Denver is a key NZ launchpad to the US
Denver, Colorado has emerged as an unlikely hub for scaling up New Zealand businesses establishing their North American presence. New Zealand is Colorado's 6th largest provider of Foreign Direct Investment!
Articles written by leading NZ economist about Business
NBR panel interview: How NZ responds to shocks
I recently participated in a panel interview with NBR on how New Zealand responds to shocks. My fellow panelists were former Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor Alan Bollard and academic Ilan Noy.
Regional entrepreneurship leads the charge
There was sharp lift in the number of businesses operating in New Zealand over the past year – […]
Businesses’ inflationary expectations are becoming unhinged
Inflationary expectations are becoming unhinged, with businesses’ expectations of inflation two years out running at their highest level in more than 30 years (since 1991)!
Māori businesses on track to be a $1 billion export ...
New Zealand's Māori businesses are doing an incredible job on the world stage. Exports by businesses owned by Māori authorities rose 21% in 2021 to total $872 million.
Business strategies for thriving with high inflation
In a higher inflationary environment, the stakes are raised for businesses when it comes to protecting your profit margins. You need to be agile in your procurement practices and in how you price your good or service. I strongly urge businesses to make inflation a top priority in your business planning for 2022.
Unemployment fell sharply – but can we trust it?
The unemployment rate recently fell to an incredibly low 3.4% in September. This means that only 3 out of every 100 people who are keen to work have been unable to find a job. Can we trust this recent unemployment result and, if so, what does it mean?
Playing fair with small business
Businesses are playing fairer with each other. Xero’s time to be paid indicator shows that the average small business now waits 23.6 days for an invoice to be paid, down from 26.7 days in June a year ago.
An oversupply of convention centres
Changes in demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as increased awareness about carbon emissions, may mean that New Zealand finds itself with an oversupply of convention centres.
Back up the bus – the labour market isn’t as ...
Everyone keeps telling me we have a tight labour market. But that is not 100% true. There is actually quite a lot of slack in the labour market of people wanting to work more.
Interview: finding and retaining staff in the regions
I recently spoke to Kerre McIvor on Newstalk ZB at length about how employers can solve the challenge of finding and retaining staff. COVID-19 has left some employers exposed, particularly in regions and industries that had relied on a steady stream of itinerant labour from abroad.
Business closures spike, but startups remain high
There were 10,827 businesses removed from the Companies Register in September, well up on the lockdown low of 839 in April. Nevertheless, don't get too concerned just yet. Offsetting these closures have been surprising levels of business startups, which rose sharply in the September quarter.