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 BusinessSue Tierney: Mortgage broker says changes to lending rules are too little, too late
A mortgage broker is dismissing changes to new lending rules as too little, too late. The Government is further tweaking consumer lending regulations, after…
Best of BusinessMike's Minute: Cost of living payment circus turning into a political mess
The Ggovernment's cost of living sop, cock up, circus, or whatever you want to call it, now has the potential to turn into a real political crisis. Issue one…
Best of BusinessEric Crampton: Economist on predictions of another record low inflation number
Today could see another historic milestone for the New Zealand economy. Unemployment is expected to fall from its current level of 3.2 percent, which is…
Best of BusinessDavid Clark: Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister admits Govt did not get new lending rules right
The Government admits it did not get its new lending rules right. There'll be further tweaks to consumer lending regulations, including narrowing the expenses…
Best of BusinessNick Leggett: Transporting NZ CEO on more than 70 pc of diesel drivers thought to be rorting discounted fuel system
More than 70 percent of diesel drivers buying up large amounts of discounted fuel are thought to be rorting the system. Purchasers were only meant to buy the…
Best of BusinessAndrew Hoggard: Federated Farmers president as survey finds farmer confidence has dropped even further
In January farmer confidence was at the lowest level recorded in biannual surveys that Federated Farmers has been running since 2009. Last month's survey found…
Best of BusinessChris Wilkinson: First Retail Group managing director on Michael Hill becoming accredited seller of lab-grown diamonds
Michael Hill has become the first major retailer in Australasia to become an accredited seller of lab-grown diamonds. The jewellery chain has been selling…
Best of BusinessFran O'Sullivan: NZME Business Commentator on Jacinda Ardern's China Business Summit speech
Jacinda Ardern has spoken at the China Business Summit this morning. She said she is looking forward to the resumption of ministerial visits with China as…
Best of BusinessDavid Parker: Acting Finance Minister says a small percentage of expats will have got the cost of living payment
Defence for the cost of living payment after some overseas residents and former migrants receive the first deposit. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says some…
Best of BusinessAndy Cooper: Electric Kiwi chief marketing officer on being removed from Powerswitch for not paying commission fees
A war of words has broken out between Electric Kiwi and Consumer NZ over the running of a power comparison site. Powerswitch was set up with Government funding…
Best of BusinessLucia Die Gil: Greaterthan partner says a four-day week is never going to be work/life fix
A Kiwi HR company says wellbeing sessions at work or 4-day weeks are never going to be the work/life fix employees are currently demanding. Greaterthan has…
Best of BusinessAlan Pollard: CEO of Civil Contractors NZ on survey showing lack of project certainty
It is a tough time to be in the construction industry. The annual construction industry survey shows on top of battling the well-known skill and worker…
Best of BusinessRebecca Ingram: Tourism Industry Aotearoa CEO says it will be two or three years before we find a new normal
A spring in the step of tourism businesses today, with New Zealand's border now fully open for the first time in more than two years. All visa categories are…
Best of BusinessDavid Parker: Revenue Minister urges people to update bank account with IRD to receive cost of living payment
A sugar hit to sweeten up New Zealand's squeezed middle. The first instalment of the Government's Cost of Living payment, which was announced in May's Budget…
Best of BusinessRod Oram: Business commentator on the calls for public inquiry into Reserve Bank's Covid response
National, the Greens, ACT and a former Reserve Bank chairman are calling for a public inquiry into the Reserve Bank's response to Covid. It comes after Graeme…
Best of BusinessSharon Zollner: ANZ chief economist on consumer confidence still low, but households still spending
Consumer confidence may be low, but New Zealand households are still spending. This is according to the latest ANZ-Roy Morgan numbers, which show that while…
Best of BusinessDavid Perks: Regional Tourism New Zealand chair on potential regional visitor levy
A regional visitor levy is back on the cards to cover the costs of tourism on small communities as borders fully re-open on Sunday. The proposal was a common…
Best of BusinessKevin O'Sullivan: Cruise Association CEO says maritime tourism sector will take time to rebuild
The tourism sector is bracing for the long-awaited return of international cruise ships.The maritime border re-opens on Monday, with the Pacific Explorer set…
Best of BusinessJennifer Taylor: Brightbuild director says there is nowhere enough plasterboard coming into the country
A building company director says nowhere near enough plasterboard is arriving in the country. Housing Minister Megan Woods says a taskforce set up to address…
Best of BusinessAndrew Dickens: Steven Joyce was the first bit of economic sense I’ve heard in a while
How good was it to hear Stephen Joyce with Kerre Woodham yesterday morning? The former Finance Minister talked calmly and rationally about our inflation crisis…
Best of BusinessDavid Vinsen: Imported Motor Vehicle Assn CEO as they pull their support for Clean Car Rebate scheme
Vehicle importers are shining a light on apparent faults within the the Government's Clean Car rebate scheme. The Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association…
Best of BusinessMax Whitehead: Employment law expert says TVNZ has suffered huge reputation damage over Santamaria
An employment law expert says the Kamahl Santamaria saga should send a clear warning about the dangers of hiring friends. TVNZ Head of News Paul Yurisich has…
Best of BusinessMike's Minute: Govt targeting high-value investors is no bad thing
Hold the front page, the Government has done something eminently sensible. The changes to the investment visas make some real sense. Buying your way into a…
Best of BusinessMarisa Bidois: Restaurant Assn CEO on new credits aimed to reward businesses who meet certain standards
A new certification programme has been launched for businesses this morning. Developed by the Restaurant Association, it's called HospoCred and it will reward…
Best of BusinessRick Herd: Naylor Love CEO on MBIE's advice on Gib substitutes, variations to be released
An end to the Gib shortage is becoming closer by the day. Twelve importers of plasterboard now have 100 containers of product on their way to the country…
Best of BusinessGareth Kiernan: Infometrics Chief Forecaster on whether the Reserve Bank has learned anything with inflation
Does it seem like the Reserve Bank has learned anything over the last couple of days? This is in relation to Graeme Wheeler's comment that central banks drove…
Best of BusinessDeb Lambie: Milford Asset Management Global Equities Analyst on US interest rates expected to rise
All eyese are on the US Federal Reserve tomorrow. They're announcing the interest rates, and a economists are expecting a 0.75 percent rise to 2.5 percent. If…
Best of BusinessJenée Tibshraeny: Wellington Business Editor on the Crown recapitalising the Reserve Bank
The Crown has started recapitalising the Reserve Bank. It comes after the Government provided a backstop for the bank to buy bonds at the start of the…
Best of BusinessSteven Joyce: Former Finance Minister on calls for review of RBNZ's response to inflation
Calls are growing for a review of the Reserve Bank's slow response to inflation. National is calling for an independent review after Governor Adrian Orr…
Best of BusinessSharon Zollner: ANZ chief economist predicts OCR to rise to 4 percent next month
More signs of a slowdown in the housing market. CoreLogic is now forecasting for the cooling of the property market to continue for the rest of the year. And…
Best of BusinessRhiannon McKinnon: Kiwi Wealth CEO on State of the Investor Nation report
An interesting insight this morning into the mind of us all as investors. Kiwi Wealth's annual State of the Investor Nation report is out this morning. It has…
Best of BusinessBrad Olsen: Economist says central banks should have acted sooner once they knew impact pandemic was going to have
The Reserve Bank is being urged to show more urgency in its efforts to curb inflation. Governor Adrian Orr has acknowledged interest rate decisions he has made…
Best of BusinessJon Duffy: Consumer NZ CEO says fines for supermarkets breaking new code of conduct a good start
Supermarkets could face huge fines if they breach the Government's new code of conduct for the sector. A cabinet paper shows supermarkets may be fined up to…
Best of BusinessChristopher Luxon: National Leader says the central bank's work needs to be reviewed
National says an independent review of the Reserve Bank is crucial to ensuring mistakes from the past aren't repeated. Governor Adrian Orr has acknowledged…
Best of BusinessDon Brash: Former Reserve Bank Governor on criticism of central banks
Former Reserve Bank Governor Graeme Wheeler has taken a swing at central banks all over the world, including our own. He's co-authored a report accusing…
Best of BusinessAndrew Hoggard: Federated Farmers Pres says FMD would be catastrophic for this country
Fears for the impact foot and mouth disease could have on the economy, should it reach New Zealand. Biosecurity has been keeping an eye on Indonesia's outbreak…
Best of BusinessMike's Minute: How is the benefit line growing?
There has never been a worse time to be on the Jobseeker benefit. And yet 100,000 are. Tens of thousands more than were on it when the current government…
Best of BusinessDr. Bryce Wilkinson: NZ Initiative Senior Fellow on claims worldwide inflation caused by central bank mistakes
Claims the outbreak of inflation in many economies is due to mistakes made by central banks. It comes in the form of a new paper, co-authored by former…
Best of BusinessAlan McDonald: Business leaders want to end Covid-19 isolation rules for household contacts
Business leaders want an end to Covid-19 isolation rules for household contacts, to help ease staff shortages. Instead, they want a test, pass, work protocol…
Best of BusinessMichael Barnett: Auckland Business Chamber CEO says isolation rules are causing issues for businesses
Isolation rules are causing long Covid for businesses, according to the Auckland Business Chamber. The Chamber says hotels are closed, flights can't depart and…
Best of BusinessGrant Robertson: Finance Minister stays tight-lipped on fuel tax cut extension
The Finance Minister is staying tight-lipped on whether another extension to fuel tax cuts is on the horizon. The Government pushed out the 25-cent reduction…
Best of BusinessMike's Minute: The Government are digging a deeper financial hole
As schools return, let’s begin the term with a little Economics 101. When you artificially inject yourself into an economy with the view to helping people out…
Best of BusinessBrent Carey: NetSafe reach agreement with social media giants obliging them to reduce harmful material
Efforts to turn the tide on harmful content online. NetSafe has reached an agreement with Meta, Google, TikTok, Amazon and Twitter for a code of practice…
Best of BusinessRod Oram: Business commentator on Ian McCrae retiring as Orion Health CEO
Ian McCrae has retired as Orion Health CEO after 30 years on the job. McCrae says he's going to remain as a director and major shareholder while keeping a hand…
Best of BusinessGreg Foran: Air NZ CEO says airline is trying to make arrangements for those who need to travel
The wild weather is over, but the travel chaos could continue well into next week. More than 180 flights and most Cook Strait ferry sailings were cancelled…
Best of BusinessBruce Patten: Mortgage broker says clients declined loans by some banks, may be approved by another
Signs the housing credit crunch might be easing a little.A new survey of mortgage advisors by economist Tony Alexander has found banks are becoming more…
Best of BusinessChris Wilkinson: Retail expert on Kmart moving distribution from Auckland to Hamilton
Kmart is shifting south. The retail giant is moving its distribution centre from Auckland to the Ruakura Superhub in Hamilton. It will be a bigger and better…
Best of BusinessSam Dickie: Fisher Funds Senior Portfolio Manager on Vodafone and Spark selling off their mobile phone tower assets
Over the last week or so, both Vodafone and Spark have sold their cell towers to offshore funds. Vodafone agreed to a $1.7 billion sale of mobile phone towers…
Best of BusinessJamie Mackay: The Country host on Australia's foot and mouth problem
Australia is dealing with an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. Fragments of the disease have been discovered at Australia's border and in pork in Melbourne…
Best of BusinessLiam Dann: NZ Herald Business Editor at Large on the use of 'greedflation' by US companies
Greedflation is becoming a big political issue in the US. It's a term used over there when companies use the cover of inflation to boost their margins. NZ…
Best of BusinessJames Fuller: Hnry CEO on report finding NZ is losing an estimated $3 billion a year in unproductivity
Research from accountancy firm Hnry has found we're losing an estimated $3 billion in unproductivity each year. Outdated ways of managing tax and admin are to…
Best of BusinessAndrew Dickens: Does the Govt know their new visa policy hurdles are too high?
I want to start off with immigration because this is the issue of the day, is it not. This is the issue of the age. We have discovered after the pandemic that…
Best of BusinessAaron Martin: Immigration lawyer says new visa changes are confusing, lack detail
More detail is wanted regarding the Government's changes to investor migrant visas. Investors now need to invest at least $5 million over three years and…
Best of BusinessTim Alpe: Jucy Managing Director on their opening of a 300-bed pod hotel in Auckland
Would you be up for sleeping in a pod hotel? Tourism company Jucy is expanding its Jucy Snooze operation and opening a 300-bed pod hotel in Auckland. Managing…
Best of BusinessPhil O'Reilly: Former Immigration NZ boss on changes to migrant investor visas
The Government is making some significant changes around migrant investor visas They are creating a whole new category called Active Investor Plus, which will…
Best of BusinessPeter Richardson: Aotearoa Water Action on court win overturning consents to extract water from Chch aquifers
A win for anti-water bottling campaigners after a long-running battle to overturn consents letting two companies extract billions of litres of water from…
Best of BusinessJoshua Parsons: Security boss on builders sleeping on site to prevent burglaries
Builders have resorted to sleeping on construction sites to prevent raids by brazen thieves. Building materials costs are skyrocketing - and timber, Gib…
Best of BusinessSimone Jones: Hair and Barber NZ deputy co-chair calls for return of Covid wage subsidy
Hairdressers are calling for a return of the Covid wage subsidy. Client numbers are down by 30 to 40 percent, while Covid and the flu hit staff and clients. It…
Best of BusinessBarry Williamson: Recruitment specialist says resignations forcing counter offers are inflating wages
Resignations forcing counter offers are becoming more prevalent and inflating wages. Marsden Inch recruitment specialist Barry Williamson says people are being…
Best of BusinessGeof Nightingale: PWC tax partner says a windfall tax not best tool in the box, politically risky
Concerns some businesses are using inflation as a good excuse to raise prices higher than they otherwise would. Industries dealing with things like food…