Shows / Best of Business
Best of Business
Best of Business is the home of all things business at Newstalk ZB, from morning market updates right through to incisive interviews with New Zealand’s top business leaders and decision makers.
Whether you’re a small business owner or interested in what’s going on in the Big End of Town, this podcast encompasses the sharpest voices and minds in the world of business.
Episodes
- Best of Business
Oliver Peterson: Australian correspondent on the Australian Government banning live sheep exports from mid-2028
The export of live sheep from Australia will be banned from May 2028 onwards. The Government has promised a $117 million transition package to support the…
- Best of Business
Kim Mundy: ASB economist on rent, food and fuel pushing up inflation
New data shows food prices have show up for the first time in three months - contributing to inflationary pressures. Stats NZ says food prices went up 0.6…
- Best of Business
Brianne West: Ethique founder on her new beverage-based venture Incrediballs
After making waves in the beauty industry, Ethique founder Brianne West has set her sights on beverages. Her newest venture, Incrediballs, offers consumers…
- Best of Business
Sam Dickie: Fisher Funds expert on the quarterly results out of the US and Europe
The US and Europe have posted several quarterly results - and this season has been labelled 'spicy' and volatile by experts. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds…
- Best of Business
Jamie Mackay: The Country host on AgriZeroNZ investing millions into US start-up producing 'methane vaccine'
AgriZeroNZ, the joint venture fast-tracking emissions reduction tools for Kiwi farmers, has put up millions of dollars in the race for a 'methane vaccine'. The…
- Best of Business
Liam Dann: NZ Herald business editor at large on the uptick in banks phasing out cash
It's looking increasingly likely that cash is getting phased out. More and more banks have removed their ATMs, and Australia's Macquarie Bank made headlines…
- Best of Business
John Kidd: Enerlytica director on New Zealand's power and gas shortage
The nation is grappling with worsening power and gas shortages - in line with one expert's warning. In September 2023, Enerlytica director John Kidd warned of…
- Best of Business
Mike Lee: Auckland University marketing professor on Woolworths mistakenly sending prize emails to 80,000 customers
Thousands of people have been caught up in Woolworths whoopsie. The supermarket wrote to winners of a promotion, awarding them 4000 reward points - which…
- Best of Business
Jeremy Hutton: Milford Asset Management Equities Analyst on the future of the Port of Tauranga
Questions are being raised about the future of the Port of Tauranga. This comes off the back of Auckland mayor Wayne Brown confirming the Port of Auckland's…
- Best of Business
Jenee Tibshraeny: NZ Herald Wellington business editor on ANZ and BNZ bosses appearing hesitant to follow RBNZ insurance advice
One expert has noticed New Zealand's biggest banks don't seem to be rushing to get more information about the insurability of the properties they lend against…
- Best of Business
Roger Venn: AA General Manager on manual cars going extinct within the next five years
New research indicates manual cars will be phased out within the next five years. The number of new manual cars being manufactured has halved within the last…
- Best of Business
Brad Olsen: Infometrics Principal Economist on New Zealand negotiating a free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates
Meat exporters are celebrating news the Government's negotiating a free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates. Trade Minister Todd McClay says he hopes…
- Best of Business
Victor Rajasooriar: Siren Gold CEO on the valuable mineral found in New Zealand's West Coast
The small town of Reefton, located in the West Coast, is sitting on a supply of a valuable mineral. An Australian mining company believes Reefton could have 5…
- Best of Business
Antonia Watson: ANZ Chief Executive on the bank posting an increase in net profit
The country's largest bank has increased its cash profit, despite falling interest margins. ANZ New Zealand's cash profit rose to $1.15 billion dollars in the…
- Best of Business
Jenee Tibshraeny: NZ Herald Wellington business editor on the OECD's biennial report findings ahead of Budget 2024
The OECD has released its detailed biennial report on New Zealand's economy, ahead of the 2024 Budget. It lays out suggestions to improve productivity -…
- Best of Business
Business Panel: Retail NZ's Carolyn Young and Trinity Group's Jeremy Smith on the state of the capital's economy
Things are tough in Wellington at the moment, with unemployment biting and public service cuts and staff working from home affecting central city businesses…
- Best of Business
Murray Bevan: ShowRoom 22 director disagrees with New Zealand Fashion Week being cancelled for 2024
Not all agree with the cancellation of this year's New Zealand Fashion Week. Event organisers pulled the pin after financial pressures on the industry and made…
- Best of Business
Sam Dickie: Fisher Funds expert on China's economic downturn
China's economy has been experiencing a downturn- weak growth, increased debt, and unwanted Government intervention. Despite this, China's stock market is the…
- Best of Business
Jamie Mackay: The Country host on Horticulture New Zealand Chief Executive Nadine Tunley resigning
Nadine Tunley, Chief Executive of Horticulture New Zealand has resigned with her last day at HortNZ being Friday, 30 August. Tunley claimed this wasn't an easy…
- Best of Business
Jeremy Hutton: Milford Asset Management Equities Analyst on Restaurant Brands reporting stronger quarterly sales numbers
Restaurant Brands New Zealand is enjoying a strong first quarter for the 2024 financial year. The restaurant operator reported $302.6 million in sales, a 7.9…
- Best of Business
Jenee Tibshraeny: NZ Herald Wellington business editor on the Government's plan to tax commercial property owners an extra $575 million
The Government plans to tax commercial property owners an extra $575 million a year in order to fund residential property and income tax cuts. Finance Minister…
- Best of Business
Kris Faafoi: Insurance Council CEO on the Reserve Bank's warning about the uncertain insurance future of homes threatened by natural hazards
The Insurance Council is backing calls for Kiwis to lift their understanding of the risks of natural hazards. The Reserve Bank has released an excerpt on…
- Best of Business
Stephen Toplis: BNZ Head of Research forecasts unemployment will climb past 5 percent
Economists forecast unemployment will climb higher. New data shows it reached 4.3 percent in March, up from 4 percent in the December quarter. This comes at a…
- Best of Business
Jen Baird: Real Estate Institute CEO on the Government axing Residential Property Managers Bill
There's disappointment a Bill that would have regulated property managers more has been withdrawn. Housing Minister Chris Bishop has scrapped the Property…
- Best of Business
Brad Olsen: Infometrics principal economist on business confidence falling 8 points in ANZ survey
The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey shows confidence is declining. Business confidence dropped 8 points to +15 in April, expected own activity fell 9 points…
- Best of Business
Paul Bloxham: HSBC chief economist on Australian markets pricing in potential rate hikes
Australian financial markets appear to be bracing themselves for bad news. They've made a sudden shift from pricing in rate cuts to pricing in potential rate…
- Best of Business
Rowena Duncum: The Country producer on the droughts impacting Australia
Australia's farmers have been struggling under ongoing droughts and low rainfall. The unfavourable weather conditions have led to farmers de-stocking or…
- Best of Business
Jon Duffy: Consumer NZ CEO on Jetstar overtaking Air New Zealand in terms of reliability
Air New Zealand's reliability has fallen - and it's trailing Jetstar in figures for last month as it grapples with engine problems. Only 77 percent of its…
- Best of Business
Stuart Nash: Robert Walters commercial director on the uptick in workers 'rage-applying' to new jobs
Two out of three job applicants have admitted to 'rage-applying' to new roles out of frustration with their employers, according to new research. A survey…
- Best of Business
Gavin Grey: UK correspondent on retailers John Lewis and Waitrose giving applicants interview questions beforehand
One of the UK's biggest retail groups has confirmed it plans to give job applicants their interview questions beforehand in an attempt to make the process…
- Best of Business
Fran O'Sullivan: NZME business commentator ahead of Winston Peters' foreign policy speech
All eyes will be on Foreign Minister Winston Peters ahead of his hotly-anticipated foreign policy speech. Peters is expected to deliver a notable…
- Best of Business
Deborah Lambie: Milford Asset Management analyst on Netflix potentially introducing advertising to service
As Netflix releases their results for first quarter, they've promised some new changes to the service. The company's shares have dropped by nine percent, and…
- Best of Business
Jenee Tibshraeny: NZ Herald Wellington business editor on the conflicting coverage of public sector growth
There's been more light shined on the conflicting coverage of public sector job growth. Labour's Chris Hipkins has justified the growth of the public sector…
- Best of Business
Danni Hewson: AJ Bell financial advisor on Tesla experiencing historic revenue drop
New reports show Tesla is experiencing a steep decline in profits and revenue - but the company's shares jumped 10 percent. The electric vehicle manufacturer…
- Best of Business
Henry Russell: ANZ economist on New Zealand reaching first trading surplus in months
New Zealand has achieved its first trading surplus since last May. Stats NZ trade data for March 2024 shows a monthly surplus of $588 million. Goods exports…
- Best of Business
Carolyn Young: Retail NZ CEO on retail businesses struggling to meet targets heading into winter
A chunk of businesses aren’t sure they'll survive this year. A Retail NZ survey has found retailers aren't confident heading into winter and a third think they…
- Best of Business
Annie Dundas: Auckland Unlimited Destination Director on the collaboration with Auckland Airport and China Airlines to market to business travellers
Chinese business travellers are first priority Auckland tourism for a first-of-its-kind alliance. Since travel resumed last year, 6% of the 210,000 Chinese…
- Best of Business
Business Panel: Cranfields owner Nicola Cranfield and NZCIS general manager Jamie Tout
Wellington institution Cranfields is set to shut down, while the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport is going from strength to strength as the training…
- Best of Business
Paul Bloxham: HSBC chief economist ahead of tomorrow's CPI data release
Tomorrow's CPI data release is expected to reveal how close the Reserve Bank is to pushing down inflation. During last week's OCR update, the Bank was…
- Best of Business
Pattrick Smellie: BusinessDesk managing editor on the possibility of interest rate cuts before September
BusinessDesk's Pattrick Smellie is off on a European sabbatical- and he's hopeful an interest rate cut could come before his return. He outlined his…
- Best of Business
Barry Soper: ZB senior political correspondent on Minister Shane Jones dismissing 'green catastrophising' over coal mining changes
Resource Minister Shane Jones is dismissing what he calls green 'catastrophising' over coal mining. As part of upcoming RMA amendments, Jones will remove the…
- Best of Business
Justin Wallace: First Union spokesperson warns Fletcher subsidiary EasySteel will restructure
Union workers at Fletcher subsidiary EasySteel have blamed the company's recent mismanagement for a looming restructure. Fletcher has cited market conditions…
- Best of Business
Kiri Hannifin: Air New Zealand Chief Sustainability Officer on Air New Zealand's purchase of sustainable aviation fuel
Air New Zealand has signed its largest deal yet for sustainable aviation fuel. The airline purchased 9 million litres of fuel from provider Neste, which is…
- Best of Business
Tristan Gilbertson: Telecommunications Commissioner 'disappointed' over One NZ code breaches
The Telecommunications Commissioner says he's disappointed about alleged breaches of the 111 Contact code by telco One New Zealand. The code is designed to…
- Best of Business
Shayne Currie: NZ Herald Editor-at-large on Stuff's new business agreement with Warner Brothers Discovery
There's more details on the finances of Stuff's new agreement with Warner Brothers Discovery. The Newshub owner signed a deal with Stuff yesterday to produce…
- Best of Business
Fran O'Sullivan: NZME business commentator on Chris Luxon's meeting with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
The Prime Ministers of New Zealand and Singapore have agreed to streamline flows of critical supplies during crises. Chris Luxon sat down today in Singapore…
- Best of Business
Barry Soper: ZB senior political correspondent on Christopher Luxon's political trip to South East Asia
Prime Minister Luxon is eyeing up the opportunities and potential to be found in South East Asia. Luxon's leading a 24 person business delegation to Singapore…
- Best of Business
Nicola Willis: Finance Minister ahead of her meeting with overseas counterparts in Washington DC
The Finance Minister's excited ahead of her trip to Washington DC. Nicola Willis departs tomorrow for a meeting with her counterparts from Australia, the…
- Best of Business
Andrew Dickens: The media model is broken because of fear
Since we were last together, the collapse of television news and current affairs has continued. And with it, we have been subjected to a lot of highfalutin…
- Best of Business
Irene Gardiner: NZ Screen Producers’ Guild President on the future of local Kiwi content following TVNZ and Newshub cuts
There's growing concern that the cuts across TVNZ and Newshub won't be the last for locally produced content. As the nation's biggest broadcasting companies…
- Best of Business
Liam Dann: NZ Herald business editor at large on the 'sobering' wave of job cuts in the last month
It's been a big time for job cuts, with multiple roles being slashed over the past month. The public service has posted several high-profile job cuts, and over…
- Best of Business
Sue Harrison and Luke Somervell: Property Investors Federation President and Renters United spokesperson on the Government's changes to rental laws
Housing Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed a suite of changes will be made to the Residential Tenancies Act. A bill being introduced to Parliament will bring…
- Best of Business
Willie Jackson: Labour broadcasting spokesperson hits out at Minister Melissa Lee over Newshub and TVNZ response
Labour's broadcasting spokesman says the Government cannot afford not to help Newshub. Media Minister Melissa Lee is facing growing questions about how she'll…
- Best of Business
Sam Trethewey: Milford Asset Management Portfolio Manager on the market response to the OCR update
The Reserve Bank confirmed they'll hold the OCR in place at 5.5 percent. This falls in line with predictions that the OCR update would follow on from…
- Best of Business
Jenee Tibshraeny: NZ Herald Wellington business editor on the Reserve Bank holding the OCR steady at 5.5 percent
The Reserve Bank held the OCR steady at 5.5 percent, but warned people about the risk that came with increased rates. Governor Adrian Orr says rates will need…
- Best of Business
Barry Soper: ZB senior political correspondent on Minister Melissa Lee's elusive plan to save the media
The Broadcasting Minister says media is a priority for the Government, despite it being absent from the quarterly plan. It's been a dark day for media, with…
- Best of Business
David McDonald: Being AI co-founder on OpenAI and Meta planning to launch new systems that give AI human-level thinking
Two tech giants claim they've found a way to make AI smarter - and more human-like. OpenAI and Meta have revealed they plan to launch artificial intelligence…
- Best of Business
Michael Morrah: Newshub investigative reporter on the 'devastating' loss of Newshub as closure confirmed
A sad day for Newshub staff with closure confirmed, and about 250 jobs lost. Warner Bros. Discovery have told staff there's no planned deal 'at this stage'…
- Best of Business
Malcolm Knight: mortgage adviser on Kiwi households feeling the pinch from heavy home loan rates
A mortgage adviser says New Zealanders are feeling the strain of heavy home loan rates. The Reserve Bank's held the Official Cash Rate at 5.5 percent. Adviser…
- Best of Business
Pattrick Smellie: BusinessDesk managing editor on the political debate surrounding methane emissions
A new report from the Climate Change Commission warned New Zealand will need to tackle methane emissions to keep up with 2050 climate goals. The report warned…