Kiwi businesses shift gears: Optimism, innovation, and ambitions for growth
This week on The Business of Tech podcast, we unpack the sixth annual 2degrees Shaping Business Study, a barometer for the mood and ambitions of Kiwi business leaders as we hit the midpoint of 2025. The headline? Optimism is back, at its highest level since the research began, with more New Zealand companies describing themselves as thriving rather than just surviving. Optimism on the rise After years of economic turbulence, the study finds that over half of businesses anticipate revenue growth in the coming year. As Mark Callander, CEO of 2degrees, told me on the podcast, given the “survive to 2025” mantra that coloured our thinking last year, it’s little surprise that 45% of them are feeling more optimistic this year. “What’s more encouraging is that a lot of those businesses deem themselves to be more productive,” he said. “Many of them have launched a new product or service in the last 12 months. And again, off the back of that, the intention around investing in business development, sales and marketing is also increasing. “So, some really positive indicators in terms of the way businesses are feeling. And I think it’s a great outlook to move from surviving to thriving towards the second half of this year.” Register to download the 2025 2degrees Shaping Business Study.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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35:48
Tim Tams, Canva, and reimagining your business with AI
Tracy Sheen isn’t your typical artificial intelligence guru. “I am looking forward to stirring the AI pot with you, Peter,” Sheen told me at the start of an entertaining discussion on this week’s episode of The Business of Tech. The award-winning Australian business coach and technology strategist has always been passionate about making technology accessible. Her latest book AI & U: Reimagine Business is a direct response to the overwhelming hype and complexity surrounding AI, aiming to break down the technology into simple, actionable strategies for everyday business owners. Sheen, who spent her childhood tinkering with electronics in her parents’ workshop and went on to help launch SMS technology and the iPhone and SMS in Australia brings a grounded perspective to the AI conversation, focusing on the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) rather than tech giants or C-suite executives. Listen to the full interview on Episode 103 of The Business of Tech.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Unlocking the middleverse: The Publicis playbook for the next wave of digital advertising
As chief data officer for Australia and New Zealand at Publicis Groupe, Maurice Riley stands at the intersection of data, technology, and advertising strategy. On this week’s episode of The Business of Tech, Riley outlined the trends reshaping the advertising industry, highlighted the growing importance of the "middleverse" in customer journeys, especially during sluggish economic times, and offered practical advice for New Zealand businesses navigating the evolving digital landscape. Riley describes the last decade as a period of profound change, with advertising becoming "100% data-driven”. While the tools have evolved from direct mail lists and census data to sophisticated digital signals, the core objective remains: using data to unlock insights that connect brands with their audiences. “It's an old cliche, but we like to say data is just people in disguise,” Riley told me. “Now we just have that in a different form with a whole bunch more signals at our disposal to wheel together to get to that unlock, that insight that unlocks a great creative idea or make sure that we're getting to the prospects and the humans that we want to reach." Listen to episode 102 of The Business of Tech for the full interview with Publicis Groupe's Maurice Riley. Plus, Sir Peter Beck's provocative challenge to New Zealand - aim to capture 10% of the global space industry, which would amount to a $230 billion share of the pie in a decade's time!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Can tech save Welly?
Wellington, once a vibrant hub for New Zealand’s tech innovation, has faced stagnation in recent years. Last week, a packed audience at a Vision for Wellington event on Wellington’s waterfront heard from the city’s tech luminaries about how the city can embrace its strengths, particularly in technology, and foster a more supportive, connected ecosystem. Sitting in the audience was Ralph Highnam, founder of breast screening software maker Volpara Health, which was started in Wellington in 2009 and, after listing on the ASX, was bought in 2024 by South Korean AI medical imaging company Lunit in a deal valued at around $300 million. On this week's episode of The Business of Tech, Ralph outlines his own vision for Wellingtion and his plans for WellyForge, a new organisation started with the aim of breathing new life into the city's tech ecosystem.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Art or algorithm? Navigating the creative crossroads in the age of AI
If the novelty of seeing AI-generated videos popping up in our newsfeeds has started towear off, Google has something new for you to feast your eyes on. Last week, the AI giant released Veo 3, the latest version of its AI content generator. Its claim to fame? Veo 3 not only generates short video clips based on prompts from users, but also audio, syncing sound effects and character dialogue with the video. That’s yet another step towards generating entire video clips solely with the use of prompts fed into a chatbot, and serves as a stark reminder of the disruptive power AI represents for the creative industries. On this week's episode of The Business of Tech, Datacom’s Director of AI, Lou Compagnone, who last week hosted an AI Forum summit on AI's use in the creative industries, outlines how the creative sector canembrace AI to enhance productivity, foster new forms of creativity, and address existential dilemmas.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Business of Tech, hosted by leading tech journalist Peter Griffin. Every week they take a deep dive into emerging technology and news from the sector to help guide the important decisions all Business leaders make.
Issues such as cybersecurity, retaining trust after a cyberattack, business IT needs, purchasing SaaS tools and more.
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