Social enterprises are everywhere right now. But what are they? And how do we make sure they are not just businesses exploiting a trendy term? Lawyer Steven Moe outlines how social enterprise can become a legitimate force for good. When the poet Robert Frost published his most famous poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ in 1916, … 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. At the supermarket (toddler in tow) I find it very hard to remember grocery prices, … Read more
In New Zealand and around the world, modest boosts to the minimum wage have failed to trigger the catastrophic effects detractors prophesy, writes Branko Marcetic No sooner was the new government’s minimum wage hike announced than the land speed record was broken to denounce it. The Employers and Manufacturers Association went first, complaining that it … Read more
It’s been estimated to be worth $26 billion, with significant stakes in the forestry and fishing industries. But underneath the story of the Māori economy are also the humming small business stories in Frankie Apothecary and Huia Publishers, Rebecca Stevenson finds. The numbers bandied around are staggering. A 2013 report by BERL for Te Puni … Read more
Bitcoin has experienced an unprecedented explosion in value over the past eight years. Here Richard Meadows outlines just what it is, and why the good times won’t last. In the winter of 1928, Joe Kennedy stopped to get his wingtips buffed on his way to the office. After the shoeshine boy finished, he offered the … Read more
Minimum wages are going up – but when they do, Working for Families will go down. The Maxim Institute’s Alex Penk and Julian Wood weigh up the new Government’s wage policy. Raising the minimum wage will usher us forward into the glorious workers’ paradise – or it will grind the economy to a halt? These are … Read more
‘Fake’ animal proteins are set to disrupt world markets – and much faster than our agriculture industry is anticipating, argues food strategist Dr Rosie Bosworth. New Zealand’s agricultural sector has been having a rough time of late. If waking up to a centre-left government wasn’t enough of a nightmare for most Kiwi farmers, then the … Read more
New Zealand recently topped an international study for ‘educating for the future’. But education futurist Frances Valintine says that, far from punching above our weight, our system is preparing students for a world that no longer exists. This week I found my 17-year-old son busy sanding (yes, with sandpaper) his name off his calculator, as … Read more
New Zealand’s trade policy could be set for a shakeup under the new Labour government. A likely target is investor-state dispute resolution provisions in New Zealand’s free trade agreements, which may go from status quo to status no. Chris Gillies explains why that’s not a good idea. Investor-state dispute resolution (ISDS) is a dispute … Read more
We are all over it, aren’t we, this election that won’t quit. But is it also bad for business? Kirk Hope of BusinessNZ asks whether a longer cycle between voting would be better for all of us. The last time New Zealand had a full debate about the pros and cons of a three-year parliamentary … Read more
It’s only been going since June, so how did startup Sharesies capture thousands of customers and millions of their hard-earned money? Rebecca Stevenson caught up with Sharesies founder Sonya Williams to find out how they did it. Got a fiver? Want to make it a tenner? Up until earlier this year if you wanted to … 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. Late last month 100 New Zealand companies including Xero, Fonterra, The Warehouse, Spark and Fisher & Paykel signed an open letter that … Read more
$760 for half an hour of illicit car parking? Seems steep. Rebecca Stevenson investigates how the clamping industry operates. They are back at it again. Bashford Antiques, the clamping company hiding in plain sight as a second hand shop, audaciously claimed $760 from a punter who parked in its Ponsonby car park. It seems like a lot … Read more
Social enterprises often operate as limited liability companies, but new legal structures to govern them have been introduced in a number of countries. Lawyer Steven Moe argues we need these options in New Zealand. In the classic children’s story by Hans Christian Andersen, an emperor is given new clothes which are invisible to those who … Read more
The Aussies earn on average one-third more than Kiwis, and in some countries the gap is even wider. Data scientist and mathematician John Holt crunches the numbers. New Zealand is a low-wage economy compared to other OECD countries. When a currency’s buying power is taken into consideration, New Zealand ranked 18th out of 36 OECD … Read more
With three restaurants in Auckland, Bird on a Wire is already a success story. So why did Sophie Gilmour jump on a plane bound for China to open a pop-up restaurant? It was an opportunity to good to pass up. New Zealand food incubator, Hatchery, offered Kiwi food company Bird on a Wire the chance to … Read more
A digger hit our pipeline! But don’t panic – we produce more than 40 million barrels of oil each year. Problem is, most of it is exported. Rebecca Stevenson finds out why. In the nineteenth century oil prospectors would sniff and taste the crude oil they found. If it tasted sweet it was the good … Read more
Michelle Sharp was a corporate go-getter, working for Vodafone before co-founding a successful tech company. But the Kilmarnock Enterprises CEO says she found her path to happiness when she stepped off the business treadmill. Steve Jobs said “the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do”. … Read more
So much of the New Zealand economy appears to be doing well. Tourism numbers are astonishing, Kiwis are coming home in their droves alongside new migrants, many of whom are young. But Rebecca Stevenson finds the Kiwi property market is always looming behind the sunshine. Do all roads in New Zealand lead to housing? Probably. … Read more
As iwi organisations grow, Chapman Tripp’s Nick Wells argues they should be establishing themselves as social enterprises to unlock their wealth for the greater good. The Māori economy is a significant part of New Zealand’s past, present and future. While I’m not Māori, my children are, so every time I work with iwi, and their … Read more
On a side street in Mt Albert, New World has opened store which attempts to deal with the arrival of both Farro and My Food Bag. But its real opponent is Amazon, which opens its first Australian distribution centre next year, writes Duncan Greive. Last week a new shop opened in Mt Albert. Huge news, … Read more
She’s done customer support from the school pool, a kayak, the beach and the Twizel RSA. Rebecca Stevenson finds out how Helen Beech went from holding a tech golden ticket to hocking original art from the Bay of Islands. Helen Beech is the unlikely face of a tech company. Ducks, goats and the blue-hued paintings … Read more
Following on from our hit Business is Boring podcast, The Spinoff is pumped to bring you its newest product, The Spinoff Business. Its editor, Rebecca Stevenson, explains what to expect. Did you know 362,856 New Zealand businesses have zero employees? There’s an interesting wee one-page fact sheet available from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and … Read more
The Sustainable Business Council this morning released its Election Manifesto, a collaborative report representing the views of leading New Zealand businesses including Air New Zealand, SkyCity and Spark. The council’s executive director Abbie Reynolds introduces the report’s findings. As the election looms, the Sustainable Business Council Election Manifesto has revealed many leading New Zealand businesses … Read more
When businesses and others respond to customer demand they do their best to be fast and flexible. So why, asks Mark Knoff-Thomas from the Newmarket Business Association, doesn’t the council work the same way? It’s interesting to observe the lightning speed with which certain things are approved by Auckland Council, when it wants to act … Read more
Your favourite New Zealand media company is hiring a business journalist to join our cool team. This September, we launch The Spinoff Business, a section dedicated to New Zealand’s private sector. We are seeking a journalist – or journalists (more on that further on) – to write, edit and commission within the section. It’s an … 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, with the interview available as both audio and a transcribed excerpt. Adàn Tijerina is the director of Almighty Beverages. It’s a Wellington based company … Read more
With stores closing and the sales never ending, it has to be asked – what’s going on with New Zealand’s fastest growing fashion brand? Things aren’t looking good for I Love Ugly. The Auckland-based men’s streetwear brand, which in fewer than ten years has grown from a one-person operation run out of a closet to … Read more
A major new report gives New Zealand a road map for achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions by the end of this century. Now it’s time for business to stand up and be counted, says the Sustainable Business Council’s Abbie Reynolds. You’ve probably never heard of UK-based independent economics consultancy Vivid Economics, but the report they’re … Read more