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
Taking the time to celebrate women in the business community is a very special thing, and what better time to do this than on International Women’s Day? Rebecca Stevenson and Jihee Junn present ten women in business who deserve your attention. The positive impact women make in New Zealand’s business community can sometimes fall under … Read more
New Zealand’s burgeoning tech industry may be dodging some of the systemic issues plaguing traditional corporate culture, but Victoria Crockford discovers it’s also developing within the same structures that resulted in the #MeToo movement. As a kid, I often imagined what would happen if the world was turned upside down and shaken. Animals from the … Read more
An old cigarette factory in Masterton, a remnant from the Think Big era, has been re-purposed to tackle our affordable housing crisis. Rebecca Stevenson caught up with builder Mike Fox to find out how a plant in the Wairarapa is producing modular, kitset homes on the cheap. Houses in New Zealand are not expensive only … Read more
It happens every five years (unless there is a major disaster), it helps to guide what we spend billions of dollars on – but did you know it was happening today? Rebecca Stevenson finds the census is causing concern. There is an envelope on my mantelpiece which has “census” on the front of it so … Read more
Avatars, chatbots and virtual assistants are getting smarter by the day, and the AI that powers them is helping customers get more of the right content at the right time. But humans will remain as important as ever. Nigel Piper looks at how (wo)man and machine can work successfully in tandem. The artificial intelligence (AI) … Read more
Rent Week 2018: Property managers. Two words to make the blood run cold, whether you are a tenant or a landlord. Rebecca Stevenson weighs up the data and anecdotal evidence, and her ruling is final: property managers suck. Hear me out. I’ve been on both sides; yes, I have been a landlord (pretty much by … 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
Rent Week 2018: With legislative changes set to increase costs for landlords, some smaller players may be forced out of the market. Property Investors’ Federation head Andrew King warns this won’t be good news for tenants. There appears to be a generally low opinion of people who provide rental properties for tenants to live in. … Read more
Rent Week 2018: Earthquakes knocked houses down in Christchurch and, unsurprisingly, rents went up. But it’s a different story now in the garden city, finds Jamie Small. Lots of people left Christchurch after the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes, and many who stayed were delivered another kick in the pants in the form of rent … Read more
Every week we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves through eight simple questions. This week we talk to Elisha Watson, who quit her full-time job as a lawyer to start Nisa – an organic cotton underwear company that employs women from refugee backgrounds. ONE: How did Nisa start and what was the inspiration behind it? Before … Read more
Rent Week 2018: His friend did it, so he thought he would try it too and save some money. In his last year at university he started living in a van. Now, two years later, he’s moving on. As told to Jamie Small. Recently I sold the van I lived in for two years. And … Read more
Kiwis use about 2 billion bottles and cans each year, but Marty Hoffart says we are recycling less than half of them – and worse, we’re not doing the one thing that could make the most difference. For the extended original version of this article go to PureAdvantage.org Well, it’s official. The United Kingdom, Ireland, … Read more
Rent Week 2018: A new Wellington-based service is looking to match rooms with roommates with as little pain as possible. Don Rowe talks to co-founder Brayden Gosse about Flat Candy, the so-called ‘Tinder of flatting’. Finding a flatmate is almost universally a total pain in the arse. From listing the ads, through filtering the applicants, … 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
A2 Milk Co briefly burst through a landmark this week, reaching a market capitalisation of $10 billion on news of its deal with Fonterra. Here are ten numbers which encapsulate the milk brand’s inexorable rise. $14.62 A2’s shares rocketed up to over $14 this week (but fell back a little to settle just under $13) … Read more
Every week we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Megan May, founder of whole foods company Little Bird Organics which today launches its first-ever equity crowdfunding campaign with fellow Kiwi entrepreneurs Melanie and Malcolm Rands of Ecostore. ONE: How did Little Bird Organics start … Read more
Who is bigger and badder than the banks? Apple. The tech giant is slowly capturing the mobile payments market – but is it good for consumers? You may have heard a low-frequency grinding noise emanating from the central business district recently. It’s the sort of noise produced when honeyed words are forced out through furiously … Read more
You plug in your phone at night, why not the car as well? Gareth Shute describes the joys (and dramas) of being an EV owner. We were just coming down the hill to Piha when I realised our car wouldn’t have enough power to get back to the city. There’d been 100-kilometres on the clock … Read more
What does it mean to be a social enterprise today? Is it about profit, purpose, or both? Steven Moe takes us through the various definitions. One of the comments I’ve heard about the social enterprise sector is that it’s unclear what the criteria is to be one. Ultimately, aren’t all businesses social enterprises? If nothing … Read more
Imagine you didn’t get paid for a month or two for your work. Big businesses have used this tactic to keep cash in the bank – but how long do our corporates take to pay? Rebecca Stevenson investigates. In New Zealand, they account for 97% of businesses. In Australia, 97%. In the UK, 96%. Small … Read more
Every week we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Harpoon Cold Brew’s Arjun Haszard, who’s in the business of brewing one of the trendiest coffees out there this summer. ONE: How did Harpoon Cold Brew start and what was the inspiration behind it? I … Read more
Fletcher. The name is synonymous with construction and building in New Zealand, and has been since, well, forever. But it’s been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately – here are ten numbers that sum up the company’s bad news streak. $660 million This morning, Fletcher Building announced losses from its Building and … Read more
With Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCullum among its founders, CricHQ capitalised on global interest in both cricket and cloud-based internet startups. It attracted a star-studded lineup of investors and seemed hugely successful, at one point boasting that it could bring in as much as US $10 billion. Then, in October, it went into receivership. Rebecca … 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
Wherever there’s money to be made, the scammers and Ponzi schemes are never far behind. Mark Hattersley gives his three tips on staying vigilant while investing in cryptocurrency. Useless Ethereum Token (UET) launched in mid-2017 with the description “the world’s first 100% honest Ethereum ICO. No value, no security and no product. Just me spending your money … Read more
The Buller District is known for its isolation, rugged weather and the minerals taken from the land since gold was discovered there in 1860. Now, after a long economic decline, green shoots of growth are appearing, driven by a technology hub with a husband and wife team at the top. There is an innovation hub … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, should we all work a four-day working week? Yes. Hang on a minute! Yesterday a New Zealand company, Perpetual Guardian, announced it was trialling a four-day work week for its 200 employees, keeping wages – and number of … Read more
With its bright pineapples and “kiwifruit brown”, Sharesies has changed the visual game for investing. Can the startup teach banks some new tricks? Charles Anderson finds the future of personal finance is visual, interactive and customer-focused. Ben Crotty’s “key moment of truth” came in the form of a particular shade of brown. He had spent … Read more