NZ Business Podcast - Paul Spain

What turns a bottle of vodka, a carton of oat milk into something people want to talk about? Paul Spain talks with brand strategist and designer Kelvin Soh, founder of Day Month Year. From drawing comics and designing album covers to shaping brands including 42 Below Vodka, Stolen Rum, and Boring Oat Milk, Kelvin explains why brand is really business reputation, how creativity can create commercial value, and why belonging, strategic clarity and a “fan-first” mindset matter. He also discusses acquisitions, AI, and his practical ‘Brand on Hand’ framework for business leaders.
The New Zealand Business Podcast is brought to you by One NZ, Outrun Global and Gorilla Technology.

How do you build a New Zealand technology company that competes on the global stage? Darrin Grafton, co-founder and CEO of Serko, shares the story behind building one of New Zealand's most successful software companies. Darrin discusses entrepreneurship, international expansion, acquisitions, company culture, resilience through crises, and why AI is creating the biggest opportunity of his career. He also shares lessons on leadership, innovation, and playing the long game in business.
Special thanks to our show partners: One New Zealand, Outrun Global and Gorilla Technology

In this episode of the New Zealand Business Podcast, Paul Spain sits down with Greg Balla, CEO of AoFrio, to explore the leadership, innovation, and transformation lessons behind building successful organisations. From his early years at 3M and Orion Health through to leading AoFrio's shift from hardware manufacturing to a global IoT and software business, Greg shares practical insights on change management, innovation culture, values-based leadership, and why technology success is ultimately about people, not technology.
Thanks to our show partners One NZ, Outrun Global and Gorilla Technology.

Paul Spain speaks with Stephen Phillips, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at Gorilla Technology, about the risks facing New Zealand organisations, from identity theft and convincing phishing messages to deepfakes and vulnerabilities in software.
Stephen shares lessons from telecommunications, banking and cloud technology. He explains why every organisation needs to understand its risk appetite, prioritise resilience and recovery and protect identities. They also discuss how smaller businesses can access effective security protections without the budgets of large enterprises, and why security awareness, careful technology selection and regular testing matter more than ever.
The New Zealand Business Podcast is brought to you by One NZ, Outrun Global and Gorilla Technology.

Host Paul Spain speaks with Lachlan Nixon, founder and managing partner of Motion Capital, a New Zealand venture capital fund focused on climate tech. Lachlan explains why New Zealand’s climate tech sector is gaining momentum. He shares lessons from funding startups, taking products global, validating customer demand early, and managing the high-risk maths of venture capital, including Motion Capital’s 15-company portfolio strategy and standout investments.
Special thanks to our show partners: One New Zealand, Outrun Global and Gorilla Technology