Inside the room built to fix New Zealand’s tall poppy problem
New Zealand’s leaders are shrinking their own ambitions in isolation. Revved Co-founder Rochelle Moffitt wants to put them in a room together instead.
New Zealand’s leaders are shrinking their own ambitions in isolation. Revved Co-founder Rochelle Moffitt wants to put them in a room together instead.
Taupō’s The Cozy Corner isn’t just a café, it’s a community hub where inclusivity, wellness, and sustainability meet. With a menu that caters to every dietary need, a great team culture, and a commitment to values-driven business, owner Camilla Baker has built an eco-friendly café that sets the standard for hospitality with heart.
New Zealand small businesses are facing one of the biggest shifts in customer discovery since the rise of Google Search, as AI-powered tools change how consumers find, compare and choose who to hire.
More than 80 percent of people don’t independently verify AI-generated information. As AI becomes the first place customers go for answers, that trust is creating a new challenge for New Zealand businesses.
We’re told the economy and the environment are locked in a trade-off. Autex’s Jonathan Mountfort says that’s a false choice, and shows how circular thinking is already building a healthier version of both.
New Zealand research into scientist-entrepreneurs has identified an “IP paradox”: Intellectual property is seen as essential to start-up success, yet often experienced as a costly, complex barrier. Here’s what the findings mean for founders, investors and the wider SME community.
AI is having its “peak hype” moment, but beneath the noise there is a very practical question most New Zealand business owners are asking: Will this actually help my business run better, or is it just another shiny tech distraction?
Most of the AI conversation right now is about what the technology will eventually do for everyone. Not much of it covers what you should actually start doing, this week, to make sure your business can use any of it. Let’s change that.
Keynote speaker, educator, author, recording artist and Solo Meo Award winner Julia Grace, has turned her mental health journey into inspiring talks, workshops, and performances across New Zealand and beyond. She’s also made a success of being an entrepreneur in the process.
Setting a big, bold goal feels like strategy. It isn’t. Ryan Sproull explains why picturing success can actually work against you, and what to do instead.
After a punishing economic cycle Kiwi businesses are emerging into something of a stabilisation period. Cautiously optimistic, past the worst, but with operating costs still biting and reinvestment held back. Why the next six months will define the recovery, and what business owners need to be doing in that period.
New data from Employment Hero shows New Zealand’s small and medium business sector continuing to add headcount in May, even as wage growth stalled completely on an annual basis, highlighting a labour market where businesses are growing cautiously rather than competing hard for talent on pay.
Turning a dreaded parenting challenge into a science-powered solution, ISpy Nits is making head lice detection accurate, stigma-free, and even fun for kids, and in the process earning Kate Ricketts a well-deserved David Award.
After burnout and a corporate career, Nikki Taylor started her own business at 44, and discovered that midlife isn’t a crisis, but a chance for clarity, on what kind of work, and life, actually fits.
New Zealand’s productivity gap with countries like Finland isn’t about effort, it’s about clarity. Elliot Royce argues that as businesses grow, complexity quietly crowds out a shared understanding of what actually creates value, turning productivity into a symptom rather than the real problem.
A pilot programme’s runaway demand has exposed just how many promising New Zealand startups are being turned away by traditional bank lending.
New Zealand’s sustainable innovators remain confident about growth, but a new report shows many are struggling to access the capital and conditions needed to actually scale.
New Zealand’s small business productivity has flatlined, with the country continuing to trail Australia and the UK, even as Deloitte’s latest CFO survey shows finance leaders remain confident about growing their businesses despite economic uncertainty.
Solar retailer Lodestone Energy is opening up its “virtual rooftop” solar product to residential and small business customers for the first time, choosing Hawke’s Bay as the launch region for its new EASY Plan.
New Zealand tourism businesses are committed to becoming more sustainable, but new research shows the journey from good intentions to genuine change is anything but straightforward.
Spacebar Design won Most Innovative Business at The David Awards 2025, also taking out the Supreme Award, recognition that cements its role as a trailblazer in sustainable interior design.
New Zealand’s longest-running sustainability awards programme is calling for entries, with expanded categories and a direct pathway to a global million-pound prize.
Kiwibank has become the first New Zealand bank to roll out open banking across all its digital channels for both individual and business customers, delivering most of the data‑sharing capability required by regulators six months ahead of its statutory deadline.
Christchurch’s Tait Communications has been named PwC Hi-Tech Company of the Year at the 2026 NZ Hi-Tech Awards, capping a record-breaking night for New Zealand’s third-largest export sector.
Full-scale loyalty programmes are expensive, complex and slow to roll out, but a gift card programme can deliver many of the same benefits in a fraction of the time, and customers pay you upfront for the privilege.
Inside MOXX Brands, the Kiwi FMCG company growing at 512 percent and rewriting the export playbook in the process.
Hawke’s Bay’s Rockit has landed one of China’s most bankable celebrities as its brand ambassador.
Demand for Tapuwae Roa’s Tupu Accelerator keeps climbing, with a new cohort of ten high-growth Māori-founded ventures welcomed for the programme’s third consecutive year.
A new Christchurch start-up wants to turn the security cameras already watching your warehouse into a real-time safety system that spots risk before it becomes an incident.
As New Zealand businesses face mounting productivity pressure, new research from 2degrees shows AI is already delivering measurable gains for SMEs. From streamlining operations to unlocking new growth opportunities, the challenge now is turning early experimentation into lasting business impact.
The Mindful Fashion New Zealand Climate Action Programme is an initiative designed to catalyse action and support the local industry on its decarbonisation journey. With the New Zealand clothing and textile industry predominantly made up of SMEs, Mindful Fashion has designed its programme to address common barriers to action these businesses typically face. Currently each business needs to embark on emissions measurement and reduction independently, with cost, time and knowledge significant barriers. The Mindful Fashion programme provides industry specific guidance and tools, support to participants during the measurement process, and workshops to collaborate on developing reduction strategies. One of the key takeaways from recent analysis is the New Zealand fashion industry’s desire to address its climate impact. Mindful Fashion Programme Director
The process of selling a business is not straightforward, says Benjamin Sutton. But the key is to be better prepared, and here’s how. Navigating the steps involved requires good planning and a clear strategy. As another generation of business owners prepare to monetize all their hard work, below are our six top tips for mid-cap businesses and their owners as they prepare for sale. Tip 1 – Focus on your people: Identify those people who have the specialised knowledge and skills that are key to your business success and involve them in the sale process early. Consider incentivising them with some transaction-based incentives but if this is not possible aim to just support and excite them. For staff who have never experienced
Despite most businesses increasing wages over the past 12 months, new research reveals that around a third (32%) of SMEs are struggling to fill vacancies as the impacts of a tight labour market and high inflation send business confidence to near-record lows. The latest MYOB SME Snapshot – a survey of more than 500 local SMEs – has revealed that more than half (59%) of SMEs have increased wages but finding talent to fill job roles remains an ongoing struggle. Insights from the survey also showed that SME confidence in the economy has fallen to a level close to that recorded at the beginning of the first national lockdown in March 2022 (79%). Nearly three-quarters (72%) of SME owners and
Seequent has been named the PwC Hi-Tech Company of the Year at the 2022 NZ Hi-Tech Awards. The awards celebrate New Zealand’s most successful high-tech companies and the highest achieving individuals. Seequent CEO Graham Grant says he’s incredibly proud of the Seequent team, both present and past – who have worked with remarkable skill, focus and passion for building Seequent into a global subsurface software success story. “Ten years ago, we first entered the NZ HiTech Awards in the export category with a big vision. With a relentless focus on innovation, growth and being the best we can – we’re now thrilled to be named the NZ Hi-Tech Company of the Year after previous recognition as a finalist. “While we’ve
KidsCan and Pet Refuge founder Julie Chapman talks to NZBusiness about the challenges and rewards of running a business in the charity sector. Julie Chapman is one of New Zealand’s most successful leaders in the not-for-profit sector. She established KidsCan in her garage in 2005 starting with a $40,000 grant. KidsCan is now New Zealand’s leading children’s charity dedicating to providing the essentials to Kiwi kids affected by poverty, with annual revenue of over $20 million. Last year Julie established her second charity Pet Refuge which provides temporary shelter and care for pets affected by domestic violence, keeping them safe while their owners escape abuse. The charity has just celebrated its one-year anniversary. NZB: What prompted you to start Pet Refuge? Julie:
Samantha Gadd offers some advice on retaining employees in difficult times. There is no doubt the state of our economy and global headlines are top of mind for every business owner and leader. We are nervous about cost increases, reduced market confidence and rethinking our business strategies to ensure acceptable results in 2022/23. Employees are also nervous. The cost-of-living crisis is impacting every single New Zealander and unfortunately, I don’t think any business is immune from these challenges. A huge risk and cost for most employers is employee turnover. In this environment, we need to do whatever it takes to reduce this risk, and hang onto our people. Here are my tips for employee retention. Ensure your EVP (employee
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Thursday 30 July 2026 | 7:00am – 9:00am
📍 Covert Theatre, 51 Mackelvie Street, Grey Lynn, Auckland
Everyone talks about the importance of business strategy, but what does it actually mean in practice? Strategy trainer Ryan Sproull cuts through the jargon to give SME owners a clear, practical framework for thinking strategically about their business.
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Practical AI insights, Kiwi tech innovators, and the tools helping Kiwi SMEs compete on a global stage. It’s all packed into this special tech issue of NZBusiness.
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