Notes From The Executive

<p><strong>AcademyEx</strong><br>Build Business Software Using AI (without becoming a coder)<br>&#128073; Download Free Guide: <a href="https://academyex.com/courses/micro-credential/understanding-software-development-processes-and-tools-micro-credential/">https://academyex.com/courses/micro-credential/understanding-software-development-processes-and-tools-micro-credential/</a><br>Course Starts 17 September (Applications Close 10 September)</p><p>·</p><p><strong>Pwrfully</strong><br>Get Recognised and speak to your ideal market on podcasts. Start for Free &#128073; <a href="https://www.pwrfully.com/bookacall">https://www.pwrfully.com/bookacall</a></p><p>·</p><p>Data centres are not a technology story. Greg Cross calls them the infrastructure of the AI economy, in the same way dams and power lines were the infrastructure of the electrical one. His view on where New Zealand sits: very late to the party, with a pretty embarrassing record on infrastructure decisions behind us.</p><p>·</p><p>Greg co-founded Soul Machines in 2016 with Dr Mark Sagar, the two-time Academy Award winner behind the facial animation work in Avatar and King Kong. The University of Auckland spinout raised more than US135 million dollars, about NZ225 million dollars, and worked with Pfizer, General Motors and the golfer Jack Nicklaus.</p><p>·</p><p><strong>What I Asked Greg</strong><br>&#128073; Is New Zealand already too late on data centres<br>&#128073; What does being late actually cost someone running a business here<br>&#128073; Are AI data centres going to make power more expensive for the average Kiwi<br>&#128073; Who owns your business data once it gets processed offshore<br>&#128073; Is AI really the reason big companies are laying people off</p><p>·</p><p><strong>Follow Me</strong><br>Mina on YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast">https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast</a><br>Mina on Spotify <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp">https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp</a><br>Mina on Apple Podcasts <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812">https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812</a><br>Mina on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/">https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/</a><br>Mina on LinkedIn <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso">https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso</a></p><p>·</p><p><strong>Follow Greg Cross</strong><br>LinkedIn: Greg Cross NZ<br>Email: greg@crossventures.co.nz</p><p>·</p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong><br>00:00 Intro<br>05:57 Why are data centres infrastructure and not technology<br>08:33 Why do we keep getting infrastructure decisions wrong<br>15:45 Who owns your data in an AI world<br>37:12 What does all of this mean for a business owner<br>49:05 How did a New Zealand company raise 225 million dollars<br>59:07 Why does raising a lot of money not make you safe<br>1:10:43 Why did the company go into receivership<br>1:43:49 Is AI a growth tool or a cost cutting excuse<br>1:48:39 How to contact Greg Cross</p><p>·</p><p>Notes From The Executive is New Zealand's no-BS business and entrepreneurship podcast for owners running established companies.</p><p>·</p><p>Data centres are the infrastructure of the AI economy and New Zealand is late. I asked Greg Cross what that costs an owner running a real business here, and who holds your data once it is processed offshore. If you follow the New Zealand economy, power prices, data centres or AI adoption in NZ, start here. Grab my free list of NZ podcasts to get booked on: https://pwrfully.com/freepodcasts?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=freelist</p>

<p>Eight of his first ten deals this year went to people who already owned a business. Why do buyers keep losing the good ones?</p>
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<p>Mike Ponsonby is a business broker with Kakapo Business Sales, in his tenth year in the industry. He sells New Zealand businesses in the $500,000 to $10 million range. Most of his work sits in trades and services, transport and logistics, and food distribution.</p>
<p>He did the same number of transactions in the first six months of 2026 as in all of 2025, and calls it a once in a decade year. Of his first ten deals this year, eight went to people who already owned a business. Two went to first time buyers.</p>
<p><strong>What I Asked Mike</strong><br>Is now a good time to buy a business, or is that just what brokers say<br>Why do experienced owners keep beating first time buyers to the good deals<br>How do I know if a business is worth what they are asking<br>What should I check about the seller, not just the numbers<br>What costs a buyer most in the first six months</p>
<p><strong>Chapters</strong><br>0:00:00 What happens if you buy the wrong one<br>0:01:38 Is it a good time to buy a business<br>0:05:54 Why it is a seller's market<br>0:06:34 Which businesses are hardest to buy<br>0:10:22 Why people sell a business that makes money<br>0:12:44 Buying into an industry you do not know<br>0:19:07 Who is actually buying businesses<br>0:22:48 When to walk away from a deal<br>0:28:37 How to work out what a business is worth<br>0:37:46 What to ask before you buy<br>0:43:22 How to spot dodgy financials<br>0:46:13 What to check about the seller<br>0:50:03 Keeping staff after you buy<br>0:53:38 NZ business sales in 2026<br>1:02:22 What to do two years before you sell<br>1:03:43 How fuel costs are hitting NZ operators<br>1:04:28 Where to find Mike Ponsonby</p>
<p><strong>Follow Mike</strong><br><a href="https://kakapobusiness.co.nz/team/mikeponsonby">https://kakapobusiness.co.nz/team/mikeponsonby</a></p>
<p><strong>Follow Me</strong><br>YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast">https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast</a><br>Spotify <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp">https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp</a><br>Apple <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812">https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812</a><br>Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/">https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/</a><br>LinkedIn <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso">https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso</a></p>
<p>Notes From The Executive is New Zealand's no-BS business podcast for owners running established companies, one million to ten million dollars in revenue, five to fifty staff.</p>
<p>Mike says there is an undersupply of good businesses in the one to three million band, and experienced buyers keep getting them under contract first. If you want to know what buying a business NZ involves, what a business valuation NZ is built on, and where the NZ business outlook sits for 2026, watch this one. Grab my free list of NZ podcasts to get booked on: <a href="https://pwrfully.com/freepodcasts?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=freelist">https://pwrfully.com/freepodcasts?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=freelist</a></p>

<p>I asked eight people whether New Zealand is actually broke, or whether that is a false narrative. They do not agree with each other, the question is, do you?</p>
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<p><strong>Watch The Full Episodes</strong><br>Phil O'Reilly ONZM <a href="https://youtu.be/smuSEOkp6lg">https://youtu.be/smuSEOkp6lg</a><br>Damien Grant <a href="https://youtu.be/pz-btE8ge1M">https://youtu.be/pz-btE8ge1M</a><br>Bernard Hickey <a href="https://youtu.be/BktT8wXe-2w">https://youtu.be/BktT8wXe-2w</a><br>Nick Tuffley <a href="https://youtu.be/dS_qDECbCV4">https://youtu.be/dS_qDECbCV4</a><br>Shamubeel Eaqub <a href="https://youtu.be/96TvHjL5a0M">https://youtu.be/96TvHjL5a0M</a><br>Paul Spoonley <a href="https://youtu.be/ex4fQY5zDaA">https://youtu.be/ex4fQY5zDaA</a><br>Luke Kemeys <a href="https://youtu.be/3y2CXX5Yx-A">https://youtu.be/3y2CXX5Yx-A</a><br>Simon Bridges <a href="https://youtu.be/np6gYsXroLQ">https://youtu.be/np6gYsXroLQ</a></p>
<p><strong>Follow Me</strong><br>YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast">https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast</a><br>Spotify <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp">https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp</a><br>Apple <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812">https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812</a><br>Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/">https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/</a><br>LinkedIn <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso">https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso</a></p>
<p><strong>Timestamps</strong><br>0:00 Are we actually broke as a country<br>1:27 What is the myth New Zealand keeps telling itself<br>1:42 How bad is this compared to the global financial crisis<br>5:34 Why is this still a housing market with bits tacked on<br>6:20 Is a real economy beyond housing just a myth<br>9:29 Why can a business only borrow against the owner's house<br>11:34 What do you do when you cannot pay the tax bill<br>14:38 How many New Zealanders are actually leaving<br>23:42 Why one father tells his own daughters to leave</p>
<p>Nick Tuffley is Chief Economist at ASB.<br><br>Shamubeel Eaqub is Chief Economist at Simplicity.<br><br>Bernard Hickey is an economist and journalist at The Kākā.<br><br>Phil O'Reilly ONZM is Managing Director of Iron Duke Partners.<br><br>Damien Grant is a liquidator at Waterstone Insolvency.<br><br>Paul Spoonley is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Massey University.<br><br>Luke Kemeys is a director and accountant at Next Advisory.<br><br>Simon Bridges is Chief Executive of the Auckland Business Chamber and a former Minister of Energy.</p>
<p>Nick Tuffley rates this shock nine out of ten, against six or seven for the global financial crisis. Unemployment hit 5.6 percent in the June 2026 quarter, the highest since 2015, and liquidations sit at a fifteen year high. If you want the New Zealand economy explained without spin, the New Zealand recession in plain terms, or a straight answer on cost of living and the New Zealand housing market, this is the episode. Grab my free list of NZ podcasts to get booked on: <a href="https://pwrfully.com/freepodcasts?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=freelist">https://pwrfully.com/freepodcasts?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=freelist</a></p>

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<p>Richard Conway moved from the United Kingdom to New Zealand in 2009 and founded Pure SEO the same year, building it into one of the country's largest independent search agencies. He is now founder and chief executive of The Optimisers.</p>

<p>He won Gold for Service to the Industry at the Interactive Advertising Bureau New Zealand awards in 2023, and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2026. His argument here: ranking first on Google no longer guarantees you appear in a large language model answer, and the brands that survive build trust signals instead of buying shortcuts.</p>

<p><strong>What I Asked Richard</strong><br>How are you actually using artificial intelligence to make money?<br>What separates using AI well from using it dangerously?<br>What mistakes are business owners making right now?<br>How do you track whether any of it is working?<br>How do you play the long game instead of the short game?</p>

<p><strong>Chapters</strong><br>00:00 Why being high on Google may not be enough now<br>01:58 How do business owners use AI day to day<br>02:50 When does using AI become dangerous<br>04:27 How do you rebuild a business system from scratch<br>06:00 Should you let AI make your sales calls<br>13:53 How do you build something with no coding skill<br>22:00 What is zero click shopping<br>26:44 Why does trust decide who AI recommends<br>30:20 Who is gaming Reddit to appear in AI answers<br>35:13 Why unique data beats weekly blog posts<br>42:21 Can a small business do this without an agency<br>49:47 What should every business owner do first</p>

<p><strong>Follow Richard</strong><br>The Optimisers <a href="https://theoptimisers.com">https://theoptimisers.com</a><br>LinkedIn <a href="https://nz.linkedin.com/in/pureseo">https://nz.linkedin.com/in/pureseo</a></p>

<p><strong>Follow Me</strong><br>YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast">https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast</a><br>Spotify <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp">https://open.spotify.com/show/4QgZGJdrnfjZ1sEm6MeGcp</a><br>Apple <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812">https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/notes-from-the-executive-podcast/id1586953812</a><br>Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/">https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/</a><br>LinkedIn <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso">https://www.linkedin.com/in/minaamso</a></p>

<p>I sat down with Richard Conway to work out what changes when a machine, not a person, picks the supplier. Semrush data puts Reddit in about 40 percent of AI answers. In February 2026 Mastercard and Westpac completed New Zealand's first authenticated agent-led payments. He told me an industry exists to spam Reddit and plant businesses inside AI answers, and it will reach New Zealand. Covers AI search, generative engine optimisation, zero click shopping and NZ business marketing. Grab my free list of NZ podcasts to get booked on: <a href="https://pwrfully.com/freepodcasts?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=freelist">https://pwrfully.com/freepodcasts?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=freelist</a></p>

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Melissa Clark-Reynolds ONZM is a New Zealand futurist and professional company director, and the founder of FutureCentre.nz. She was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2015 for services to the technology industry, and at 15 was the youngest woman of her time to attend a New Zealand university.

After more than 25 years as a technology entrepreneur and chief executive, she now sits in boardrooms as an independent director. Her board roles include Wētā Workshop, Atkins Ranch, Alpine Energy, Squirrel and the energy-transition body Ara Ake, and she was the first independent director of Beef + Lamb New Zealand and former deputy chair of Radio New Zealand. She teaches strategy and disruption for the Institute of Directors.

What I Asked Melissa
What are NZ boardrooms really talking about behind closed doors right now?
Am I investing in the customer I have, or the one I will have in 10 years?
Are CEOs wrong about how much AI will actually lift productivity?
What will New Zealand look like in 2040?
How do I train myself to think 10 years ahead?

Follow Melissa
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FutureCentre

Timestamps
0:00 - what is a street smart futurist
1:24 - sponsor: AcademyEx for NZ business owners
2:04 - what does planning for the next 10 years actually mean
3:19 - what are NZ boardrooms really talking about right now
4:58 - where should I invest spare cash for the next 10 years
10:45 - how does a futurist decide where a business spends money
11:53 - am I building my business for today instead of the future
13:00 - what is agent to agent AI and why does it matter
17:50 - are CEOs wrong about how much AI will boost productivity
19:34 - sponsor: AcademyEx AI software programme and free podcasts
22:00 - why is AI just giving me the average answer
26:08 - should boards let AI do their thinking
28:20 - who will my customers be in 10 years
30:47 - why do boards keep getting blindsided by shocks
36:49 - why do we keep building for the past not the future
41:10 - how do I train my team to think 10 years ahead
49:44 - how do I make decisions when the future is uncertain
54:10 - what happens when you are 30 years too early
56:00 - how do you lose a $190 million business overnight
1:07:18 - what will New Zealand look like in 2040
1:19:46 - is New Zealand's low debt actually hurting the economy
1:23:00 - what does high tech farming look like in New Zealand
1:26:34 - the one thing every business owner should do now

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