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.
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.
Grant McIvor explains why New Zealand’s tech sector has the potential to be transformational, but is being hindered by a lack of experienced people. The tech sector in Aotearoa New Zealand has the potential to be transformational. But while the industry is booming – with annual earnings of nearly $14 billion – it is also being constrained, not by a lack of ambition, but by one of the most important factors in its growth: a lack of people. Throughout my career in technology, the skills shortage has been a constant, but somewhat manageable, reality. Exacerbated by the impact of the pandemic and the resulting closed borders, coupled with rapid growth in the sector, this challenge has now grown to undermine the
Petfood brand WildHQ has secured national distribution with Fresh Choice supermarkets only one month after launching at the Nelson Saturday market. The new brand is the brainchild of friends Blair Chapman and Pete Kinane who combined their backgrounds as a commercial helicopter operator and police dog trainer to launch their new WildHQ venture. “When COVID-19 reared its ugly head and the world went into lockdown and tourism ground to a halt, Pete and I were chewing the fat over the phone and got talking about our dogs,” says Blair. “We have five dogs between us and we were talking about how much we missed being out in the bush. And then our wild idea was born.” “We went from chatting
Sumit Sharma explains how, together with business partner Amandeep Singh, he successfully launched their digital odd jobs marketplace. Success has been snowballing for our app, a digital marketplace for odd jobs in Auckland. It’s called Ezy Peazy, and it’s working well – although achieving success has meant keeping a close eye on similar apps which haven’t been quite so successful. I’d like to share with you how we are making it work. Ezy Peazy was conceived in 2019 after I found myself redundant from two career roles, and looking for a meaningful project to focus on. At the time, there were a couple of digital marketplaces which were trying to help Kiwis find handymen and women for odd jobs. It
A Christchurch team have launched a crowdfunding campaign to bring the old Chief Post Office in Cathedral Square, established in 1879, back to life. They’re equity crowdfunding to raise up to $2 million to create a new destination that they hope will house nine businesses, and employ 40 to 50 people. The aim is for The Grand to include an artisan French bakery, a people-focused food court experience, visitor information centre, iconic restaurants and bars and one of New Zealand’s largest outdoor plazas, says CEO and founder of The Grand Darin Rainbird. “The Grand’s next life aims to be a world-class destination for our world-class city, and we believe this will be a part of the redevelopment of Christchurch’s future,”
MYOB’s Jo Tozer comments on the 2022 Government Budget’s incentives for business, including the Business Growth Fund – designed to deliver new funds to fuel business growth. With 48 percent of SMEs in MYOB’s 2022 Business Monitor stating that access to finance will be a pressure point on their business this year, an announcement of a new, independently managed Business Growth Fund (with a $100m investment by the Government) targeted at helping to provide a new source of capital for growing business, should be welcome news. Further insights from MYOB show growth is high up in the minds of many local small and medium enterprises, with 44 percent stating in the annual Business Monitor that growing their business is a priority over
Richard Conway explains some simple SEO techniques that business owners can use to edge the competition. The past two years have cemented search engine optimisation (SEO) as perhaps the most important aspect of any business’s digital marketing strategy. If implemented properly, appearing organically on the first page of Google for the terms your target market is searching for is a proven way to drive sales, brand engagement, and loyalty. Google dominates the search engine landscape in New Zealand, accounting for more than 93 percent of all searches in this country. That’s a massive playing field for your marketing efforts. It’s also a level playing field. Google does not share its algorithms, so no business benefits from any insider information. The
Upcoming event
Wednesday 11 November 2026 | 7:00am – 9:30am
📍 New Zealand International Convention Centre, 101 Hobson Street, Auckland
One week after the election, Ready to Rise returns for ‘After the Result’ to help Kiwi SME owners plan ahead for their next bold move, and hard-won growth. Get your tickets for this must-attend business breakfast.
Latest issue
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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