Filling the early-stage business funding gap

Filling the early-stage business funding gap

Kiwibank’s General Manager of Business Banking Rod Morris tells NZBusiness, Kiwibank has stepped up to change the game for early-stage business founders with its new funding pathway, built to unlock opportunity and foster sustainable business growth.

Growth by digital design

Two years after leaving corporate life, Josh Burgisser built Burgs Digital into a full-stack marketing agency. He talks to David Nothling-Demmer about the attention economy, why video isn’t optional for small businesses showing up online, and convincing his own father to become a client.

Small goals, global ambition

Kiwi innovation meets smart marketing. Telescopicgoal is transforming the way football is played and trained around the world, all with a clever, adjustable aluminium goal and a creative, targeted approach to reaching customers.

Hospitality with heart

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.

The IP paradox: When IP helps and hinders entrepreneurship

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.

Forget the AI hype, follow the data

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?

Getting your SME business AI-ready

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.

Turning personal experience into purpose

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.

Beyond survival

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.

Glow and grow

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.

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BIZ:TECH D-Link AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 VDSL2 /ADSL2+ Modem Router with VoIP

The DSL-X1852E is an AX1800 Wi-Fi 6 , VDSL2 /ADSL2+ Modem Router with VoIP, providing universal DSL and NBN / UFB connectivity in New Zealand. The DSL-X1852E is an all-in-one Modem Router with VLAN tagging and enjoys AX1800 Speeds with up to 1200Mbps on its 5GHz band, and 574Mbps on its 2.4GHz band. It also uses the latest WPA3™ 128-bit encryption, which replaces previous industry-standard encryptions on Wi-Fi devices, and it also enables you to seamlessly test your Internet Speed and connection with its built-in Internet Speed test powered by Ookla. Providing super-fast speeds for all your wired devices, the DSL-X1852E sports a dedicated Gigabit Ethernet WAN port and four Gigabit LAN ports, as well as a USB port where

Quiet Quitting

‘Quiet-quitting’: what can employers learn?

Against the backdrop of the Covid pandemic, new remote work options have increased the modern worker’s desirability for more downtime; hence the term ‘quiet-quitting’. Quiet-quitting involves workers doing what is expected of them in their roles and nothing more – extra duties, overtime and weekend work are being traded for a healthier work-life balance and less burnout. This new approach is prominent among Gen-Z workers who are becoming less tolerant of performing work outside their assigned job descriptions. With job vacancies at a current high across the globe and companies offering more incentives to entice workers, employers will have to do more to retain their staff. So, what can employers learn from the quiet-quitting trend? 1.         Employees are less likely

National Family Business Day

Family business contributions celebrated

Every September, Australia and New Zealand celebrate National Family Business Day – a day designed to recognise the invaluable contribution family businesses make to the economy, community, and culture. On Monday, September 19, family businesses throughout Australia and New Zealand, no matter how small or large they are, have one collective thing in common, they all have a family business story to tell. Whether they’re a multi-generation business, a dynamic husband and wife duo or siblings – each of their businesses is interwoven with their family values and ethos. Family businesses aren’t just in business for profits, they build a legacy. FBANZ CEO Greg Griffiths says “Family Businesses contribute to the Australia and New Zealand economy like no other business

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How to manage a blended, hybrid workforce

Hybrid and blended workforces can provide a range of benefits for businesses, but there are major challenges to face too. Thomas Amos offers some tips for success. Before covid, businesses were already adjusting to the rise of blended workforces – a mix of permanent and temporary staff. Now, with hybrid and remote working thrown into the mix, businesses need to find a way to manage blended workforces from a range of locations. Hybrid and blended workforces can provide a range of benefits for businesses, from access to a wider talent pool to higher productivity and efficiency; while for employees it can provide greater job satisfaction. But they can also present different challenges to a traditional workforce of full-time permanent staff

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The truth about trust in supply chains

With New Zealand’s Construction Contracts Act now 20 years old, Tony Simonsen has a reminder of the ongoing issues within the sector around payments and trust. Working with construction lawyers such as Nick Gillies, Partner at Hesketh Henry, it becomes very clear that despite the fact we’ve hit a milestone with the Construction Contracts Act, there’s still a surprising lack of understanding about what the Act requires, as well as the tangible benefits and potential detriment of it. Ultimately, the Act is designed to benefit the entire industry right through the supply chain and support better cashflow. It aims to stop the traditional habit of withholding payment without a valid reason, and encourage better, more transparent practices between parties. It

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Steering a steady course

Menswear retailer Working Style is celebrating 35 years in business with the opening of a new store in Takapuna. Founder Chris Dobbs shares his lessons across the years.