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.
Acron Plastics, a New Zealand thermoforming manufacturer, had been running as a fully paper-based business before adopting MRPeasy. We sat down with Business & Sales Manager Mark Wong to see how the company uses the system to structure orders, manage purchasing and inventory, and reduce the risk of missed jobs.
West Auckland’s Waitākere College has officially opened a new School of Business, founded and seeded by Just Life Group CEO Tony Falkenstein CNZM, with the goal of producing the country’s next wave of entrepreneurs from communities that have historically been overlooked by corporate New Zealand.
As AI rapidly shifts from experimentation to operational reality, AI start-up founder Dave Howden says the businesses that move first – and rethink how work gets done – will hold the advantage.
A new national productivity programme is aiming to back more than 4,000 Kiwi SMEs into AI adoption. But the most useful lesson for business owners, says ASB’s Ben Speedy, may be the simplest: Think small first.
Three decades behind the counter taught pharmacist turned entrepreneur Tim O’Donoghue that patients know exactly what they want. They just rarely get it. Now, with an FDA-listed product live on Amazon and a 14-strong self-care platform behind it, the Healthtex Co-founder is raising capital through PledgeMe and inviting Kiwi investors into a corner of the global pharmaceutical industry usually reserved for big backers.
Digital and AI experts will share practical strategies to help businesses stay visible and competitive as AI transforms online search and customer behaviour.
A former delivery driver who started at HELL Pizza straight out of school has become one of the brand’s youngest franchise owners, taking over the Kāpiti store at just 21 years old.
Satisfaction among SMEs with the Coalition Government has declined for the second consecutive year, according to new research from MYOB.
Entries are now open for the 2026 David Awards, with this year marking a new chapter for the long-running small business awards programme as NZBusiness steps into the role of Official Steward.
When consumers start watching every dollar, many businesses reach for familiar tactics: Bigger discounts, louder promotions and more urgent calls to buy.
As New Zealand businesses enter a new financial year, the economic outlook remains mixed.
When correctly applied, technology makes a world of difference to the efficiency and profitability of any business. GoFi8ure Executive Director Lisa Martin explains why you should embrace technology in 2022. Let’s face it, business owners can be reluctant to utilise new technology, and this can have a detrimental impact on their business. GoFi8ure’s Lisa Martin says often their new clients need some convincing to try something new, but once they see what it does for their business’s performance, they are sold. But that’s not always the case. Lisa remembers one client who, when asked for an online video-meeting to review his financial statements and tax returns, admitted to not even having downloaded the Zoom app. The client hadn’t grasped the
New qualitative research commissioned by NZ Story Group reveals significant shifts in Australian consumers’ and businesses’ perceptions of New Zealand since 2015. New Zealand Story CEO David Downs says the findings reinforce that now is a critical time for New Zealand businesses to champion our shared history with Australia and build on their new-found respect for our progressive and inclusive society driven by our national values. “We’re witnessing significant shifts in the Australian psyche that signal admiration for the way we behave as a nation, what our businesses and culture can offer and the improved outcomes that can be achieved through collaboration,” says Downs. Australia’s view of itself is changing – and that is influencing its growing admiration for the
A new survey highlights the failure of wages to keep pace with inflation in New Zealand. It’s time for business owners to offer relief where they can. With inflation hitting a three-decade high last month, wages are failing to keep pace, and the majority of New Zealand’s workforce are in line for a ‘virtual’ pay cut this year. A survey of 954 Kiwi workers this month by leading recruitment agency Frog Recruitment revealed more than 80 percent of workers had either not had a pay increase this year or for the minority that have, the pay increase falls short of the 7.3 percent inflation rate. Thanks to the pandemic, supply-chain struggles, and the war in Ukraine, New Zealand inflation climbed
What is ethical marketing all about and why should your business engage in more ethical marketing practices? Alex Ford provides the answers. Everywhere you look, there’s a focus on sustainability and ethical practices. Businesses are using more environmentally friendly packaging, or printing less to save paper – but is their marketing ethical? Ethical marketing is a relatively new concept, and many people aren’t aware that such a thing even exists. But in a time where social media platforms are engaging in questionable practices, and our online worlds are saturated with more and more digital waste, businesses should be scrutinising the impact of their marketing practices What is ethical marketing? Ethical marketing encompasses many different things depending on what marketing
Ransomware attacks are growing in cost and frequency. Small businesses should take the following five steps to protect themselves, writes David Lenz. Ransomware attacks continue to impact businesses worldwide—and the costs are staggering. A new survey of more than 1,100 IT decision-makers at small and midsize businesses in Australia and New Zealand found that 53 percent had been targeted by a ransomware attack. These numbers are not expected to improve soon. Despite spending billions on cybersecurity tools, businesses are still poorly prepared for ransomware attacks. Only a quarter of all ANZ respondents said they’re very confident in their ability to recover lost data in the event of a ransomware attack. Smaller businesses are even less well prepared. Less than 20 percent are
A new monthly laughter subscription model has been launched to help Kiwi businesses boost morale and connection. Finding the positive amidst a tidal wave of negativity in our news feeds can be a daily struggle. That’s why Wade Jackson, high performance coach, author and founder of charitable trust Covert Theatre, has launched an innovative new laughter subscription to bring business and laughter together. Enter, stage right: The Laugh Gym. Inspired by new research from University College London[1] which shows that engaging with the performing arts has a positive impact on wellbeing, improv is the latest business tool to help employees find joy, laugh and thrive. Launched on July 20th with a special performance by global hit The Improv Bandits, The Laugh Gym
Upcoming event
Thursday 30 July 2026 | 7:00am – 9:00pm
📍 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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