The SME Stream

One expert has noticed there doesn't appear to be any significant surprises in New Zealand's new trade agreement with India.

The agreement was signed in New Delhi overnight, and will reduce or eliminate tariffs on 95 percent of exports to the world's largest country.

BusinessDesk senior journalist Dileepa Fonseka says there's no numerical limits on the international student numbers, but we can make tweaks if needed. 

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Federated Farmers meat and wool chair, Richard Dawkins reveals what the deal actually means.

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Here's a small myth-busting exercise for you – things aren't as bad as you might think. 

Business sales from small and medium businesses are up and by quite a lot. They're up 21% in fact. 

Why would you buy a business at a time like this? 

You know why. Because life goes on and people have dreams and those dreams don’t get buffeted about by fiscal uncertainty. 

There were 27,000 confidentiality agreements signed in the past year. That's a lot of agreements. 

For an average of $800,000 you can buy your dream. Values are up, listings are up, demand is up (it's up more than listings), so prices are holding and the returns, multiple, is up. 

So a lot of people are doing fine, thank you very much. 

This is a nation of small businesses and all these numbers show is nothing changes that. Not a war, not petrol, not an election, and not the weather. 

If you ran a poll and asked, "is it a good time to buy a business", like they ask, "is it a good time to buy a major household item", you know what the answer would be. 

And yet life goes on. 

Now, for all the New Zealand First supporters about to text me and say it's all Indians, save your 20 cents. 

It isn't. 

It's another myth busted. 9.7% are Indians, 15% are Asian (so that will be Chinese and Koreans, maybe Filipinos), which leaves 67% identifying as European. 

So the idea this is all about migrants buying jobs is not the tsunami you thought it might be. 

I think these stats are a microcosm, or a small example of the disconnect between studies, surveys, polls, politics, news headlines, and what is really going on. 

The rhythm of New Zealand life gets buffeted about by issues of the day; the petrol price, the war, the spend. And why wouldn’t it? 

But if you believed the polls and the stats and the national conversation, as driven by the headlines, you'd think we were at home huddled in a corner waiting for the end. 

Yet we are not. We are buying businesses, planning the future, taking the risks and, God forbid, having a good time. 

What a shock. 

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Helping your kids get ahead financially sounds simple, but get it wrong and things unravel fast.

Wealth and succession lawyer Andrew Clements has seen what happens when it goes wrong, from family disputes to parents losing their homes. He joins Nadine Higgins to talk about why undocumented support can become a legal minefield, his one firm rule against guarantees, and why even advice from banks can put families at risk.

Plus, why treating support as a loan not a gift can protect both your money and your relationships, and the one conversation every parent should have before offering help.

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The Finance Minister is adamant that New Zealand’s economic recovery has been delayed, but not derailed, by the war in Iran. 

Nicola Willis has shone a light on the country’s economic outlook in the lead up to next month’s budget. 

At the same time, Stats NZ data on the country’s productivity performance for the year to March 2025 shows our productivity continued to fall during what was a recessionary period for New Zealand. 

Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann is with us to take us through what this all means for our country’s economy, and for you. 

Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee

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The Prime Minister says New Zealand's free trade agreement with India should be in effect by the end of the year. 

The deal's been signed in New Delhi overnight. 

It's due to be tabled in Parliament today, have its first reading in May, and then go through select committee and public consultation before its final reading, possibly in late September. 

Christopher Luxon told Mike Hosking that having the deal already signed is positive. 

He says there is a clause in the deal in which India will match clauses in any further deals that are more favourable than ours. 

Luxon also defended cancelling his weekly appearance on TVNZ’s Breakfast, saying he’s “pretty accessible” when compared to other leaders around the world. 

The Prime Minister’s team ditched the regular interview with Tova O’Brien last week, saying Kiwis now consume media on many different platforms – however he’ll still appear on a case-by-case basis. 

He denied that meant he was “chicken or running for the hills”, in Hosking’s words. 

Luxon says that he reset how he wanted to engage with the media, and it was no different than what former Prime Ministers such as Jim Bolger, John Key, and Jacinda Arden had done. 

But he also referred to a “second issue” – referring to National Party whip Stuart Smith’s reported run-in with TVNZ reporters last week. 

He said they respect the role of the media but highlighted the need for standards and rules in Parliament.  

“We've had an issue with TVNZ around that, and we've made that clear to TVNZ management.” 

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The old influencer playbook is dead. In this episode I break down the marketing shift the fastest growing brands are quietly using right now, why nano influencers and real word of mouth are outperforming big celebrity partnerships, and the content strategy I used to completely pivot Make It Happen.

Ready to build a business that changes your life? Join my Business Masterclass and get the step-by-step roadmap.

👉🏼 https://www.makeithappen.org.nz/
📲 Socials: https://www.instagram.com/makeithappen

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We salute the Labour leader for supporting the Indian FTA, despite his reservations, but ask if he is electable with no policy and TPM as a stablemate?

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As New Zealand's economy struggles to find its footing, S&P analyst Martin Foo discusses the key indicators we should be watching out for

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Markets giving mixed oil signals, cleantech firm starts $6m experimental refinery, did a Polymarket user fix a bet on Paris weather with a hair dryer

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