The David Awards finalists revealed as entries surge amid tough trading conditions
Finalists are in, and with entries up nearly 50 percent on two years ago, The David Awards judges have never had a harder job.
Finalists are in, and with entries up nearly 50 percent on two years ago, The David Awards judges have never had a harder job.
Eric Clark, CEO of Manhattan Associates, believes complexity is becoming a permanent part of the operating environment. Clark discusses why that can create opportunity, what other industries can learn from retail, and how technology and AI can help businesses manage it.
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.
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.
More than 60 exhibitors, 75 speakers, leading franchise brands and 1,600 attendees are expected at Due Drop Events Centre this September.
Where are they now? Brolly Sheets Founder Diane Hurford on 20 years of bed-wetting, bandanas and building a business that stuck.
Some of New Zealand’s most influential science, business and policy figures will gather in Auckland next week to grapple with a question that has dogged the country for decades: How does New Zealand turn its ideas into lasting prosperity?
Leading a multi-national company takes guts, hard work and determination but without good governance, structure, and processes there is risk for shareholders – no matter how hard you work.
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.
Before understanding the future of Artificial Intelligence in business, or how AI technologies impact the business world, it is important to know what AI actually is. AI refers to any computer software that engages in activities usually undertaken by humans, including customer support, business forecasts, and asset management. Years of science fiction movies have led us to believe that AI is a fleet of sentient robots, but today’s AI technologies are far more subtle. Most of us interact with AI in some way or another daily. With its wide range of uses, it is becoming an imperative option for businesses that want to maintain a competitive edge. So, what are some of the ways you can improve your business with
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
Upcoming event
Thursday 8 October 2026 | 5:00pm – 7:00pm
📍 GridAKL, 101, Pakenham Street West, Wynyard Quarter, Auckland
The David Awards 2026 winners are revealed live at GridAKL on 8 October, followed by a panel on building small businesses that punch above their weight. Finalist or not, get your free ticket to this informative and celebratory event.
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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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