Norman Gemmell, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington May 14’s budget will surely be remembered as the “pandemic budget”. It might seem like the worst possible timing – economic uncertainty rages, Treasury has had to abandon its usual economic “forecasts”, and the pandemic’s viral economic spread is far from over. On the contrary, this may be very good …

Jonathan Boston, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Budget 2020’s focus on “jobs, jobs and jobs” is understandable, commendable and vital. COVID-19 poses the largest threat to paid employment since the Great Depression almost 90 years ago. The number of people receiving Job Seeker Support (Work Ready) – the main benefit available for the unemployed – rose almost …

New Zealand’s startups and their founders are our untapped powerhouse of problem solvers, says Suse Reynolds. Startups are not SMEs. We are talking about a cohort of super ambitious, high growth, tech-rich businesses with highly driven teams which are generally venture investment-backed. These businesses are developing solutions to problems with highly valuable, large and sometimes new, markets. They are businesses like …