Simon Bridges is the CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber, New Zealand’s former Energy Minister, and the former leader of the New Zealand National Party (and thus Leader of the Opposition, 2018–2020).

Episode Partner:

👉🏻 NZBusiness Magazine - www.nzbusiness.co.nz

What Simon reveals

◽️ The NZ business outlook: costs, competitiveness, and why he’s cautiously optimistic

◽️ Why power bills are high—and the case to split power companies (generators vs retailers)

◽️ AI adoption in NZ: where SMEs get productivity now (and where hype still dominates)

◽️ Data centres, renewables, and building enough generation to power growth

◽️ How an India–NZ FTA could open doors for exporters (horticulture, services, screen)

◽️ His execution playbook: pick 3–4 priorities that “make the boat go faster”

FOLLOW SimonFind Simon via the Auckland Business Chamber: https://www.aucklandchamber.co.nzFOLLOW MEhttps://www.instagram.com/minaamso/WATCH EPISODE ON YOUTUBEhttps://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcastLISTEN ONApple podcast: https://shorturl.at/UkJ8vSpotify: https://shorturl.at/YW7bX

Paul Spoonley is a New Zealand social scientist and demographer who has led research on aging, fertility decline, immigration and regional development. He has advised government and business on long-term planning, productivity and labour markets, and has worked on immigration and settlement policy, social cohesion, and the future of work and education.

Episode Partners:

👉🏻 NZBusiness Magazine www.nzbusiness.co.nz

👉🏻 Podcast Guest www.podcastguest.co.nz

What Paul reveals

◽️NZ’s future is being decided by older voters and a birth rate that’s falling off a cliff. That’s not “demographics” - it’s your operating environment.

◽️Immigration isn’t a plan. It’s a patch. And we keep ripping it off and reapplying it like that won’t hurt.

◽️SMEs aren’t “struggling to hire.” They’re competing for a shrinking pool

◽️Auckland keeps winning because we let it. The regions don’t “lose people”, they get outbid and outbuilt.◽️Productivity doesn’t improve with another report. It improves when businesses adopt tech, retrain hard, and stop pretending our diaspora is irrelevant.

FOLLOW ME

https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/

WATCH EPISODE ON YOUTUBE (for Spotify & Apple descriptions)

https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast

LISTEN ONApple podcast: https://shorturl.at/UkJ8vSpotify: https://shorturl.at/YW7bX

Renting vs buying NZ, net worth tracking, and the mindset shift from scarcity to abundance — chartered accountant-turned-entrepreneur Luke Kemeys goes deep on how Kiwis can build real financial well-being without being chained to a mortgage. We cover when renting beats buying, monthly net-worth tracking (assets minus liabilities), using debt (carefully), and the exact habits that unlock growth for founders.What Luke reveals

◽️ When renting beats buying in NZ (and for whom)

◽️ The 1 habit that builds financial progress: monthly net-worth tracking

◽️ How to treat your household like a business (cash in, cash out, decisions)

◽️ The $500 plan that actually changes your life (not “buy this coin”)

◽️ Using debt in business: when it accelerates vs. when it’s dangerous

Episode Partners

👉🏻 NZBusiness Magazinewww.nzbusiness.co.nz

👉🏻 Podcast Guestwww.podcastguest.co.nz

FOLLOW LUKE

Search: “Luke Kemeys”, “Next Advisory NZ”, “Keep the Change podcast”

FOLLOW ME

https://www.instagram.com/minaamso/

WATCH EPISODE ON YOUTUBE (for Spotify/Apple listeners)

https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast

LISTEN ONApple Podcasts: https://shorturl.at/UkJ8vSpotify: https://shorturl.at/YW7bX

Luke Kemeys is a chartered accountant, business adviser, and co-founder of Next Advisory. He also hosts Keep the Change, a money podcast/newsletter followed by thousands of Kiwis each week. Luke works with founders on pricing, cashflow, and growth strategy, and is known for practical frameworks that get owners out of scarcity and into action.