The SME Stream

Prasanna Gai, RBNZ Monetary Policy Committee member, lifts the curtain on the thinking behind last week’s interest rate hike and what comes next.

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Chris Hipkins is criticising his party's former policy on pricing farm emissions.

Labour has released a pledge to review and reform the Emissions Trading Scheme - saying the price is too low.

It wants farmers to adopt new tech to reduce emissions, and isn't campaigning on making them pay for agricultural emissions, as it did for nearly two decades.

Hipkins says he's not convinced it would've worked.

"We went through that whole process, it actually would have been very difficult to pull it off. That was all done before I'd become the leader of the Labour party - I'd inherited that one." 

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The Labour Party has pledged to review the Emissions Trading Scheme if elected, and claims the current price is 'too low' to drive down reductions.

In an earlier announcement, leader Chris Hipkins said the party would make changes to the scheme - and that they wouldn't campaign on pricing agricultural emissions, a departure from their earlier stance. 

The Country's Jamie Mackay has admitted he supports this development, and unpacked the rest of the party's announcement.

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The latest forecast from BusinessNZ shows New Zealand's economy's regained momentum.

It's predicting solid economic growth out to 2028, citing the fact business confidence is holding up, the Performance of Manufacturing and Services Indexes are back in black, tourism's growing, and credit activity's increased. 

Chief Economist John Pask says performance is improving across the board.  

He told Mike Hosking there's still some concern in regard to the upcoming election and political risks surrounding policy changes, but businesses are basically saying that they are concerned, but they're moving forward.  

Pask says elections are important, but they're not the be all end all, as it were. 

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Lightforce Solar CEO John Harman explains why commercial solar is gaining ground as businesses look to cut power costs and strengthen energy resilience.

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'I don't think we should be automatically blocking someone's Kiwisaver withdrawals if they still owe money on their student loan.'

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What separates genuinely innovative organisations from those that simply talk about innovation?

In this episode of HR Unlocked, Lisa Oakley sits down with Nicola Taylor, co-founder of Tax Traders and Taxi, to explore organisational culture, innovation, leadership, and the mindset required to build businesses that continually evolve.

Drawing on her experience building successful fintech companies, Nicola shares practical insights into creating cultures where experimentation, curiosity, belonging, and psychological safety drive better decisions and stronger business outcomes.

From productive failure and behavioural values to leadership, recruitment, AI, feedback, and continuous improvement, this conversation challenges many of the common assumptions about innovation. Nicola explains why innovation is built through disciplined experimentation rather than random ideas, why leaders should ask better questions instead of having all the answers, and how organisations can intentionally design cultures where people feel empowered to contribute their best thinking.

The discussion also explores how belonging starts long before an employee's first day, why feedback should be celebrated rather than feared, and how removing ego from decision-making allows organisations to learn faster and perform better.

What You'll Learn

• Why innovation requires discipline as much as creativity

• The difference between productive and unproductive failure

• How psychological safety differs from comfort

• Why belonging begins before an employee's first day

• How behavioural values create stronger organisational cultures

• The role curiosity plays in leadership and innovation

• Why leaders should ask better questions instead of providing all the answers

• How experimentation drives continuous improvement

• The importance of feedback, reflection, and lifelong learning

• How AI and technology can support, rather than replace, human capability

Key Takeaways

• Innovation is built through disciplined experimentation, not random ideas.

• Psychological safety allows people to contribute without fear, even when conversations are uncomfortable.

• Great cultures are intentionally designed through everyday behaviours.

• Strong leaders create environments where others can succeed.

• Curiosity and feedback accelerate learning and better decision-making.

• Behavioural values are more powerful than aspirational statements.

• Belonging strengthens engagement, confidence, and performance.

• Technology will continue to evolve, but human judgement, empathy, and creativity remain essential.

About Nicola Taylor

Nicola Taylor is the co-founder of Tax Traders and Taxi, two award-winning New Zealand fintech businesses transforming the way organisations manage tax and business funding.

Passionate about innovation, entrepreneurship, and building exceptional workplace cultures, Nicola is recognised for challenging conventional thinking around leadership, organisational design, and business growth. She is a strong advocate for creating environments where curiosity, experimentation, and continuous learning enable both people and organisations to thrive.

Why This Episode Matters

As organisations navigate rapid technological change, AI, and evolving workforce expectations, creating innovative cultures has become a critical leadership capability.

This episode provides practical insights into how leaders can intentionally design workplaces where people feel safe to experiment, challenge ideas, learn from failure, and contribute their best thinking. Whether you're an HR professional, business owner, executive leader, or entrepreneur, Nicola offers practical ideas for building cultures that are innovative, resilient, and ready for the future.

Resources & Links

• Tax Traders: https://www.taxtraders.co.nz
• Taxi: https://www.gotaxi.co.nz/
• Connect with Nicola Taylor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-raffills-taylor/

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Economist Naomi Fink on Japan’s shifting economy, the weaker yen and what it could mean for New Zealand businesses, exports and investors.

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Trade Minister Todd McClay and Australia’s Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell have met in Auckland for the annual CER talks.  

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Christchurch-based Komodo Wellbeing founder Chris Bacon on expanding into the UAE as NZ exports rise seven percent since the free trade deal.

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