The SME Stream

Chris Luxon says he doesn't know if and when New Zealand could face higher tariffs from the US - but we'll weather whatever comes our way.

Trade experts have suggested New Zealand could face a blanket 12.5 percent tariff as early as this Friday.

It would replace the 10-percent tariff we currently face.

The Prime Minister told Mike Hosking that there will continue to be strong demand for New Zealand goods.

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Procrastination is not laziness. It is a stress habit and once you understand what is actually happening in your brain, you can break it. In this episode I share the simple three step process to interrupt the cycle for good.

The only thing standing between you and the life you want is a decision to begin.

Ready to start building? Join my Business Masterclass today ⬇️

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Trade Minister Todd McClay tells Senior Correspondent Katie Bradford how Swiss agreement could be New Zealand's next major trade win. 

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BlackRock's Investment Institute's Ben Powell sees increasing energy demands for AI as opportunity.

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Trade Minister Todd McClay addressed media with his Swiss counterpart Helene Budliger Artieda at the Future of Investment and Trade (FIT) Partnership ministerial meeting in Auckland to announce trade partnership talks. 

Limited details are available as the talks are in the early stages.

"What we've agreed today is to start a formal trade investment dialogue," McClay told Heather du Plessis-Allan.

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Lanaco's CE Nick Davenport tells Herald NOW Business how kiwi wool innovation powers world-first air filter for global market.

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Todd McClay says Switzerland is the next target for a trade deal; Delmore development gets draft consent for 1250 homes in Upper Ōrewa on second attempt.

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Australia's Financial Review reports concerns data centre growth may crowd out other sectors - investment outside tech & mining expected to fall 1.1%

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Queenstown has long been associated with jet boats, ski fields and postcard-perfect mountains. 

But if veteran entrepreneur and online travel heavyweight Roger Sharp has his way, the resort town’s next big export won’t be adrenaline, it will be software.

Sharp, who has spent decades at the cutting edge of online travel with companies like Webjet, Lastminute.com.au and WebBeds, is on a mission to diversify Queenstown’s tourism‑heavy economy by turning it into the southern hemisphere’s go‑to hub for travel technology. 

His vehicle for doing that is Technology Queenstown, which has a 20‑year plan to grow a billion‑dollar tech economy in the region, lifting tech from 1.5% of local GDP to as high as 15–20%.

Travel tech conference as a catalyst

In the latest episode of The Business of Tech, Sharp makes the case for why a town built on tourism must now become equally famous for tech. Next week’s Web in Travel (WiT) conference, which Sharp secured the rights to host, will see a who’s who of travel innovation descend on the lakeside town, including senior leaders from airlines, hotel tech, payment platforms, online travel agencies and B2B marketplaces. 

For Sharp, hosting them is about giving Queenstown critical mass and visibility as a testbed for new travel technologies. He tells me how he’s been building the scaffolding needed for a true cluster, convincing Queenstown Resort College to teach data and machine learning, coaxing the University of Otago to establish a digital tech campus, as well as recruiting a roster of long‑term corporate backers from Accenture to Genesis Energy and One NZ. 

Learning from tourism towns

He’s borrowed lessons from North American mountain towns like Bend and Boulder, which successfully layered high‑value tech jobs on top of lifestyle economies.

But this isn’t a Silicon Valley clone play. Sharp is well aware of the risks of creating “a two‑class society” where tech workers thrive while hospitality workers are squeezed out of housing. His vision is growth with guardrails: higher‑paid, lower‑footprint jobs that ease pressure on roads, emissions and infrastructure, and give local kids a reason to stay rather than leave for Sydney or London.

Listen to the full episode, streaming on iHeartRadio, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Supporters say NZ has opportunity with renewable energy to build a cleaner digital infrastructure sector, but there's been backlash overseas.

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