Stepping up
Why good governance goes a long way in developing SME directors in a rapidly changing business environment.
Why good governance goes a long way in developing SME directors in a rapidly changing business environment.
The thriving Māori economy and workforce are shaping New Zealand’s future, with professional development, leadership, and Māori values driving transformative opportunities across industries.
A band of New Zealand’s highest profile thinkers and entrepreneurs have united to offer mentoring to businesses and individuals seeking guidance while navigating Covid-19’s next phase. New Zealand’s largest speakers’ bureau Celebrity Speakers NZ has collaborated with leaders and experts including Nigel Latta, Sir Graham Henry, Gilbert Enoka, Lisa King, Tony Alexander, and My Food Bag founders Cecilia and James Robinson, to design Mentor Me – digital mentoring sessions to help businesses survive and hopefully thrive. Celebrity Speakers managing director Louise Ryburn (pictured) says the video sessions can be one-on-one with the mentor, or can connect with up to four colleagues. “Our 30 or 60-minute live video sessions will support people in business and will traverse topics covering all of
More than 1100 women entrepreneurs have gained valuable digital marketing skills in 2019, thanks to a partnership between #SheOwnsIt and Facebook. Rachel Lewis, founder of business community SheOwnsIt.co.nz is on a mission to boost the number of Kiwi women business owners. A recent study by Aston University in the UK found that New Zealand is a top five country for women entrepreneurs, yet this still equates to just one-in-three business owners, a ratio Rachel feels can increase through improving digital skills. A partnership between SheOwnsIt and Facebook in 2019 supercharged a free digital marketing training programme which brought over 1100 women together in nine locations nationwide to learn the latest in online marketing. Alongside professional trainers covering the foundations of online marketing,
The search is on for the next group of Māori tech entrepreneurs, innovators and start-ups to take part in a kaupapa-led business accelerator programme. Kōkiri is an intensive three-month programme for start-ups that have high-growth potential. Aimed at accelerating market entry, the successful teams will be confident to showcase their ventures to potential backers and be ready to negotiate investment opportunities. Up to 10 successful teams will receive mentoring, education, founder capability development, and networking opportunities. In addition, the support package will provide participants with a start-up grant of $10,000, additional travel assistance, and accommodation during the live-in residential periods. Kōkiri is designed to provide a wraparound support network to enable teams to focus solely on their business development during
Waikato business incubator and coworking space Soda Inc. is celebrating 10 years in business this month and turning up the volume for entrepreneurs. Chief Executive Erin Wansbrough said the anniversary came as Soda was executing its own growth strategy to enable its business growth support to be assessable by a much greater number of New Zealand entrepreneurs and businesses. “We are proud to have assisted over 650 startup businesses from all over New Zealand over the past 10 years and have worked intensively with over 50 startups through our incubation programmes. Over this time, Soda has had three successful share exits and the startups we have intensively supported have created over 300 jobs and have raised over $15 million of investment.
The MBA has long been the pinnacle of academic achievement for business professionals. Today it is increasingly weighted towards experiential learning, leadership development and mind expansion. Sit down with a new MBA graduate for an hour, as NZBusiness did, and you’ll quickly appreciate the profound impact that the ‘Master of Business Administration’ can have on people’s lives and careers. Disregard its somewhat archaic title and the fact that it’s been around since 1908 (when Harvard established the first programme based on Frederick Winslow Taylor’s scientific management), today the MBA still represents the ultimate business qualification for people aiming for the highest echelons of business and personal achievement. As Ken Lee, director, MBA and Professional Masters at AUT explains, people considering
Half of New Zealand workers have already seen their job responsibilities change as a result of automation, according to recruitment company Hays…
Upcoming event
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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