The SME Stream

Chris Hipkins says he'd let councils enforce their own bed tax.

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Managing director of Bagrie Economics on rising global bond yields, China’s two-speed economy and why the OCR may need to move closer to neutral. Plus, election-year tax and spending choices, regional property market trends, and the impact of rising farm inflation on food prices.

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Development West Coast's Heath Milne on what's behind the region's 1.6% jobs growth.

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Craig's Mohandeep Singh unpacks what the NZ earnings season has revealed so far about the state of the market.

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Federated Farmers board member Mark Hooper explains the modeling that shows farmers could be up to $48k worse off under Opportunity's tax system.

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Retail's been taking a hit since the Iran war began, with people staying home to save money and fuel. 

Stats NZ data shows the June quarter's inflation and seasonal-adjusted sales volumes fell 0.5% on the three months to March, but after accounting for surging fuel prices, petrol station sales actually plunged 13%. 

The only significant growth was in computer and appliance store sales, with sectors that rely on people driving around and using discretionary money —accommodation, hospo, car dealers— also seeing drops.  

ASB Senior Economist Jane Turner told Ryan Bridge they expect consumer spending will remain fairly modest throughout the rest of the year, with a more meaningful recovery coming next year. 

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Labour's fallen into a cunning wee trap set by Nicola Willis a few weeks ago.

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Are you ready to serve? Because we could all being drafted into this one.

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What separates truly high-performing organisations from everyone else?

In this episode of HR Unlocked, Lisa Oakley sits down with Estelle Curd, Chief People Officer at Kami, to explore leadership, organisational culture, startup growth, and the role people leaders play in building exceptional workplaces.

Drawing on experience across Rocket Lab, Armstrong's and Kami, Estelle shares practical lessons from founder-led organisations where belief, purpose and high standards drive extraordinary outcomes.

From middle leadership and organisational culture to Women in STEM, flexible work, employee experience, and authentic leadership, this conversation explores what it really takes to build workplaces where people perform at their best while staying connected to meaningful work.

What You'll Learn

• Why founder-led organisations often create exceptional cultures

• The critical role middle managers play in organisational performance

• Why leaders should seek respect before popularity

• How purpose and a clear "why" drive engagement and performance

• The importance of clarity, transparency and difficult conversations

• How HR can create meaningful employee experiences instead of simply managing compliance

• Why flexibility still requires clear expectations and accountability

• Practical ways organisations can attract more women into STEM careers

• How authentic leadership builds trust during uncertainty

• Why New Zealand produces world-class talent and how organisations can help it thrive

Key Takeaways

• High-performing cultures begin with leaders who model high standards

• Respect creates accountability more effectively than authority alone

• Great HR is visible, people-focused and deeply connected to the business

• Difficult conversations become easier when expectations are clear from the beginning

• Strong employee experiences are built through connection, purpose and trust

• Career pathways become more accessible when organisations actively create opportunities

• Authentic leadership means being honest, vulnerable and consistent

• New Zealand organisations have the talent and capability to compete on the global stage when leaders believe in their people

About Estelle Curd

Estelle Curd is Chief People Officer at Kami, where she leads the global people strategy for one of New Zealand's fastest-growing education technology companies.

Her career spans Rocket Lab, Armstrong's and global technology businesses, with expertise in scaling organisations, leadership development, organisational culture, employee experience and people strategy across New Zealand, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Estelle is passionate about helping organisations build high-performing cultures through great leadership, meaningful work and exceptional employee experiences.

Why This Episode Matters

As organisations navigate rapid growth, changing workforce expectations and increasingly flexible ways of working, leadership has never mattered more.

This episode provides practical insights for HR professionals, business owners and leaders looking to build stronger cultures, develop better managers and create workplaces where people genuinely want to perform, contribute and stay.

Resources

• Kami: https://www.kamiapp.com
• Connect with Estelle Curd on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/estelle-curd-21717699/

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National is committing to no new taxes if re-elected – but the jury is still out over whether that means no tinkering to existing taxes.

This means the party is scrapping both a bed tax and bank tax – something that's disappointed Mayors in tourism hotspots around the country.

Meanwhile, Labour's banking on its capital gains tax to get us back to surplus by 2029/30.

They released their fiscal strategy at the weekend, targeting spending and revenue at around 33% of GDP - and net debt at 20% "over time".

So, what do these competing approaches mean for the economy, and for taxpayers.

Today on The Front Page, independent economist Cameron Bagrie is with us to explain who stands to win or lose, and what voters should be looking for in the numbers before election day.

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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