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 Greg Cross from AI company Soul Machines. Earlier this year, news came out that local company Soul Machines … Read more
Despite global economic uncertainly, a new report shows New Zealand’s land-based industry exports are humming – with plenty of it still going to the world’s most populous country. What’s all this then? Much of New Zealand’s economy might still be spluttering from the fallout of Covid-19, but exports of meat, dairy and horticulture products have … Read more
While banks predict house prices will still fall, by how much depends on a number of factors – including location, reports Brent Melville for BusinessDesk. Banks are being less than apocalyptic on their expectations for a post-Covid housing market correction, which could be as low as 5%, although they warn of potentially significant regional variations. … Read more
Air New Zealand wouldn’t refund customers the value of their cancelled flights, instead offering them credit to book new ones. Now, after a long wait, a tool has been developed that lets them do it online. What’s all this then? Many months in the making, Air New Zealand has developed a tool that allows customers … Read more
The latest on New Zealand news, politics and the Covid-19 crisis, updated throughout the day. 7.30pm: The day in sum There were three new cases of Covid-19, two men in their 30s and one woman in her 70s. All were detected in managed isolation. All returning adult New Zealanders would be charged $3000 to cover … Read more
With Covid-19 devastating demand for global fashion brands, millions of jobs in Asia’s apparel factories hang by a thread. That’s why one New Zealand business has taken a different tack to keep its Cambodian staff working and well-cared-for. To the average consumer, there’s little discernible connection between Te Awamutu and the small Cambodian community of … Read more
The blurred lines between employees and independent contractors have once again been examined in the employment court. This time it involves the world’s largest ride-hailing company. For the very first time, Uber has been drawn into the New Zealand Employment Court to contest whether a former driver was an employee or an independent contractor. This … 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 Scottie Chapman from Spring Sheep Milk Co. New Zealand is famous all around the world for sheep and … Read more
A success story of the New Zealand Made Products Facebook page, this Christchurch start-up has grown from a backyard workshop to a centre for sustainable architecture and building all in the space of a few months. Two Christchurch guys needed a table for their flat. So they built one out of scraps of timber in … Read more
It’s no secret that New Zealand’s Covid-19 response was one of the world’s most effective. But to get an idea of how eagerly parts of our economy have rebounded post lockdown, take a look at our electricity demand data. Despite an impending wave of unemployment and looming fiscal challenges down the road, New Zealand’s economy … Read more
It’s an economic theory that advocates tout as a solution to governments’ debt crises, but critics warn is a recipe for hyperinflation. Either way, modern monetary theory is getting a lot more attention in the era of Covid-19. Two big economic ideas have captured the popular imagination during the Covid-19 pandemic: the universal basic income … 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 Lovina McMurchy from Movac. If you think about how central to life Starbucks wifi was for so many … Read more
After almost 50 years, New Zealand’s only aluminium smelter is due to close next August. We take a look at what it means for the economy and the environment. What’s all this then? Multinational metal and mining corporation Rio Tinto has today announced it is planning to close the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter in Southland … Read more
Despite dark clouds on the horizon, New Zealand’s post-lockdown spending spree is still going strong. Mary Jo Vergara from Kiwi Economics shares insights into what’s driving it – and how long it will last. Covid-19 and the level four lockdown has bought about some dramatic shifts in New Zealanders’ spending and consumption habits, and many … Read more
Having already faced a devastating earthquake, Christchurch knows the value of community in times of crisis. Now in the wake of Covid-19, a popular creative hub is expanding its mission to bring more people together. Whether it’s a beautifully restored building or a brand new office block, the reminders of the earthquake take many forms … Read more
Covid-19 or not, renewable energy is the future. That’s why one grassroots business is taking a leap of faith and trusting that the current downturn will eventually yield to an ecotourism boom. To launch an ecotourism business in rural Otago right now, you’d need to be either a visionary or just a little bit mad. … Read more
As Auckland suffers its worst drought in 27 years, many of the city’s self-service car washes are doing a roaring trade. Michael Andrew finds out how these businesses are getting around the strict water restrictions. Car washing may seem like a wasteful luxury in the middle of a drought, but take a weekend drive out … 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 Rob Teina from Supreme Plumbing. Social media has become an important tool for all small businesses to get … Read more
Covid-19 forced us to reconsider our relationship with the places we occupy, writes architect Mat Brown – and these new priorities will influence the design of our spaces in future. I think it’s safe to say, on behalf of my profession, that architecture is a conservative art. We design places that affect people’s lives for … Read more
With the Covid-19 lockdown casting a light on the value of essential workers, the movement to pay them the living wage is gathering momentum. Every night at corporate and government buildings across the country, long after most of the day workers have gone home, a largely unseen labour force of cleaners and security guards arrives … Read more
New business ventures are trying to jump-start the economy of New Brighton, the Christchurch beachside suburb that locals say is on the cusp of greatness – if it can just maintain some momentum post-Covid. Green Bear Coffee runs on a simple concept: good coffee, community and sustainability. But what isn’t simple is opening a week … Read more
The country’s biggest electricity generator has been found to have distorted the market, costing both electricity retailers and the environment. Alex Braae reports. A furious electricity retailer says the biggest generator in the country has cut against its claims of being environmentally friendly by deliberately spilling water from hydro dams and causing fossil fuel plants … Read more
Online cycling system Zwift has millions of worldwide users, and now it’s scored a sports-tech coup, becoming the ‘software environment’ for a virtual Tour de France next month. Zwift enthusiast Hal Crawford talks to the company’s co-founder about the growth of indoor cycling – and why he believes its popularity will outlast the pandemic. Like … Read more
This month, Kiwibank reset its variable interest rates by 1%, from 4.40 to 3.40%. Kiwibank’s general manager of business banking Nigel Gaudin tells The Spinoff why this is a big deal for local businesses. Okay, what is a variable interest rate? And what have you done to it? A variable interest rate, sometimes called a … Read more
The true economic turmoil of the Covid-19 downturn is yet to be felt. However, some family operations are old enough to have endured – and survived – many of these types of shocks before. Every once in a while, at Gemmell’s shoe and bag repairer on central Auckland’s Symonds St, a customer brings in a … 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 Simon Cooke and Ryan Carville, founders of yeast company Froth Technologies. A lot goes into making good beer. … Read more
It’s a self-righting jet boat equipped with harnesses, racing seats, and reinforced Israeli glass – and it’s spent the last 15 years in a shed. Michael Andrew investigates the origins of Wave Attack, the prototype that never got its debut. Imagine driving an immensely powerful sea craft that appears, to the awestruck onlooker, to be … Read more
On the back of co-authoring a white paper on the subject, Steven Moe explores how artists and poets can bring colour and creativity onto boards. The Covid-19 crisis has shown us that we need new paradigms of thinking. We have all been impacted by the pandemic which has challenged us to think and act more … Read more
The government has just allocated millions of dollars towards encouraging employers to hire and train apprentices. So what courses does the $380m Apprenticeship Boost cover? Michael Andrew takes a look at some of the career pathways on offer. Bartenders picking kiwifruit. Tour guides felling wilding pines. Airline pilots driving trains. Such stories of redeployment are … Read more