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PODCAST

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.

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All Episodes

4:14

Brad Olsen: Infometrics Principal Economist on...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/29

Conversations about reintroducing maximum sustainable employment to the Reserve Bank's monetary policy mandate and inflation targeting could be back on the table, following recent comments from Winston Peters. Peters had to let this issue go during the last round of coalition negotiations, but speculation indicates he's like to bring the issue up again the next time round. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says there would be very little, if any, differences to the current state of the OCR

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2:13

Perspective with Ryan Bridge: Why are the oil and gas...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/29

There are two ways to look at this oil and gas announcement today. Aussie outfit EnZed Energy's been given the nod to go have a sniff around off the coast of Taranaki. That's important because they're the first company to be given that right since the Ardern ban. But there's already talk online about the fact this was the only application. There was nobody else applying for this permit, and it's just to have a poke around. Now, you would say this proves the point that there's not much interest and,

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3:26

Fiona MacMillan: Poultry Association head on the...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/28

The Government is introducing new regulations to help poultry farmers navigate bird flu, and industry experts are welcoming the changes. Operators with more than 100 birds will be required to create a farm biosecurity plan - setting out how they will prevent and manage the disease. Poultry Association head Fiona MacMillan says it's helpful for everyone to be on the same page about the outbreak. "I think having a standard that's applied consistently across industry can only be a good thing." LISTEN

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2:34

Cameron Bagrie: independent economist on what's...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/28

The rising cost of living is down to more than global uncertainty, according to one expert. Stats NZ data shows costs for the average household jumped 3.2 percent annually to June, a more than four-year-high. Petrol was the biggest contributor - skyrocketing more than 27 percent. Independent economist Cameron Bagrie says shocks like US tariffs and its war with Iran play a role, but core inflation is still higher than before Covid. "But there's a little bit more of a sticky persistent inflation -

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2:31

Perspective with Ryan Bridge: What do the latest...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/28

Nicola Willis will like the inflation number that's come out. More importantly, she'll like the story that number is telling. Remember, her target audience is the squeezed middle. This is the battleground. This is the fight for the soft centre at the election: Labour versus National. These are the voters both parties are targeting. The Stats NZ figure for the year to the June quarter is 3.2 percent. Prices are up for the average Kiwi family. On the face of it, that doesn't sound like good news. But

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5:53

Murray Olds: Australian correspondent on the number...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/28

Origin Energy has confirmed the full extent of how many Australians were impacted by the recent hacking scandal. In an update to customers, the energy giant said 900,000 current and former customers had their data accessed. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the hackers got access to important information, including names, addresses, dates of birth, and payment histories. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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3:26

Rojie Aguilar: Snowplanet general manager on the...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/28

Auckland's Snowplanet has partnered with one of NZ’s leading commercial solar companies, Sunergise, to produce more snow for less energy. The new system features 2,317 ground-mounted panels on the hillside adjacent to the main facility, in order to create 80 cubic metres of fresh snow every week to keep the experience going for skiers. Snowplanet general manager Rojie Aguilar says the clean energy is a plus - and it will save the company power as well. "It covers 30 percent of our overall power

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4:10

Laurence Carey: Squid Group Founder on TikTok...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/27

A digital marketing agency says more New Zealanders are turning to TikTok to decide where to eat and shop. A new Infometrics report shows the app supported almost 10 thousand local jobs last year and helped boost the local economy by an estimated $1.2 billion. It reveals more than 300 thousand New Zealand businesses are using the platform each month. Squid Group founder Laurence Carey told Andrew Dickens it's becoming a useful research tool. He says it's without a doubt the easiest way to find a

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3:31

Brad Olsen: Infometrics Principal Economist on the...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/27

TikTok's proving to be a powerful tool for New Zealand businesses. A new Infometrics report shows the social media platform helped boost the local economy by an estimated $1.2 billion last year. It found more than 670 thousand New Zealanders are visiting restaurants and cafes or making other purchases after discovering them on TikTok. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Mike Hosking around 50% of businesses in New Zealand reckon they’re using TikTok in some way, shape, or form. Of that

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4:45

Geoff McDonald: Skyline Enterprises CEO on the...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/27

Queenstown's famous gondola and luge operator continues to reach new heights. Skyline Enterprises has reported revenue of $239.3 million, up 15%, while net profit more than doubled to $86.1 million in the year to March. International visitor numbers from its key markets have now surpassed pre-Covid 2019 levels. CEO Geoff McDonald told Mike Hosking the Iran conflict is influencing where people travel, and is helping New Zealand's shoulder season. He says there's a clear rise in the number of

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5:39

Catherine Williamson: Mocka chief executive on the...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/27

Kiwi furniture brand Mocka is preparing to open its first standalone physical store in New Zealand, nearly 20 years after it began operating. Originally selling kids’ furniture online, the business’ range expanded to curated collections across key sectors, and it's set to open its first bricks-and-mortar store in Christchurch. Mocka chief executive Catherine Williamson says the brand's not looking to compete with Ikea - and it'll do things the 'Mocka way'. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for

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3:27

Shane Solly: Harbour Asset Management expert on Spark...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/27

Telecommunications company Spark has reorganised its operations into two divisions to reflect an increasing focus on core services. The core telco and IT services will come under the direction of the Connectivity division, with the other division responsible for Digital Services. Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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2:07

Jon Duffy: Consumer NZ CEO on the owner of...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/27

Laurie Blyth, owner of the Frontrunner store, has told customers not to use thein-store sizing service, and then buy cheaper online. Blyth has put up a sign outside the store saying staff will ask customers if they intend on shopping online before they fit them. Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy says this will be difficult to enforce as customers could just fib, but there's nothing wrong with this move. "They also absolutely have the right to ask the question, and if someone says - yeah, I'm

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3:04

Nick Leggett: Chief Executive on Infrastructure NZ on...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/26

An infrastructure advocate says the introduction of new AI data centres requires careful consideration. The Green Party wants a one-year pause on new centres, while rules for the industry are developed. It says the already consented facility in Southland is expected to use about 6% of the country's total electricity supply. Infrastructure New Zealand Chief Executive Nick Leggett told Mike Hosking that the benefit to New Zealanders must have weight in any new consents. He says the door to data

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4:58

Chris Small: ABC Business Sales Managing Director...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/26

New Zealand businesses are selling like hot-cakes. ABC Business Sales' latest report shows there were 503 completed sales over the last 12 months, up 19 percent on the year before. The business broker says New Zealand is still in a seller's market with an average of 34 buyers per new business listing. Managing Director Chris Small says they're sending out huge numbers of confidentiality agreements to people who want to look at the details behind businesses. He says more than a 100 of these are

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3:10

Leeann Watson: Business Canterbury CEO supports...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/26

Support for National's paid parental leave policy, from at least one business leader. The party's promising to extend paid parental leave from the current 26 weeks, to 30 weeks by 2029 if re-elected, with further increases possible if finances allow. Parents would also have more flexibility to share, or take leave at the same time. Business Canterbury CEO Leeann Watson told Andrew Dickens that most small businesses would already be paying for some additional cover regardless. She says hiring someone

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5:40

Paul Stenhouse: Should we be worried about AI...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/25

The AI is now breaking out of its containment. Should we be afraid? Boy, it's almost like Hollywood predicted this! Our worst fears about AI have come true, with OpenAI saying its new ChatGPT model managed to connect to the internet and hack into another AI company's servers. It was meant to be contained, it was not meant be connected to the internet, but it found a way through. These new models are so good, they're finding vulnerabilities and exploiting them all on their own to achieve a goal

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4:35

Jack Tame: AI is breaking out

Best of Business ·

2026/07/24

It’s been yet another week of yet more unsettling news. The conflict in the Middle East appears to be escalating again. As of this morning, we face even higher tariffs in the U.S than under President Trump’s previous measure. But if there’s one piece of unsettling news I think we probably haven’t grappled with sufficiently, it’s the latest humbling episode with one of the world’s biggest AI companies. OpenAI admitted yesterday that one of its new models has autonomously broken free of its shackles,

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3:59

Jamie Mackay: The Country host on the impacts of the...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/23

New Zealand’s agriculture sector should be able to withstand the current El Niño weather pattern, although it may lead to increased farm costs, an agricultural economist says. Earth Sciences New Zealand this month confirmed El Niño conditions have been reached the tropical Pacific and are expected to strongly influence New Zealand's weather. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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5:01

Stew Hamilton: Mercury Energy CEO on the company...

Best of Business ·

2026/07/23

One of New Zealand's big power companies is throwing their support behind a firm planning to build a large data centre in Southland. Mercury has invested $53 million for a 12.7 percent minority equity stake in Datagrid NZ. Mercury CEO Stew Hamilton says the company's looking to invest in a new growth sector - and there's potential to make more investments like this down the track. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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