MediaWorks’ owners have called time after years of losses from its TV division. Sources say the company will announce it is for sale – if no buyers emerge, it will close within months. Three is facing the biggest crisis in its three decade history today, as its ownership will soon announce the channel is for … 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 Campbell Brown, CEO of PredictHQ. This week we talk to Campbell Brown, the CEO of amazing NZ founded … Read more
There’s an innovation renaissance brewing in post-earthquake Christchurch as multicultural entrepreneurship replaces the old boys’ network. This required a new name, writes Steven Moe. An unusual name that evokes images from Harry Potter is fine by the Ministry of Awesome, because it immediately sets it apart. Founded in the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes, the … Read more
In their quest for a cashless society the Japanese have beaten New Zealand to its own next-gen shopping experience. New Zealanders are missing out to the Japanese on a Kiwi technology that is set to eliminate supermarket queues. The first store to implement the SmartCart cashierless shopping system will be in Osaka, not Auckland, despite … Read more
He was the prototypical high school nerd, hanging on Don Brash’s every word. Then the financial world turned upside down. This is the story of how Kiwibank’s Jarrod Kerr became a most unconventional economist. In 2008, Jarrod Kerr was working at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia when the global financial crisis hit like a financial … Read more
New collaborative gifting platform Joyable is looking to shake up how we group-purchase gifts. Co-founders (and sisters) Rochelle Sheldon and Kimberley Crossman explain how their latest venture works. Joyable (not to be confused with the social anxiety-reducing app of the same name) is a somewhat left-field move for co-founder Rochelle Sheldon. Having spent the better … Read more
Are there really not enough women in New Zealand’s commercial history worth recognising? Business editor Maria Slade discovers it all depends on where you look. There are 171 people in the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame. Just 15 of them are women. It’s an eyebrow-raising statistic, given educational non-profit Young Enterprise established the Hall … 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 Kiri Nathan, the co-founder of a Māori-inspired fashion brand that’s been gifted to some of the world’s biggest … Read more
The FMA’s annual sense check of KiwiSaver shows New Zealanders continue to embrace the scheme but the fees they’re being charged may not be doing them any favours. Who is the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) and what’s this report? The FMA is the government gatekeeper for our financial markets, and it is one of several … Read more
A recording of a toy store Christmas marketing meeting has been leaked to Emily Writes. Despite the danger involved, she has chosen to release these tapes for the benefit of parents. The following will chill you to the bone. I knew it had to be released when it turned up on my front door wrapped … Read more
How New Zealand startup myReflection is making bespoke, affordable, mass-produced breast prostheses using 3D printing. In a garage on Auckland’s Te Atatu Peninsula, dozens of 3D printers work mechanically away to a rhythmic, whirring hum. On a nearby table sits an array of white “blobs” – some large, some small, some more spherical than others. … Read more
A footwear company goes into administration, the latest in a string of troubles. Is the industry hanging by a thread? Footwear company Ziera has gone into voluntary administration, leaving the future of its 45 stores uncertain. The family-owned business was founded in 1946 as Kumfs and currently employs 250 people across its stores here and … Read more
As disappointed farmers deal with Fonterra’s poor performance it emerges a new multi-million dollar cheese plant is hardly being used. Business editor Maria Slade reports. Fonterra once called it “the single largest foodservice investment in New Zealand’s dairy industry”. Now its $240 million mozzarella cheese plant at Clandeboye near Temuka is sitting close to idle … 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 Brianne West, founder of plastic-free cosmetics company Ethique. On the podcast this week we have an amazing guest, … Read more
Simplicity has fired a shot across traditional mortgage providers’ bows – and says if you think home loan rates are as low as they can go, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Mortgage rates could be a whole lot lower, argues KiwiSaver provider Simplicity which has launched the cheapest home loan in the market. From November … Read more
For the first time a universal international standard for sex toys is being considered. Emily Writes goes balls deep to see what New Zealand’s biggest adult retailer and the observer to the Project Committee thinks. Stats on just how many people own sex toys are hard to come by (no pun intended). But there’s no … Read more
ACN is a reseller of 2degrees plans but seems to rely more on recruiting people than selling product. Cameron Wilkinson does the maths and discovers a classic MLM scheme. This story was amended on October 9, 2019 to reflect that the Federal Court of Australia found ACN is not a pyramid scheme. The Spinoff regrets … Read more
Business confidence is at its worst level since the financial crisis and interest rate cuts aren’t doing the job. The government needs to step up, writes Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr. Business confidence is crumbling. In two surveys out this week firms have highlighted weak demand, capacity constraints, government policy uncertainty, and poor pricing power … Read more
They might be on the pricier side but books editor Catherine Woulfe is feeling much better using startup Little & Brave’s compostable nappies to deal with her daughter’s epic poos. Our daughter is a champion shitter. From day one she had an innate sense of timing: we’d place her on high on the change table, … Read more
Fonterra has unveiled its new pared-back ambitions along with its dismal 2019 result. Business editor Maria Slade analyses what it all means. Kāpiti cheese no longer made on the Kāpiti Coast. On any normal day, this would be grim news. But on the day that Fonterra announces a $605 million loss and calls time 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 Shaun Edlin, CEO of Dotterel, and Richard Quin, Callaghan Innovation Group Manager. This week’s podcast is a little … Read more
Moves to finally outlaw the exploitation of dependent contractors is vindication for a pair who battled for years on their behalf. A former truckie and a high-profile lawyer who have spent a decade fighting for the little guy are claiming victory following the government’s announcement it will change the law to protect small operators. Peter … Read more
Sustainability is no longer just a ‘nice to have’ for businesses – it’s as pivotal as profit to their long term survival. For as long as any of us can remember, sustainability and profit have been at odds with one another. Profit means efficiencies and efficiencies mean doing whatever it takes to do things faster, … Read more
Nisa founder Elisha Watson’s step-by-step guide on the most important things to think of when trying to build an ethical brand. Two years ago, I quit my job as a lawyer to start Nisa, an underwear brand that employs former refugees. I set up a garment manufacturing workshop with zero fashion or manufacturing experience and … Read more
Fonterra has delayed its walk up the annual results aisle by two weeks, after earlier warning it will make a multi-million dollar loss. Peter Fraser traces the events leading up to the surprise decision and considers whether there is more to it than meets the eye. For Fonterra, September 12 2019 mattered. It was the … Read more
Assessing the fallout – for better and for worse – from Spark’s RWC debut. The worst fears of Spark came true over the weekend, as issues impacted its stream of the All Blacks’ pivotal matchup with South Africa, leading to it transferring the livestream to TVNZ’s Duke. The following day it maintained the Duke service, … Read more
New Zealand banning Huawei’s 5G network equipment won’t impact you nearly as much as the US’s recent moves against Huawei phones, writes Henry Burrell. Twenty years ago, you would have shown off your flash new Ericsson or Nokia. How times change. Now, those two entities exist only to provide mobile network equipment, (Nokia’s Android phones … Read more
Covering Climate Now: Vegan lube? Faux feather strokers? Condoms made by employees paid the living wage? Emily Writes delves into the world of having ethical sex. The Spinoff’s participation in Covering Climate Now is made possible thanks to Spinoff Members. Join us here! There are many upsides to being vegan, but when it comes to … Read more
Covering Climate Now: Charging businesses for their greenhouse gas emissions seems simple enough, but in New Zealand, at least, emissions keep on rising. Is the system flawed, or is it how we’re implementing it? The Spinoff’s participation in Covering Climate Now is made possible thanks to Spinoff Members. Join us here! Economists believe they’ve figured … Read more