Notes From The Executive

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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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: 👉 https://bit.ly/NFTEGiveawayPwrfullyLearn How to Tell Your Story On Podcast To Grow Your Business👉 https://pwrfully.com/podcast-guest-workshopWhat I Asked Natalie👉 What is the first thing you ask a business owner who needs more clients?👉 How are you doing in this economy as a business?👉 Why do you believe your business can't be sold?👉 What are your clients struggling with in this economy, and why?👉 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.Logitech👉 https://www.logitech.comPwrfullyLearn How to Tell Your Story On Podcast To Grow Your Business👉 https://pwrfully.com/podcast-guest-workshopWhat I Asked Nicola👉 What are NZ business owners thinking right before the election?👉 Should we be taxing more or less right now?👉 What bothers you most about the NZ tax system?👉 What is tax pooling, for someone who has never heard of it?👉 Why have we not heard about this?👉 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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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

Wonky Box, a NZ food rescue business spent nothing on marketing in its first year. It still reached more than 1,000 customers before paying for a single ad. Angus Simms explains how: a new grower's story every week, posted in local Facebook groups with no prices and no links.
Now the business is squeezed at both ends by freight levies, and Angus says fuel costs are no longer temporary. We also cover the proposed merger between two of New Zealand's three big produce wholesalers.
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Angus Simms co-founded Wonky Box with his partner Katie after a hailstorm in the Tasman marked a season of pears and apples. Before that he worked in finance in London.
Six years on, Wonky Box says it has 17,000 active subscribers, warehouses in Auckland and Christchurch, and more than 100 growers. It now sells meat, flowers and upcycled pantry goods alongside produce.
What I Asked Angus
👉 How did you get your first 1,000 customers without ads?
👉 How do you know a business idea will actually make money?
👉 How have you made it work with rising fuel costs?
👉 Should one produce wholesaler buy the other?
👉 What was your most costly mistake?
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Follow Angus
Wonky Box wonkybox.nz
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
04:10 Why isn't a subscription box for everyone?
06:21 How is a produce box different from a meal kit?
08:36 Why is NZ meat being sent overseas?
10:03 How do I spot a business idea in someone else's problem?
13:27 How much NZ food never gets eaten?
17:22 How do I know a business idea will make money?
21:10 How do I test a business idea with no budget?
22:33 Is a business incubator worth it?
25:25 Why set up a board of directors early?
29:24 How do I free up 40% of my week?
33:59 What do I do when outsourcing fails the first time?
36:07 How do I expand a business to a new region?
39:49 How big can a NZ subscription business get?
43:12 How do I get my first 1,000 customers without ads?
47:28 How does PR grow a small business?
50:05 Why does storytelling sell when customers can't choose?
55:10 What marketing actually moves the needle now?
59:10 What does the produce wholesaler merger mean for NZ?
1:03:22 Why is fresh produce consumption dropping in NZ?
1:05:16 How do I price a fixed box when costs change weekly?
1:09:28 How do rising freight costs hit a delivery business?
1:12:08 How do I plan for fuel costs that aren't temporary?
1:15:22 Why do early hires stop fitting the role?
1:18:00 What does one packing mistake cost?
1:19:37 Is now a good time to start a business in NZ?
1:21:16 Where to find Wonky Box