Jan 25, 2018  - The changes to the 90-day trial period announced today by the Government will present additional challenges for medium sized manufacturers to finding the right staff they need, adding to the already critical skill shortage issues which hold back growth of the sector.

Jan 25, 2018  -  E tū, the biggest private-sector union in New Zealand, is pleased with most of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill announced by the Government today. E tū National Secretary Bill Newson says that the process is “off to a flying start”, with many improvements for working people and their unions. Bill says the changes recognise the pressing concerns about the personal and economic cost of low wages and inequality. “This Government has made fixing inequality a top priority. Wages are a huge factor in this, so strengthening the rights of workers and their unions is critical,” Bill…

Jan 25, 2018  -  Prices rose 0.1 percent in the December 2017 quarter, Stats NZ said today. Higher petrol prices, air fares, and housing-related costs were countered by lower prices for vegetables, new cars, and a range of household goods.

Jan 23, 2018  -  Digital learning skills, smarter homes and medical drone deliveries will be major tech developments that will significantly impact lives of Kiwis, a leading New Zealand tech expert says.  NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says while the tech talk is often about issues such as robots stealing jobs or virtual reality worlds New Zealanders may sometimes overlook some of the advances that are happening already that will be important for Kiwis in the coming days of 2018.

Jan 23, 2018  -  Business representatives on the pay equity working group have welcomed the resumption of work towards new pay equity legislation.

Jan 22, 2018  - Innovative New Zealand ISP Wireless Nation is launching an asset locating tracker whichcould save thousands of dollars for many businesses and individuals.  The Fox Tracker is a small device which connects to the global Sigfox network being rolled out throughout New Zealand.  The network is specifically designed to enable Internet of Things devices because it draws far less energy from connected devices than traditional networks.

Jan 22, 2018  -  Last night, Beingmate Baby & Child Food Co Ltd (Beingmate) issued a forecast earnings downgrade for its financial year ended 31 December 2017, revising the previously announced forecast loss of RMB 350 million – RMB 500 million to a forecast loss of RMB 800 million – RMB 1 billion (NZ$171 – NZ$214 million). As an investor in Beingmate (18.8 per cent shareholding), we are extremely disappointed by this announcement and the on-going performance of the company. We are seeking more information on the forecast downgrade in addition to receiving Beingmate’s full year financial statements. We will…

Jan 22, 2018  -  Dramatic change is needed to grow New Zealand’s small business economy and, to that end, a summit of heavy hitters are gathering in Auckland next week (January 31) to push for a new approach. Entrepreneur Tenby Powell put out a call pre-Christmas for Government to establish an Institute for Small Business and gained overwhelming support from within New Zealand and farther afield.

Jan 16, 2018 - Tomas Izo, a lead engineering director in machine perception at Google Research, will be an exciting speaker at the biggest global tech summit ever held in New Zealand in Auckland on February 19 and 20. The event, Digital Nations 2030, is an international meeting coinciding with the visiting ministerial and business delegations from the world's leading Digital Nations and the D5 meeting in Wellington next month. The D5 is a network of the world’s most advanced digital nations.

Jan 16, 2018  -  Retail card spending rose 0.5 percent in the December 2017 month when adjusted for seasonal effects, Stats NZ said today. This is the fourth consecutive monthly rise in retail card spending.December 2017 monthly retail card spending up

Jan 16, 2018 - The latest NZIER Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion shows a sharp drop in business confidence following the General Election, with a net 11 percent of businesses expecting economic conditions to deteriorate over the first half of 2018. Business confidence had fallen in the previous quarter ahead of the General Election, and it appears uncertainty over new Government policies have made businesses even more downbeat.