As another day passes, it seems that there is yet more doom and gloom in the economy.  It’s hard to avoid hearing about businesses doing it tough. And more bad news begets more bad news. It’s like we’ve got compounding bad news! But, historically speaking, how tough are we really doing? Well colour me shocked, […]

What a tumultuous financial year the 2023 year was. 2024 looks like it might be more of the same. NZ continues to have elevated inflation, higher (although historically pretty reasonable) interest rates, reducing property prices, trimmed milk price forecast, shortage of labour, excess demand, and a plethora of other factors determining how the year will […]

Self-employed or a shareholder taking drawings? Chances are that you’ve got ACC’s default cover in place. If you’re unlucky enough to suffer an injury that means you can’t work for a period of time, you would get to find just how difficult it is being self-employed or a shareholder taking drawings and having to claim […]

It’s been more than a tad wet for much of the North Island. The flooding in many parts of the Island have been catastrophic. Our thoughts are with those who have been affected. As the flood waters recede, talk turns to what caused the disaster and what could be done in the future to prevent […]

It’s been a rough start to the year. And for many, this latest disaster is far from over. If you have been affected, our thoughts are with you. Businesses aren’t immune from the effects. We know that this will be a stressful time for many business owners, and there will be some difficult decisions that […]

Wet weather Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by the recent flooding, its scale was both dramatic and terrifying. At the time of writing, it appears that it may not be over as more rain is forecast. If you or your business has been affected by the flooding, the first priority is […]

Ahhhh the festive season is upon us again! A time for family, too much eating and drinking and hopefully getting to ‘unplug’ for a few days. But it is also a time for added financial stress – Consumer NZ has found that 2 out of 5 Kiwis feel added financial stress during the holiday season. […]

Sick of gloomy economic news? Me too. Inflation, fuel prices, interest rates, currency fluctuations, it all sounds a bit grim. It can be a bit like hearing about a winter storm barreling toward us. But just like a bad weather forecast, this grim news can provide us with some forewarning of choppy economic times ahead. […]

Kiwis are well known for our good work ethic. According to the Productivity Commission we work more hours per week than the OECD average. But, alas, our output is lower. Or put another way, it takes us more time to produce the same amount as the average OECD country. Not ideal. In simple terms, poor […]

It’s not often that tax news gets so many attention-grabbing headlines. While the proposed – and then quickly scrapped – GST on Kiwisaver fees was hogging the limelight, the introduction of another tax measure has received much less fanfare; the removal of Fringe Benefit Tax on public transport. Read about it here. Why’s this important? […]