FoodStarter: 1 to 1000 in One Year?
Starting and growing a food business is a long, hard hustle. There are many hoops to jump through before you can get your product on those grocery shelves and hit the bigtime. But, what if you had the opportunity to go from 1 – 1000 fast? If all the doors that you needed opening for your business simply opened, would you race through?
If you nodded yes, then you need to know about FoodStarter. It’s a nationwide search for NZ’s most innovative food and beverage products with the ultimate prize being the chance to have your product on New World shelves across New Zealand. Find out more about Foodstarter on www.Foodstarter.co.nz Applications close 7 February 2021.
We talk to Marian Johnson, CEO of Ministry of Awesome, the incubator behind FoodStarter as well Tim Campbell, Category Manager at Foodstuffs about what it means to create an innovative product. “The challenge with innovation is walking the tightrope between creating something that is new and something that the customer wants”, says Tim. So do be on trend and go plant based or make kombucha or could you innovate in other ways that focus on the provenance of food or the founder story? In the episode we talk about:
- Foodstarter, who it’s for and why you should apply
- Can innovation happen beyond the product itself
- The one thing category managers look for in your food product
- Where to begin if you want to stock your product at a NZ supermarket
Listen to the Podcast Here:
Quotes from the episode:
“Going to the supermarket and watching people shop is actually quite interesting. What people say they are going to do versus what they actually put into their shopping trolley is often quite different.” – Tim Campbell
“When you’re investing in a startup, you’re investing in the founder. It’s not often that you go from no to go in a year. With FoodStarter we are giving you the skates, the network and the opportunity. But you still have to do the running, no one is going to do that for you” – Marian Johnson
What is Project Drawdown? With Rohan MacMahon
Welcome to Climate Briefs, the summer series for This Climate Business. I ask a simple question, our experts give a succinct answer. Because in the end everyone likes a tight brief, right?
This week I ask Rohan MacMahon about Project Drawdown; the most comprehensive list of greenhouse gas reductions projects, from peat farming and poo fuel to photosynthetic paint and synthetic cows.
Hear the Podcast Here:
Twenty Appliances or One Thermomix?
How often have you been cooking in the kitchen and wished you had a second pair of hands? Or perhaps you bought a gadget (I’m sure someone else also owns a yogurt maker that’s still in its box) to help you with some of the kitchen drudgery or to help you make more exciting meals only to have it loiter on your pantry shelf unused for months?
I was in the same boat until I came across the Thermomix. The Thermomix claims to be a smart connected kitchen that in our guest Odette’s words changes your relationship with food. Owned by Vorwerk, the Thermomix is a staple in many European kitchens and in recent years has been making headway into Aussie and Kiwi homes.
It’s easy at first glance to dismiss the machine as a “$2,500 blender” just like Odette’s husband did which is why you need to really see it in action to get a feel for how it could be used in your kitchen. Thermomix consultant, Shernaz Petigara shares that she has clients who use the machine just for their businesses to make jams or ganache for cakes. She also knows a 13 year old boy who loved it so much he now cooks all weeknight dinners in it once he comes home from school! What is this sorcery? We find out!
Listen to the Podcast Here:
In this episode we talk about:
- Is the Thermomix really just a bloody expensive blender?
- Can a machine really change your relationship with food?
- Why is the Thermomix not just available in a retail store?
- How you can finally get your husband to cook!
To see the Thermomix in action or to get weeknight meal envy follow Shernaz Petigara on @peacewiththermo and Odette Smith on @thermodette . You can also email peacewiththermo@gmail.com if you’d like to see it in action for yourself or head to the Thermomix NZ page on Facebook and join one of their virtual cooking classes!
2021 Tech Challenges and Opportunities: Bitcoin, Social Media regulation, Reserve Bank vs Cyber Security
Peter Griffin joins Paul Spain to delve into the mainstreaming of Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies, Cyber Security from the Reserve Bank, Trump and the regulation of Social Media + more. Watch live or listen later to NZ Tech Podcast via your favourite podcast app or at www.nztechpodcast.com
Special thanks to organisations who support innovation and tech leadership in New Zealand by partnering with NZ Tech Podcast:
Umbrellar Connect
Sumo Logic
Vodafone NZ
HP
Spark NZ
Vocus
Gorilla Technology
A Global Perspective through a NZ lens / Oliver Hartwich
2020 showed us that many investors could have safely ignored some basic fundamentals around investing – I’m not convinced that 2021 will let us off so easily.
Oliver Hartwich is my guest from the NZ Initiative, a pro-free-market public-policy think tank and business membership organisation in New Zealand.
2021 will be the first year after the biggest disruption my generation has ever witnessed – Investing post pandemic will be different to pre-pandemic – no longer can we ignore the risks of increasing debt levels, how new money is created, and the risks that long term inflation combined with low economic growth will bring. Modern monetary theory, a convenient way for governments to short-cut the need to actually increase productivity, will have massive long-term impacts. Everyday investors still have time to potentially take a position to benefit from this trend – failure to do so in fact, could put one on the wrong side of significant disruption ahead.
I talk frequently about how building wealth in the new world, requires new tools and new strategies. If there’s transformation coming, some will be victims of it, and some will be victors. In 2021, we may see two groups of investors starting to emerge – traditionalists, who insist that mainstream investment ideology is what we’ll eventually revert back to, and alt-investors, those who are actually looking forward to significant disruption, the likes we haven’t seen since the great depression.
So, today’s episode may not be for the beginner, but I urge you to try to understand some of these concepts – investing doesn’t occur in a vacuum or in a static environment. Just as much research should be done on the environment in which your investing in, as the strategies you employ.
To learn more about the NZ Initiative and to sign up to their newsletter, check them out here.
N.B: Shortly after recording this episode, it’s worth noting to listeners that the website Newsroom, ran an expose on then NZ Initiative blog editor, Nathan Smith, which found him to have published racist and misogynistic views on his own personal blog.
Oliver has since described Smith’s writings as “abhorrent” and the organisation is launching an independent investigation to ensure NZ Initiative material has not been compromised. For me personally, I welcome thoughts and ideas from a broad spectrum – it’s useful for creating thoughtful conversations and genuine insights as to how the world works – in fact one of NZ’s greatest strengths is diversity. Occasionally though, we have to make a call and say ‘no’ to hateful and ignorant comments from the far right. I’d do the same for actions and comments from the far left that endorse more control and restrict freedom of speech too. Diversity in thoughts should be cherished, but when you go too far, not much good ever comes of that.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/think-tank-editor-runs-far-right-blog
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/432662/new-zealand-initiative-to-investigate-content-after-staffer-s-resignation-over-extreme-views
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The NZ Everyday Investor is brought to you in partnership with Hatch. Hatch, let’s you become a shareholder in the world’s biggest companies and funds. We’re talking about Apple and Zoom, Vanguard and Blackrock.
So, if you’re listening in right now and have thought about investing in the US share markets, well, Hatch has given us a special offer just for you… they’ll give you a $20 NZD top-up when you make an initial deposit into your Hatch account of $100NZD or more.
Just go to https://hatch.as/NZEverydayInvestor to grab your top up.
____________________________________________________________
The NZ Everyday Investor would also like to acknowledge the support of kōura.
Most people fixate on just fees or historical returns when trying to choose a KiwiSaver fund. But professionals know there’s the third, arguably more essential component to consider – asset allocation. kōura’s digital advice tools will build you a KiwiSaver portfolio that has the perfect asset allocation just for you. Of course you could also just choose your own KiwiSaver portfolio with them too. Give them a try and see what your ideal KiwiSaver asset allocation looks like for you.
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Like what you’ve heard?
You can really help with the success of the NZ Everyday Investor by doing the following:
1- Tell your friends!
2- Write a review on Facebook, or your favourite podcast player
3- Help support the mission of our show on Patreon by contributing here
4- To catch the live episodes, please ensure you have subscribed to us on Youtube:
5- Sign up to our newsletter here
NZ Everyday Investor is on a mission to increase financial literacy and make investing more accessible for the everyday person!
Please ensure that you act independently from any of the content provided in these episodes – it should not be considered personalised financial advice for you. This means, you should either do your own research taking on board a broad range of opinions, or ideally, consult and engage an authorised financial adviser to provide guidance around your specific goals and objectives.
_____________________________________________________________________________
What is climate justice? With Jo Spratt, director with Oxfam NZ
Welcome to Climate Briefs, the summer series for This Climate Business. I ask a simple question, our experts give a succinct answer. Because in the end everyone likes a tight brief, right?
This week I ask Jo Spratt of Oxfam NZ to explain climate justice. Not everyone will experience the consequences of climate crisis in equal measure. The most vulnerable are typically the already most disadvantaged. So how do we ensure just outcomes for the poor and the most climate-affected?
Hear the Podcast Here:
The key New Zealand Tech stories kicking off 2021
Who cares about methane? With Eloise Gibson, Stuff.co.nz
Welcome to Climate Briefs, the summer series for This Climate Business. I ask a simple question, our experts give a succinct answer. Because in the end everyone likes a tight brief, right?
This week I ask Eloise Gibson, climate change editor of Stuff, to explain the role of methane in global heating, why it’s such a contended topic and whether emitting gas through mammalian orifices will ever be acceptable in polite company.
Hear the Podcast Here:
What is climate finance? With Alex Jonston, Oxfam NZ
Welcome to Climate Briefs, the summer series for This Climate Business. I ask a simple question, our experts give a succinct answer. Because in the end everyone likes a tight brief, right?
This week I ask Alex Johnston of Oxfam NZ to explain climate finance – the arcane world of country-by-country commitments to fund the transition to a low-carbon world. Who sets these sums, who pays and who ensures that promises are fulfilled?
Hear the Podcast Here:
What is shareholder activism? By Barry Coates, Mindful Money
Welcome to Climate Briefs, the summer series for This Climate Business. I ask a simple question, our experts give a succinct answer. Because in the end everyone likes a tight brief, right?
This week I ask Barry Coates of Mindful Money to explain shareholder activism and how it is checking the behaviour of polluting and unethical companies.
Hear the Podcast Here:
On a bender with the property market / Jeremy Couchman
Stimulants, depressants, & LVRs
Darcy is joined by Jeremy Couchman, a senior economist at Kiwibank, to unpack the names for the many stimulants and depressants intoxicating the housing market right now. From LVR and DTIs, to the other strange monetary drugs, let’s get a better idea of what we’re taking this summer.
L.V.R. has become Auckland’s most popular three letter acronym since N.W.A. was thumping out in Henderson in 1991. So what are LVRs, and why are they becoming the 2020 summer anthem?
To understand LVRs, listeners should look back to New Zealand’s response to the 2008 recession. In order to combat the housing pricing drop, New Zealand’s Reserve Bank slashed interest rates, making it cheaper for people to borrow money for their mortgage.
This acted as a stimulant. As many will remember, this stimulus then caused a surge in demand which inspired an uptick in the cost in housing.
Enter the depressant — a Loan to Value Ratio, restriction.
“It’s a ratio applied to prospective buyers. It’s the size of the loan, relative to your contribution,” said Jeremy.
These restrictions, originally brought in during the 2013 housing boom, were discarded by RBNZ in anticipation of a pandemic-induced recession this year. Less than a year later, and they’re on their way in again.
The new rules will mandate that residential home buyers will now need to cough up 1/5th of the purchase price in their deposit. For investors, this deposit will be up at 40%.
Jeremy explains that the Reserve Bank’s primary intention is to reduce the amount of risky purchasing going on banks’ books.
“If the value starts to fall, if the value of that asset drops below the mortgage that we’ve given you, then that puts us in a very difficult situation if that asset has to be sold quickly. We wouldn’t recoup the mortgage that we’ve provided.”
But it also has a clear secondary impact — a depression in housing prices. Naturally, if it’s harder to buy into an investment, fewer people will do it.
The next monetary depressant in line on the fiscal agenda is the bright line test. The bright line test is effectively a capital gains tax for shorter-term property investors (currently set at 5 yrs from time of purchase but likely to be extended).
“It’s an easy one for the government to implement, as it’s not defined as a new tax.”
As the laundry list of monetary drugs appears to be getting longer as the years go on. It’s as if the housing market is taking Ritalin to get through the work day, a glass of vino to relax, and sleeping pills to nod off.
The question now is whether it’s artificially forcing change on an otherwise natural state? Markets boom and then they bust – the pendulum swings – there’s gains and there’s losses. That’s the free market – and while it’s not at all pretty, it eventually creates ‘equilibrium’ and causes capital (investment) into the most productive areas of the economy.
By politicians and regulators putting coercive energy to try and manipulate the markets to look perfect, I fear we risk some worse down-wind affects, or at the very least, delaying or magnifying the inevitable ‘re-balancing’ that must occasionally occur.
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The NZ Everyday Investor is brought to you in partnership with Hatch. Hatch, let’s you become a shareholder in the world’s biggest companies and funds. We’re talking about Apple and Zoom, Vanguard and Blackrock.
So, if you’re listening in right now and have thought about investing in the US share markets, well, Hatch has given us a special offer just for you… they’ll give you a $20 NZD top-up when you make an initial deposit into your Hatch account of $100NZD or more.
Just go to https://hatch.as/NZEverydayInvestor to grab your top up.
____________________________________________________________
Like what you’ve heard?
You can really help with the success of the NZ Everyday Investor by doing the following:
1- Tell your friends!
2- Write a review on Facebook, or your favourite podcast player
3- Help support the mission of our show on Patreon by contributing here
4- To catch the live episodes, please ensure you have subscribed to us on Youtube:
5- Sign up to our newsletter here
NZ Everyday Investor is on a mission to increase financial literacy and make investing more accessible for the everyday person!
Please ensure that you act independently from any of the content provided in these episodes – it should not be considered personalised financial advice for you. This means, you should either do your own research taking on board a broad range of opinions, or ideally, consult and engage an authorised financial adviser to provide guidance around your specific goals and objectives.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Reserve Bank of NZ and the Government / Jenee Tibshraeny
In today’s episode, think about which one of these words best describes the relationship between the reserve bank and the government: Co-operative /Co-dependent or Collusive?
The reserve bank (or RBNZ) does a lot of things, but simplistically, they make the money, they control the cost of it, and they play an important role as a regulator in NZ financial system.
Some of the stuff the RBNZ does crosses over with what our government does also – you may be wondering then, why are the two even separate?
Well, given it’s that time of year when some head to church to celebrate the origin of Christmas story – let’s talk about the separation of church and state.
The idea that there should be a wall of separation between church and state was an idea originally based on phrase first coined by Thomas Jefferson – Some believe it’s to protect the state from the church but some think it’s actually the other way around. I’m not going to pretend like I’m a great historian here, but I wonder if some of reasons why Jefferson pushed for this wall was to ensure the proper functioning of each entity without setting lose some unhelpful agendas. There’s another wall that exists between the government and the reserve bank too. Is it a wall that’s designed to protect one side from the other? or is there to protect us, the everyday people?
Well, what do we need protecting from you ask? Helping maintain financial stability in NZ demands decisions get made that aren’t always popular, like keeping interest rates low, which yes, forces house prices higher and creates greater inequality as a side effect.
Politicians like to feed our fear, then solve our problems, because that keeps them in power – central bankers on the other hand simply have a job to do, and they get on with doing it, even when we may not like the side-effects.
Based on current events – as awkward as it appears, the two may be lowering the wall though just enough to communicate and collaborate – is this the point of no return I wonder. Some would suggest we potentially have enough government already, and more involvement in monetary policy would be frightening / Some might say the damage being done in terms of rising inequality, needs to be dealt with.
Either way, the NZ’s central bank could become a central focus in 2021
Jenée Tibshraeny is financial journalist for interest.co.nz and is an acclaimed reporter who covers the interaction between government and economics. I have her on the show today because I have some questions about the Reserve Bank.
____________________________________________________________
The NZ Everyday Investor is brought to you in partnership with Hatch. Hatch, let’s you become a shareholder in the world’s biggest companies and funds. We’re talking about Apple and Zoom, Vanguard and Blackrock.
So, if you’re listening in right now and have thought about investing in the US share markets, well, Hatch has given us a special offer just for you… they’ll give you a $20 NZD top-up when you make an initial deposit into your Hatch account of $100NZD or more.
Just go to https://hatch.as/NZEverydayInvestor to grab your top up.
____________________________________________________________
The NZ Everyday Investor would also like to acknowledge the support of kōura.
Most people fixate on just fees or historical returns when trying to choose a KiwiSaver fund. But professionals know there’s the third, arguably more essential component to consider – asset allocation. kōura’s digital advice tools will build you a KiwiSaver portfolio that has the perfect asset allocation just for you. Of course you could also just choose your own KiwiSaver portfolio with them too. Give them a try and see what your ideal KiwiSaver asset allocation looks like for you.
___________________________________________________________
Like what you’ve heard?
You can really help with the success of the NZ Everyday Investor by doing the following:
1- Tell your friends!
2- Write a review on Facebook, or your favourite podcast player
3- Help support the mission of our show on Patreon by contributing here
4- To catch the live episodes, please ensure you have subscribed to us on Youtube:
5- Sign up to our newsletter here
NZ Everyday Investor is on a mission to increase financial literacy and make investing more accessible for the everyday person!
Please ensure that you act independently from any of the content provided in these episodes – it should not be considered personalised financial advice for you. This means, you should either do your own research taking on board a broad range of opinions, or ideally, consult and engage an authorised financial adviser to provide guidance around your specific goals and objectives.
_____________________________________________________________________________