155 episodes
- Where is the money actually being made in New Zealand right now?
Twelve past guests on this show answered this question in one way or another. They all had very different roles in society.
Economists, a man who speaks for New Zealand employers, the man who shuts companies down. The man who sells them. A tax lawyer, five who built their own.
This montage episode focuses on what these individuals think about which businesses are making money, why and how.
The answer that keeps coming back is a sector most people would call boring.
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The Voices
Shamubeel Eaqub, Economist
Nick Tuffley, ASB Chief Economist
Bernard Hickey, Economist and Journalist
Simon Bridges, CEO, Auckland Business Chamber
Alan McDonald, Head of Advocacy, EMA
Damien Grant, Liquidator, Waterstone Insolvency
Mike Ponsonby, Business Broker, Kakapo Business Sales
Dave Ananth, Tax Lawyer
Ashish Saxena, Business Mentor and Investor
Phil O'Reilly, Business Advocate
Hannah McQueen, Founder, Enable Me and Age Brightly
Angus Simms, Co-Founder, Wonky Box
Chapters
0:00 Could you find five grand tomorrow?
1:03 What are we relying on to get rich?
2:54 Is it as bad as the news says?
4:22 Why is IRD first in the queue?
5:55 Which businesses can AI not touch?
8:07 Which three sectors are growing?
9:56 Why does margin beat revenue?
10:23 Why keep marketing in a downturn?
15:25 Are we through the worst?
17:38 What do I do the moment I get paid?
Follow Me
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast
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Notes From The Executive is the New Zealand business podcast for owners who want real numbers and honest stories. Is The New Zealand Economy In Trouble? Did We Bet 'Everything' On The Housing Market?
03/11/2026 | 22 mins.Is the New Zealand economy in trouble? Economist Shamubeel Eaqub: "Yes, I think we are." Bernard Hickey: "we built an economy, which is a housing market with bits tacked on." The cost of living, tax debt and super, before New Zealand votes on Saturday 7 November.
We put one question to two economists, a liquidator, a tax lawyer and the head of Auckland's business chamber. Will this election solve New Zealand's economy problem?
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Ten voices from past episodes, on what business owners are carrying right now. Cash flow that is "very tight". Tax debt that "gets very ugly very fast". A country getting older, and who pays for it. Where our kids will grow up. We are not here to tell you how to vote.
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The Voices (Full Episodes On YouTube)
Bernard Hickey, Economist And Journalist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BktT8wXe-2w
Phil O'Reilly, Business Advocate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smuSEOkp6lg
Josh Comrie, Entrepreneur And Investor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyUqR02iQF0
Paul Spoonley, Social Scientist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex4fQY5zDaA
Naveed Balouch, Financial Planner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttFRKttAiF0
Simon Bridges, CEO, Auckland Business Chamber
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np6gYsXroLQ
Brent Coleman, Personal Finance Educator
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu4zTqmu5OA
Damien Grant, Liquidator
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz-btE8ge1M
Dave Ananth, Tax Lawyer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l0xlsWFeKw
Shamubeel Eaqub, Economist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96TvHjL5a0M
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Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp
Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/id1584949377
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Chapters
0:00 Are we in trouble?
0:49 Bernard Hickey: did we bet everything on the house?
3:18 Bernard Hickey: how leveraged land made people rich
5:03 Phil O'Reilly: what is a capital gains tax for?
7:27 Bernard Hickey: why a land value tax instead?
8:15 Josh Comrie: can we keep getting rich from property?
9:09 Paul Spoonley: can New Zealand afford to age?
9:42 Naveed Balouch: who pays for superannuation?
10:27 Paul Spoonley: are we being naive as a country?
12:01 Bernard Hickey: where does migrant tax money go?
14:09 Simon Bridges: is tax part of the answer?
16:22 Brent Coleman: does moving to Australia save tax?
16:58 Damien Grant: why IRD debt gets ugly fast
18:16 Dave Ananth: why is your tax debt a symptom?
20:32 Shamubeel Eaqub: what are we relying on to get rich?
21:35 Bernard Hickey: where will your kids grow up?
22:05 Paul Spoonley: final words
General information only. Talk to your own adviser about your money and tax. Views are the guests' own, recorded in their original Notes From The Executive episodes.- Natalie Tolhopf is an Auckland business coach, speaker and author, featured in the NZ Herald, NZ Business, The AM Show and Newshub.She wrote Allergic To Perfect and hosts the Sell with Confidence podcast.LogitechWin Logitech Productivity Giveaway worth $1,500To enter: π https://bit.ly/NFTEGiveawayPwrfullyLearn How to Tell Your Story On Podcast To Grow Your Businessπ https://pwrfully.com/podcast-guest-workshopWhat I Asked Natalieπ What is the first thing you ask a business owner who needs more clients?π How are you doing in this economy as a business?π Why do you believe your business can't be sold?π What are your clients struggling with in this economy, and why?π What is it about selling that freaks people out?Follow MeMina on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcastMina on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcpMina on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812Mina on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/Mina on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaamsoHelp me reach 50 Apple Podcasts reviews by Christmas: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812Follow NatalieWebsite https://natalietolhopf.comInstagram [verify before publishing]LinkedIn [verify before publishing]YouTube [verify before publishing]Timestamps00:00 Intro02:03 What do I do when I need more clients?03:09 How do I borrow someone else's audience?06:27 How do I know which room my clients are in?11:24 How is a business coach doing in this economy?13:02 When do I know it's time to pivot my business?17:02 Why is customer service sales?19:15 How do I get paid for my work if I can't sell my business?21:25 Why do I believe my business can't be sold?22:57 Why do I need to check my trademark before I trade?24:20 How do I get through a quiet season in business?26:25 Why does selling freak business owners out?27:44 Why do people say New Zealand is too small to sell in?29:37 Why do I hate cold pitching but still need clients?32:24 What productivity rule works for a business owner?35:56 How do I stay structured when I work alone?39:44 Why do I compare myself to other business owners?41:45 What mindset traps hold business owners back?44:59 How do I measure business success beyond revenue?49:29 What would I tell my 16-year-old self about business?52:42 Why do big businesses still not know what they're doing?56:51 What do I fix first when I need more clients?
- Nicola Taylor is a lawyer by background and co-founder of Tax Traders and Taxi. Tax Traders was named Best Place to Work in Aotearoa for 2024 and is a certified B Corp. For most owners, the timing of tax matters more than the amount. We put that to work on the hardest cash flow date of the year, 15 January.Logitechπ https://www.logitech.comPwrfullyLearn How to Tell Your Story On Podcast To Grow Your Businessπ https://pwrfully.com/podcast-guest-workshopWhat I Asked Nicolaπ What are NZ business owners thinking right before the election?π Should we be taxing more or less right now?π What bothers you most about the NZ tax system?π What is tax pooling, for someone who has never heard of it?π Why have we not heard about this?π Your companies have no traditional managers. How does that work?Leave Me A ReviewOn Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcpOn Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1584949377Follow Nicolahttps://home.taxtraders.co.nzTimestamps00:00 Intro01:00 What NZ business owners are thinking before the election05:08 The stories that kept Tax Traders going for 14 years07:50 Why Tax Traders isn't waiting for the election result08:45 Should NZ be taxing more or less?12:43 The thing that bothers Nicola most about NZ tax15:50 What is tax pooling? Explained simply17:29 Underpaying or overpaying provisional tax19:43 How to choose when you pay your tax20:37 Why haven't business owners heard of this?22:54 Getting overpaid tax back and funding at 5.4%26:27 Timing beats the amount of tax31:00 Will a GST threshold of $80,000 help?32:52 The productivity conversation, brought to you by Logitech37:36 The in-house nanny and school holiday programme42:14 When human sense becomes commercial sense43:47 Can a people-first business be profitable?45:46 Final thoughts
- James Hurman was named the world's best strategic planner. He is the founder and chair of Previously Unavailable, the Auckland venture company behind Tracksuit and AF Drinks, and the author of Future Demand. His argument: advertising doesn't cause sales, it decides which brand wins them.
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We put that to work at NZ scale: a business under $1 million, a $20k marketing budget split the way his data says, how James sizes risk across his ventures, and the four habits of lucky people from his children's book The Boy and the Lemon.
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AcademyEx: www.academyex.com
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Logitech: www.logitech.com
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Pwrfully: Learn How to Tell Your Story On Podcast To Grow Your Business: pwrfully.com/podcast-guest-workshop
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What I asked James: What framework for advertising do you swear by? Does brand building work for a business under $1 million? How should a small business split a $20k marketing budget? How do you assess risk across so many ventures? Why are some people luckier than others?
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Follow James: LinkedIn
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Leave me a review: Spotify | Apple Podcasts
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About Notes From The Executive
Notes From The Executive is NZ's no-BS business & entrepreneurship podcast for Auckland owners running established companies - $1M-$10M revenue, 5-50 staff - who want to grow faster, protect their margin, and build something worth selling.
Hosted by Mina Amso (Podcaster + Founder), every episode has real NZ founders sharing the numbers, decisions & hard lessons. Topics: cash flow, scaling, hiring, business value & exiting high.
Tired of generic advice? This is the show. π NZ business | Auckland entrepreneur | scale a business NZ | NZ podcast
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