The SME Stream

The Prime Minister says if the Government introduces a Bed Tax, it wants to ensure it does it the right way.

An Auckland regional deal, signed by the council and the Government, includes a promise to look into a tax next year.

Mayor Wayne Brown has been campaigning for the bed night levy on visitors - arguing it would help fund destination marketing and events.

Christopher Luxon says there are a lot of conversations to be had.

He says it's a question of whether it should be a national tax, as travellers may be frustrated with different levies in different regions.

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Labour's pushing back against claims its election promises come with an 18-billion dollar hole.

National says the party isn't detailing how it would fund major commitments, including restoring pay equity, and creating a Future Fund that could cost $13bn.

Labour's finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds told Mike Hosking that every party must front-up with the numbers, and Labour's confident it can deliver on every promise it makes.

She says all their policies are costed - and their fiscal plan will be released later this year.

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There may simply be no avoiding a spike in inflation.

Latest data from Infometrics and Foodstuffs shows grocery supplier cost inflation is rising again - reaching 2.2% in the year to May.

Many economists now expect CPI inflation to surpass four-percent in the year to June.

Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Mike Hosking that a US-Iran peace deal probably won't change much in the short term.

He says businesses are waiting to see ships carrying oil moving again through the Strait of Hormuz.

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As business owners, you know how hard it is keeping up with your business, let alone the news. Join Wilhelmina O'Keeffe each week as she gives you a rundown of the biggest stories that could impact your business, so you can make informed decisions with expert advice. 

This week, What’s behind the government’s secret budget spend, Kiwis are spending more but buying the same, and there’s some good news for job numbers ….  Plus why some of us could be in line for an overseas windfall. 

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The Government’s plan to cut 8,700 public sector jobs and save $2.4 billion has been framed largely as a brutal cost‑cutting exercise. 

In this week’s episode of The Business of Tech podcast, Hamilton‑based technologist Brandon Hutcheson argues it could instead be the catalyst for a once‑in‑a‑generation redesign of how government works – if we get the AI strategy right. He admits, that's a big "if".

Hutcheson, head of quantum at Netherlands-based IT services firm HSO and co‑founder of AI specialist Aware Group, has published a detailed catalogue of 160 ways artificial intelligence could transform the public sector. The ideas range from obvious efficiency wins – such as shared AI‑enabled contact centres and common cloud HR and payroll platforms – through to more ambitious proposals like synthetic populations for policy testing and real‑time legislation impact simulators.

Rather than starting with “who can we cut?”, Hutcheson wants agencies to map their processes into four buckets: fully automatable, automatable with a transition plan, partially automatable with permanent human oversight, and human‑only functions. That discipline, he argues, is missing today, with agencies scrambling to bolt on AI tools in isolation, baking in the next wave of technical debt and eroding public trust.

The next wave of computing

He’s particularly critical of the way the cuts have been communicated – telling public servants their jobs are on the line while expecting them to lead the automation of their own roles. In his view, the smarter play is to frame AI as a way to improve citizen experience, reduce low‑value manual work, and spin out new export‑focused ventures built on New Zealand’s deep public‑sector expertise.

The episode also looks ahead to the next wave of computing that will sit behind many of these changes. Hutcheson has just returned from Microsoft’s quantum labs in Redmond, where the company is racing to build fault‑tolerant quantum machines. He explains what he saw on the ground, why quantum should already be on the radar of boards and CIOs, and how it could combine with AI to reshape industries that rely on complex simulations – from materials and manufacturing to agriculture and finance.

For business leaders, technologists and policy makers, this conversation is a roadmap to what’s possible – and a warning about the architectural decisions we make now.

Listen to The Business of Tech, streaming on iHeartRadio, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Forsyth Barr Investment Adviser Mark Richardson weighs in as anticipation grows for the biggest IPO in history. 

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Better Taxes for a Better Future spokesperson Kate Stone talks about Facebook's ability to send NZ income to low-tax Ireland. 

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BusinessDesk's Riley Kennedy talks to Herald NOW Business from the first day of the sold out Fieldays in Mystery Creek.

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Experts are warning investors to brace for a 'choppy' market in the tech sector.

Some of the US's leading chip companies have been getting some extra attention on them, as the market looks set to change. 

Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton explained further.

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The High Court has ordered ASB Bank to pay $6.731 million for breaching anti-money laundering laws.

The penalty is the largest ever imposed by a New Zealand court under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act 2009.

NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained the case further - and whether it sets a precedent.

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