How will the government’s Kiwibuild plans in Mt Albert look once they’re fully built? Urban designer Matthew Prasad casts a critical eye over the project. It’s only been a week since the government’s first Kiwibuild development announcement, and there has been a lot of talk and hypothesising about what form the development may take at … 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
Should further oil and gas exploration in New Zealand be banned? Cameron Madgwick, CEO of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand (PEPANZ) weighs in. Should we keep exploring for more oil and gas in New Zealand? This is the big question the government is currently weighing up with a decision due soon. 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
If tax is love then New Zealand needs to show a lot more affection, writes Max Harris. The Spinoff is hosting Tax Heroes – a series covering tax, who pays it and what it means. Click here to read more. Love is a deep warmth that we direct towards other things. It’s a value we … Read more
It traces its origins to Rhythm and Vines, and has taken a chunk of the festival payments industry across the Tasman too. Russell Brown discovers the company behind summer fun is getting serious to find new customers. Have you ever looked, I mean, really looked at that chip on your wrist? If you’ve attended Rhythm … Read more
New Zealand is one of the most profitable credit card markets in the world, one that’s dominated by Visa and Mastercard. Both companies benefit from sweetheart tax deals from being based in Singapore, but with increased scrutiny on international tech behemoths over their tax records, is it time for us to take a closer look … Read more
Ever wondered why the bars in West Auckland are so lame? Or why you can’t buy alcohol at the supermarket? It’s because of a monopoly called The Trusts, and Sam Learmonth says it’s time to talk about why it exists. This opinion piece was first published in April 2018. Unless you live in Invercargill or … Read more
Homelessness, high house prices and poor air quality. Many cities are struggling – but what to do about it? Mark Thomas reports from the World Urban Forum. There’s nothing like a global conference to both gain insight into the really big trends that are happening around the world, and to similarly despair at how slow … Read more
Can Sky TV survive if they lose the 2019 Rugby World Cup broadcast rights? Radio New Zealand‘s Gyles Beckford analyses their position. Has fortress Sky Television suffered the first major breach in its defences? If not, then the news that it’s not the preferred bidder for the New Zealand broadcasting rights to next year’s Rugby World … Read more
The Spinoff Cheat Sheet: a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, what is the Tax Working Group anyway – and what is it up to? The Spinoff is hosting Tax Heroes – a series covering tax, who pays it and what it means. Click here to read more. Before all … Read more
Every week we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Sandanee Samarakoon and Nawaz Ahmed, founders of Kimera, a subscription box service that sends treats to your loved ones studying away from home. ONE: How did Kimera start and what was the inspiration behind it? … Read more
Tax, tax, lovely tax. We all pay it, in one way or another, and we rely on it to pay for things like schools, healthcare and roading – our tax does some wonderful things. Here are ten tax numbers you need to know. The Spinoff is hosting Tax Heroes – a series covering tax, who … 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
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, what mycoplasma bovis means for our beef and dairy industry. What’s all this about then? Tens of thousands of cows will be culled, mostly in the South Island, to deal with an outbreak of mycoplasma bovis. The cattle … Read more
Kiwi brands like Tip Top and Montana might improve their bottom line by sourcing products from overseas, but they risk losing their customers’ trust for good, writes marketing lecturer Sharon Forbes. New Zealand’s reputation as a food exporter is based on branding around consistent quality and safety of New Zealand-made products. However, recent stories relating … Read more
Rebecca Stevenson uses key numbers to look back at the reign of Sky TV’s legendary CEO John Fellet, who yesterday announced his intention to retire within 12 months. 27 years The length of time John Fellet has worked for Sky TV. He didn’t slide straight into the big chair, first appointed as chief operating officer. … 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
Afterpay or Afterbae – whatever you call it, Richard Meadows says this online shopping enabler is too good to be true. Shop now. Pay later. You may have noticed this tantalising option popping up on Trade Me listings recently, and on several other major retail sites. If you shop online, you’re about to start seeing a … Read more
Rebecca Stevenson takes a look back at the tenure of ‘Mr Milk’, Theo Spierings, atop our biggest company. It’s our biggest business (yet it’s a co-operative) and its chief executive Theo Spierings also earns the highest salary in New Zealand – a lottery dream of a wage packet of about $8.3 million a year, or … Read more
New Zealand has a diversity problem in governance and business leadership. That is just a fact, argues Jazial Crossley. Only 19% of NZX directors are female. Only one company on the NZX 50 currently has a woman chief executive. This is not a New Zealand problem – just 4% of Fortune 500 companies have women … Read more
Every week we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Brianne West, founder of sustainable, plastic-free cosmetics company Ethique. ONE: How did Ethique start and what was the inspiration behind it? Ethique came about as a combination of my passion for the environment, knowledge of the … 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
He’s young, he’s relentless, and he claims to care more about the beauty of his creations than the money they make him. Matt Stark is a new generation of property developer, and he’s hopelessly devoted to The Tron. Behind Hamilton’s back doors runs a river, and property developer Matt Stark surveys its twirling eddies with … Read more
New Zealand’s new unofficial flag isn’t Laser Kiwi, it’s the increasingly ingenious way our retailers give us the news that hurts – no Paywave. Rebecca Stevenson investigates the unrelenting demand for tap and go payments. I’m sure you’ve seen them – sometimes it’s an old bit of brown tape with “NO PAYWAVE” in biro. Some … Read more
Every week we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Mevo CEO Erik Zydervelt whose company provides Wellingtonians with app-based, on-demand access to electric vehicles. ONE: How did Mevo start and what was the inspiration behind it? My co-founder Finn Lawrence and I both grew … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, the ‘everyday air taxi’ that’s taking off in Canterbury. It’s been called an “everyday air taxi”, and a “flying car”, but isn’t it… a plane? Yes, yes it is. In the hills around Canterbury, a small, self-piloted electric … Read more
A social enterprise on the East Coast has been set up to capitalise on a global trend towards natural health products and bring economic recovery, Russell Brown reports. A little over two years ago in Ruatoria, 20 locals met at the invitation of a local hapū trust to discuss economic development for a community with few … Read more
Every week we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Freedom Kids‘ Rachel Hansen who wants to help break gendered stereotypes among children – one ethically-produced, gender-neutral piece of clothing at a time. ONE: How did Freedom Kids start and what was the inspiration behind … Read more