Helping you Be Good With Money
BNZ’s Chief Economist Tony Alexander reflects on a few factors to be aware of if you’re looking at investing in the Auckland property market.
Back in the Weekly Overview of November 1, 2012, I produced a list entitled, 19 Reasons Why Auckland House Prices Will Keep Rising. Since then prices on average have risen 65% and while we see minimal chance of another 65% rise over the next four years, it still looks like prices will rise further. Continue reading…
The New Zealand firm behind two burgeoning food brands has a recipe for rapid growth.
In the fast-changing food world, Auckland’s Mad Group backs itself to keep tickling the taste buds of consumers both in New Zealand, and eventually overseas. Continue reading…
BNZ’s Head of Asia Business Paul Gestro reflects on what Mid-Autumn Festival (or Mooncake Festival) means if you are doing business with China.
If you do business in China, you’ll be more than familiar with the Mid-Autumn Festival (or Mooncake Festival) – the second most important festival to Chinese people after the New Year. You may already have a stack of uneaten cakes piling up on your desk – as business partners, colleagues, employees, friends or family seek to acknowledge you during this traditional gift-giving time of the lunar year. Continue reading…
An Auckland-based bespoke jewellery company has grown rapidly to meet the demand for its made-to-order and handcrafted wedding and engagement rings. Soon expanding internationally, the company reflects on its success to date.
When prospective clients arrive at Naveya & Sloane’s Auckland premises seeking to have a piece of jewellery custom-made, they don’t have to look far to see where their eventual purchase will be produced.
Sharyn Cheeseman is a Team Leader, Project Delivery based in BNZ’s Wellington office, and it’s safe to say she’s an animal lover. A vet nurse in a previous life, Sharyn is also a passionate supporter of the SPCA. Last year, along with 50 other BNZers, she used her Closed for Good day as an opportunity to give back to the animals. Continue reading…
BNZ’s Chief Economist Tony Alexander reflects on how the Unitary Plan will affect soaring Auckland house prices and future urban growth.
For the third time in three years the Reserve Bank has imposed new rules on the minimum deposit size investors must have when using a mortgage to buy property in Auckland. The first occasion was October 2013 when the 20% minimum was introduced for all borrowers. Then in October 2015 we had the 30% minimum for Auckland investors. Now we have a 40% minimum starting from October this year, although this has already being applied by banks for lending not arranged before the policy was announced a month ago. Continue reading…
Small business owner Caitlin Sykes recently attended a BNZ Connect event and found a supportive community of fellow small and medium-sized business owners.
My day was running at a loss. Several meetings in the central city had left the to-do list back in my home office largely untouched.
So when the calendar alert popped up to tell me it was now time to head out once more, the after-work event I’d optimistically scheduled a couple of weeks earlier suddenly wasn’t looking so doable. Continue reading…
BNZ’s Chief Economist Tony Alexander reflects on the New Zealand housing market and upcoming changes around the minimum deposit size, that takes place from September 1.
As a macroeconomist my job is to avoid getting mired in the details of what is happening in particular parts of the economy and instead to focus on the big picture and the broad trends. These are the things which I talk about when making presentations to groups of retailers, home buyers, home builders, manufacturers, investors, farmers and so on around the country. Continue reading…
BNZ’s Head of Corporate Affairs Mark Watts was a proud Plunket baby, and his parents were Plunket babies too. The chances are good that if you’re reading this article, you were also a Plunket baby.
BNZ has enjoyed a long relationship with Plunket, helping support this iconic Kiwi organisation grow New Zealanders as their principal sponsor. A team of BNZers also volunteered at Plunket during last year’s Closed for Good – New Zealand’s largest day of corporate volunteering. Mark Watts was one of them. Continue reading…
Inspired by their Closed for Good activity in 2014, members of our Wellington Private Bank Team have taken up the mantle of running financial literacy workshops for the Wellington Department of Corrections.
In 2014, the Department submitted a request for a single financial literacy workshop as part of Closed for Good. This increased to five workshops in 2015. Realising that demand might grow, BNZ Private Banker, Brenda Allen-Browne, decided to take on the role of coordinating and facilitating these workshops on an ongoing basis. Continue reading…
