Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, we take a wild ride with global share markets. There’s carnage on Wall Street! Well, not exactly. Carnage means of the flesh, and while it’s nice to imagine corporate fat-cats sliced and diced 70 ways, no-one has actually … Read more
Every week we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Alex Vaz and Nik Ellis, founders of an app that links up builders, plumbers and other tradespeople with jobs that need doing around the house. ONE: How did Tradee start and what was the inspiration … Read more
Sell up and move to Tauranga for a better, more affordable lifestyle? Keri Welham finds Tauranga is still desirable, but housing and wages mean it may now be out of reach. The mass migration has ended. Gone are the convoys of removal vans thundering down the Southern Motorway, and the scenes of Aucklander vs Aucklander … Read more
Driverless cars are all the rage right now, but you don’t have to be a Google or Tesla to have your head in the game. Jihee Junn talks to Auckland-based company HMI Technologies about Ohmio, its self-driving subsidiary set to deploy its first shuttles at Christchurch Airport later this year. On most days along the … Read more
Our two supermarket chains have agreed to get rid of plastic bags by the end of this year. Does this mean the end of the seemingly humble plastic bag? Rebecca Stevenson caught up with Wellington City Council’s Roderick Boys to find out why we need to say goodbye to them, for good. Plastic bags were … Read more
The hype around bitcoin as an investment is hard to miss. But could new infrastructure being built off the back of the digital currency allow us to have an internet where we keep our privacy? Technology blogger Richard MacManus says blockchain is a new and significant platform. Right now we’re experiencing a bubble in cryptocurrencies, … Read more
Good news – troops on deployment all around the world are keeping up their physical fitness and now we have proof! Bad news – troops on deployment all around the world are jogging with their fitness trackers turned on, drawing a helpful map of where they are. But former TUANZ boss Paul Brislen says we … Read more
Just living and breathing seems to cost money now. But don’t worry, we got you. We asked around the office and compiled the Spinoff’s tips for living a premium economy lifestyle on a discount economy income. DO Shop at Reduced To Clear. Make sure to ask them what day their cans arrive and get there … Read more
As Housing NZ prepares to develop the corner near Russell Brown’s house in Point Chevalier, he muses on the redevelopment, gentrification and spiralling growth in real estate values of the Auckland suburb he calls home. Last week, I wandered around the corner to watch the news crews assemble outside Jacinda Ardern’s Point Chevalier home in … Read more
Every week we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Tony Small, founder of plant-based packaging company Innocent Packaging. ONE: How did Innocent Packaging start and what was the inspiration behind it? Originally I had a reusable coffee cup company. But after doing that for … Read more
Street lights in Kansas City have wifi sensors which link with a live map, allowing residents to see traffic and free parking spaces. Clever huh? Mark Thomas says smart cities – those which embrace technology in planning – can reap big environmental and financial rewards. The word “smart” does not appear in Auckland mayor Phil … Read more
Stats NZ’s decision to exclude sex, gender and sexuality from its upcoming census has come in for criticism from the queer community. But it turns out businesses in New Zealand – most recently Southern Cross Health Society – are already well ahead of the curve. Despite announcing back in 2015 that ‘gender diverse’ would join … Read more
On Sunday, a rocket was launched into orbit off the Māhia Peninsula by Rocket Labs, an aerospace manufacturing company founded by New Zealander Peter Beck. Madeleine Chapman watched the full livestream and reports the highlights. I love a space movie. Anything that involves people emotionally trying not to die in the incomprehensible expanse that is … Read more
Our piece on the struggle to get paid resonated widely with small business owners. Here are their stories, and some tips, covering the endless fight to get invoices paid. A customer who had hired goods from me failed to return them, and ultimately I had to go and collect them. Not all of the goods were returned, … Read more
Every week we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Timothy Allan of Ubco, makers of an electrically-powered, eco-friendly alternative to off and on road bikes. ONE: How did Ubco start and what was your inspiration behind it? Ubco was founded by myself (CEO and … Read more
Peanut butter maker Fix and Fogg has expanded from farmers’ markets to the biggest online marketplace in the world, Amazon. Rebecca Stevenson caught up with founder Roman Jewell, and discovered Kiwi ingenuity at the heart of this small business success story. Google “craft brewery”, Fix and Fogg’s Roman Jewell says, and you’ll find a plethora … Read more
The Kiwi footwear has become a favourite of Silicon Valley elites. But are the shoes now furnishing the feet of top Republican and speaker of the house Paul Ryan? Jihee Junn investigates As the fire and fury raged through Washington DC, Donald Trump took to his Camp David retreat earlier this week to hash out … Read more
A key characteristic of so-called ‘exponential technologies’ is that they change what is possible extremely quickly – and it can be fascinating to observe how fast or slowly governments react. Lawyer Steven Moe looks at the developing world of space law, and questions whether similar moves are needed for other exponential technologies on our immediate … Read more
Kids around the world are flexing their entrepreneurial muscles by making, selling and marketing the latest craze in tactile fun: slime. Jihee Junn talks to one Auckland-based 11-year-old who’s decided to cash in. Update, 22 August 2018: Katharina Weischede has launched a Givealittle campaign to fight kids entertainment giant Nickelodeon, which is opposing her ‘Slime … Read more
Dairy co-operative Fonterra’s decision in 2016 to delay paying some suppliers for three months prompted a wave of anger. But as David Cormack found out, this practice permeates many industries – and is a serious stress point for small business. It’s a line that gets trotted out by politicians a lot. The line is that “small … Read more
Jihee Junn visits Microsoft’s sprawling headquarters in Seattle to find out how the tech giant is clawing its way back to relevance. This post was first published on November 6, 2017. In Cupertino, California, Apple is on the verge of completing its mothership – a glistening monolith of immaculate Norman Foster design. Its seamless curves and … Read more
The Block NZ signifies everything that’s wrong with our tax system. Takapuna tax expert Terry Baucher fills Rebecca Stevenson in on how we can get a lump of cash, and keep it all to ourselves. This post was first published on September 19, 2017. After we all recovered from the horror that was The Block … Read more
If robots are going to be the accountants, what is the point of getting a degree? Rebecca Stevenson reports on the future of work, and finds old skills are getting a new relevance. This post was first published on October 17, 2017. Late last month 100 New Zealand companies including Xero, Fonterra, The Warehouse, Spark … Read more
The price of kumara has soared in the past two years, so maybe it’s better to buy spuds? Data scientist Aaron Schiff was tired of trying to figure out how to get the best deals, so he built an app. This post was first published on November 3, 2017. At the supermarket (toddler in tow) … Read more
‘Vote with your wallet’ they say, which is why Conscious Consumers wants to make sure you cast your vote in the right place by linking your values to the businesses that match them. Jihee Junn talks to co-founder and CEO Ben Gleisner about turning ethical consumerism into a mainstream reality. Christmas time turns us all … Read more
Want to be an entrepreneur/innovator/generally smarter person in 2018? We assembled some of the brightest minds in New Zealand’s business landscape today to ask them for their favourite page-turners to savour over the summer break. Kendall Flutey, Banqer Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus “Not a business book, but this adult storybook really speaks to … Read more
The new government is aiming to build 100,000 new affordable homes – likely to be off-plan apartments and townhouses – in the next decade. But today’s designers and builders are already working flat tack. So what’s the fix? The answer lies with technology, writes two Auckland architects. Even after squinting carefully at the floor plan, … Read more
They’re on your Instagram feed and your yoga teacher’s floor – foam mats covered in thousands of sharp points, a modern take on an ancient method of healing and relaxation. But what do they do, and where did they come from? Don Rowe talks to the two Kiwi guys behind the Shakti mat craze. Right … Read more
One of these things is a lot like the other – which is why Allbirds is suing Steve Madden for allegedly copying its signature Wool Runners. Three years ago, former All Whites player Tim Brown set out to make a woollen shoe. In 2017, everyone from Larry Page to Mindy Kaling is sporting Allbirds, rounding … Read more