BNZ Connect SME Podcast

Being a business owner means making tough decisions. When some businesses were forced to close their doors during New Zealand’s initial Level 4 COVID-19 lockdown, or faced losing millions of dollars of assets, the decisions made in those moments can have impacts forever. For Christchurch restaurant owner Anton Matthews from FUSH and Ryan McQuerry and Nick Lubeck interior plantscaping business Outside In, deciding where to make sacr...

When your business’ future is up in the air, it can be a good idea to focus on your core values and passions. For two Wellington-based tech companies, New Zealand’s initial lockdown presented opportunities for both innovation and reflection. For Jessica Manins, CEO of virtual reality social gaming business Beyond, it was a time to explore how social gaming could connect people in their homes. For Nic Gibbens from digital agency Pap...

Lockdown of the borders could have been devastating for two businesses reliant on international tourists. But Richard Ussher from Nelson’s popular Cable Bay Adventure Park and Oscar Rodwell from BONZ, a Queenstown based retailer and manufacturer for New Zealand made apparel are two innovative businesses who weren’t going to let a global pandemic cut them off from their customers. Discover how they engaged their workforce, deconstru...

When a crisis hits, do you turn to data and information to help you navigate a way through or do you rely on your gut? In this episode we speak to two innovative businesses both faced with the challenge of guiding their staff and customers through at a time of uncertainty as New Zealand went into its initial COVID-19 lockdown. Angie Judge, owner of SAAS business Dexibit, turned to the data to help guide their customers through the ...

What do you do when a global pandemic wipes out your customers almost overnight? Joe Bradford from Fiasco, a road case manufacturer for the events industry, and Olive Tabor, who owns a boutique burger and ice-cream truck called Patti’s & Cream, are two innovative businesses who weren’t going to let lockdown smother their business ambitions. Discover how they created entirely new products and distribution channels overnight, tra...

A global pandemic forced Kiwi businesses to re-examine how they operate. For two businesses on the cusp of the latest tech trends, it inspired more than just creative solutions – it inspired altruism.

In this episode we speak to Sam Ramlu, from creative interactive studio Method, who created tools and resources designed to help other SME business owners juggling the digital transformation of their business and create joy for kids st...

Faced with a challenge like no other, and with the responsibility of other people and your employees jobs on your shoulders, how do you lead your business through uncertainty? In this episode we speak to two business owners who have: Joe Davis, co-founder of transformative STEM education provider Nanogirl Labs and Jason Macklow from Good George brewery and restaurants share how they embraced the challenge – leaning into the COVID-1...