers From Sharp Losses. Bold headlines have dominated the business news over the past … Read more
Cameo is a website where fans can pay for their favourite movie, television, sports or social media star to send them personalised video messages. In the throes of a full-face rash, I paid two of the country’s top sportspeople to send some positive vibes my way. For a while I’ve been obsessed with the idea … Read more
While it sounds like something a movie bad guy might hatch, Auckland Council’s updated ‘Masterplan’ to make the city centre liveable isn’t too villainous, unless you think road cones are evil. What’s the plan? It’s not so much a plan as a vision of how Auckland might look in 20 years. Under the City Centre … Read more
The price of crude oil is absolutely tanking right now, because supply is being ramped up at a time when demand is unusually low. What’s going on? Here’s a cheat sheet explaining all. What’s all this then? Russia and Saudi Arabia, two incredibly large producers of oil, have basically declared economic war on the rest … Read more
A climate change court challenge against some of Aotearoa’s largest corporates will go ahead after the High Court on Friday refused to strike it out, reports Cat McLennan. Over the past few years, court proceedings have been mounted in a number of countries to challenge lack of action on climate change by both government and … Read more
Trying to directly assist individual firms is a fool’s errand. Monetary policy is approaching its limits. We need to look to bigger, aggressive action, writes former Reserve Bank economist Michael Reddell. The economic implications of the Covid-19 public health emergency are formidable, and are growing by the day. Most of what we’ve seen in New … Read more
The proposed merger of RNZ and TVNZ has one clear international precedent – Irish national broadcaster RTÉ. Michael Andrew asks what New Zealand can learn from the Irish model. There’s a touch of comedy in the idea of a merger between RNZ and TNVZ, almost as if the two organisations were unfamiliar step siblings forced … Read more
Female leaders have historically been forced to tread lightly in order to succeed in male-dominated industries. But as IT executive Hilary Walton writes, women don’t need to change – the system does. Imagine for a minute you’re a female manager. You overexert yourself to be nice and likeable at work while still trying to balance … 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 Grace Stratton from All is for All. Around a quarter of New Zealanders have accessibility considerations, but very … Read more
The Covid-19 coronavirus continues to tax New Zealand’s economy with crippled exports and stagnant manufactures choking supply chains. But what’s the reality at the front line of New Zealand retail – the malls? Take a stroll through any Westfield mall and you’re not likely to find grim scenes of desolate stores with bare shelves. Despite … Read more
Senior news executives have reacted with disappointment and anger to a new taxpayer-funded RNZ ad campaign attacking their work and business models, writes Duncan Greive. RNZ has launched a new brand campaign which takes explicit aim at its commercial competition, attacking both advertising-funded and paywalled news sites. The campaign is running on out-of-home media and … 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 Andrea Watson, Sparrows CEO and founder, and Simon Yarrow, who leads Callaghan Innovation’s agritech team. Agricultural exports are … Read more
You might be trying to reduce your carbon footprint in everyday life, but what about in death? Alex Casey talks to Becs Bartells, founder of Outside the Box about creating the perfect cardboard casket. Becs Bartells often forgets she has an empty coffin sitting in the back of her station wagon, which can make for … Read more
NZME, New Zealand’s largest media company, released its 2019 financial report yesterday. Michael Andrew checks in on the health of huge brands like the NZ Herald and Newstalk ZB. It was apparently a good year for NZME, which yesterday reported a strong financial performance with $19.7m operating profit and the growth in its digital subscriptions … Read more
Early model electric vehicles are already running low on juice, with some batteries down to around half their original capacity. With the international auto industry slow to find solutions, one New Zealand company is using Kiwi ingenuity to repurpose old batteries and keep the cars – and their owners – going further for longer. As … Read more
Last week Nick Loosley, founder of food waste and food poverty charity Everybody Eats, was named the 2020 Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero of the Year. He talked to Alex Braae about how a more sustainable approach to our food system can help feed those in need. There’s a theme of reconnection that runs through … Read more
The rise of litigation funding in New Zealand puts politicians and business leaders on notice – their actions will now be policed by a powerful new sheriff, writes Chris Lee. In business, as in life, there may be a range of thought processes that quell the temptation to cheat. One would hope that for the … Read more
Host Duncan Greive is joined by The Spinoff editor Toby Manhire to discuss the dramatic events surrounding RNZ this month on The Spinoff’s media podcast, The Fold. It’s an institution whose major point-of-difference is its stability – while the rest of media is slashing and pivoting, RNZ has shows which run for decades without major … Read more
He thought he’d moved on, but the news the Holden brand was being killed off hit Trevor McKewen harder than he expected. Here he reminisces about a youthful infatuation that never quite burned out. A part of me died this week and I didn’t see it coming. Holden has shut up shop permanently. American parent … Read more
Jennifer Ward-Lealand’s dedication to acting, directing and te ao Māori saw her named the 2020 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year at a special dinner in Auckland last night. Alice Webb-Liddall speaks to her about how she hopes to nurture the future of the craft that has given her so much. Back in the 80s … 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 Pranav Chopra, founder and CEO of Nemi Teas. On Business is Boring this week, Simon Pound speaks with … Read more
The dreaded pea weevil is no more in the Wairarapa, after a successful eradication effort. So why does this matter? OK, what on earth is a pea weevil? It’s a type of leaf beetle, so not actually a weevil after all, but the name is the name. Basically it gets into pea plants while they’re … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, e-bikes are now just a tap away! Josie Adams reviews the latest disruption in transport culture. When Lime launched in 2018, New Zealand’s transport culture got the electric shock it needed. For too long we’d had traffic pile-ups, bus … Read more
With more than a thousand locations in 250 cities worldwide, UK company Stasher allows travellers to store their luggage while offering local businesses a way to earn extra cash. Having recently launched in New Zealand, co-founder and CEO Jacob Wedderburn-Day explains how the business works. How did Stasher start and what was the inspiration behind … Read more