The Prime Minister discusses Marsden Point fuel security, South Island flood recovery and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit. He also rejects calls to phase out synthetic fertiliser and backs televising the Young Farmer of the Year contest.

The Prime Minister discusses Marsden Point fuel security, South Island flood recovery and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s historic visit. He also rejects calls to phase out synthetic fertiliser and backs televising the Young Farmer of the Year contest.

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We're here to help you find a way with a curation of the ‘best bits’ from top business podcasts. 

Save time searching; subscribe to the SME Stream where you can listen to relevant, timely, business-related content today. 

 

Looking for actionable business insights all in one place? 
We're here to help you find a way with a curation of the &lsquo;best bits&rsquo; from top business podcasts. 
Save time searching; subscribe to the SME Stream where you can listen to relevant, timely, business-related content today.&nbsp;
&nbsp;

The SME Stream

The Country 08/07/26: Christopher Luxon talks to Hamish McKay

As business owners, you know how hard it is keeping up with your business, let alone the news. Join Wilhelmina O'Keeffe each week as she gives you a rundown of the biggest stories that could impact your business, so you can make informed decisions with expert advice. 


This week, Was our economy ready for an OCR hike? The seven countries National is eyeing up for trade agreements, and could the Indian Prime Minister’s visit further sweeten the newly minted FTA?

As business owners, you know how hard it is keeping up with your business, let alone the news. Join Wilhelmina O'Keeffe each week as she gives you a rundown of the biggest stories that could impact your business, so you can make informed decisions with expert advice.&nbsp;
 This week,&nbsp;Was our economy ready for an OCR hike? The seven countries National is eyeing up for trade agreements, and could the Indian Prime Minister&rsquo;s visit further sweeten the newly minted FTA?

The SME Stream Weekly Wrap - 10 July

The National Party is aiming to introduce legislation for its proposed social media ban for under‑16s before November’s election.

The move, replicating a ban already in place across the Tasman, might look like a neat political fix – but it is far more likely to fail, backfire and leave our kids and critical infrastructure less safe.

That’s the stark warning from veteran tech consultant and internet governance expert Daniel Spector, my guest on this week’s episode of The Business of Tech. Spector, a long‑time KiwiFoo stalwart and current Internet New Zealand board member standing for re‑election, argues that prohibition‑style policies are the wrong tool for the job. 

We don’t stop teenagers drinking by banning alcohol. We won’t stop them using TikTok and Instagram by declaring them off‑limits either.

Wait for the VPN boom

Instead, Spector says Australia’s under‑16s ban is already doing something unintended but entirely predictable – upskilling teenagers in VPNs, masking tools and hacking techniques, as they learn how to route around clumsy age‑verification systems and facial recognition. 

In his view, New Zealand is on track to copy a model that not only won’t protect children, but will produce a more technically adept generation of young hackers while entrenching a surveillance architecture dressed up as “child safety”.

We examine the deeper question politicians are mostly dodging: why are we attacking the demand side – who can log on – rather than the supply side of harm, like infinite scrolling, rage‑bait design and hyper‑targeted advertising? 

Spector highlights recent US court moves that treat addictive features such as endless scroll as “defective by design”, putting liability squarely on Meta and Google, and argues this is the direction New Zealand should be watching - and even replicating.

A golden age of hacking

Spector also lays out why Anthropic’s Mythos and similar cutting‑edge models are likely to usher in a “golden age of attack hacking”, systematically hunting for vulnerabilities in decades‑old code. Criminal groups will get them eventually, and board directors – with the potential to soon face personal and even criminal liability for cyber breaches – are nowhere near ready.

We talk zero‑knowledge proofs, digital identity, data sovereignty, and why outsourcing our safety to offshore tech giants and hurried bans is a dangerous illusion.

You can hear the full discussion with Daniel Spector on The Business of Tech wherever you get your podcasts.

Show notes

A Modest Proposal for the Orderly Dissolution of New Zealand. - Daniel Spector, LinkedIn

The verification layer did say 'yes'. Well... once. - Daniel Spector, LinkedIn

#DigitalSovereignty: A personal professional crisis. And a national one, too. - Daniel Spector, LinkedIn

NCSC got nation-state grade AI. Now what? - Daniel Spector, LinkedIn

The National Party is aiming to introduce legislation for its proposed social media ban for under‑16s before November&rsquo;s election.
The move, replicating a ban already in place across the Tasman, might look like a neat political fix &ndash; but it is far more likely to fail, backfire and leave our kids and critical infrastructure less safe.
That&rsquo;s the stark warning from veteran tech consultant and internet governance expert Daniel Spector, my guest on this week&rsquo;s episode of The Business of Tech. Spector, a long‑time KiwiFoo stalwart and current Internet New Zealand board member standing for re‑election, argues that prohibition‑style policies are the wrong tool for the job.&nbsp;
We don&rsquo;t stop teenagers drinking by banning alcohol. We won&rsquo;t stop them using TikTok and Instagram by declaring them off‑limits either.
Wait for the VPN boom
Instead, Spector says Australia&rsquo;s under‑16s ban is already doing something unintended but entirely predictable &ndash; upskilling teenagers in VPNs, masking tools and hacking techniques, as they learn how to route around clumsy age‑verification systems and facial recognition.&nbsp;
In his view, New Zealand is on track to copy a model that not only won&rsquo;t protect children, but will produce a more technically adept generation of young hackers while entrenching a surveillance architecture dressed up as &ldquo;child safety&rdquo;.
We examine the deeper question politicians are mostly dodging: why are we attacking the demand side &ndash; who can log on &ndash; rather than the supply side of harm, like infinite scrolling, rage‑bait design and hyper‑targeted advertising?&nbsp;
Spector highlights recent US court moves that treat addictive features such as endless scroll as &ldquo;defective by design&rdquo;, putting liability squarely on Meta and Google, and argues this is the direction New Zealand should be watching - and even replicating.
A golden age of hacking
Spector also lays out why Anthropic&rsquo;s Mythos and similar cutting‑edge models are likely to usher in a &ldquo;golden age of attack hacking&rdquo;, systematically hunting for vulnerabilities in decades‑old code. Criminal groups will get them eventually, and board directors &ndash; with the potential to soon face personal and even criminal liability for cyber breaches &ndash; are nowhere near ready.
We talk zero‑knowledge proofs, digital identity, data sovereignty, and why outsourcing our safety to offshore tech giants and hurried bans is a dangerous illusion.
You can hear the full discussion with Daniel Spector on The Business of Tech wherever you get your podcasts.
Show notes
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/modest-proposal-orderly-dissolution-new-zealand-daniel-spector-tgsie/">A Modest Proposal for the Orderly Dissolution of New Zealand.</a> - Daniel Spector, LinkedIn
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/verification-layer-did-say-yes-well-once-daniel-spector-va1re/">The verification layer did say 'yes'. Well... once</a>. - Daniel Spector, LinkedIn
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/digitalsovereignty-personal-professional-crisis-national-spector-selxe/?trackingId=QXfCf%2F60G5fnP1zlsUL2Yg%3D%3D">#DigitalSovereignty: A personal professional crisis. And a national one, too.</a> - Daniel Spector, LinkedIn
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ncsc-got-nation-state-grade-ai-now-what-daniel-spector-xypie/?trackingId=mZgxD%2FQqcpxblXtzt5idDg%3D%3D">NCSC got nation-state grade AI. Now what?</a> - Daniel Spector, LinkedIn

Unworkable: the teen social media ban 

In this special series of The SME Stream Podcast, Wilhelmina O’Keeffe steps inside some of Aotearoa’s most loved small and medium businesses - exploring their culture, their stories, and how coffee helps bring people and ideas together.

In this episode, Wilhelmina catches up with Greig Brebner & Todd Graydon to explore the journey behind their globally recognised brand, Blunt. From building a product that redefines a daily essential to navigating the challenges of Covid and what came after.  

Served by Nespresso Professional 

In this special series of The SME Stream Podcast, Wilhelmina O&rsquo;Keeffe steps inside some of Aotearoa&rsquo;s most loved small and medium businesses - exploring their culture, their stories, and how coffee helps bring people and ideas together.
In this episode, Wilhelmina catches up with Greig Brebner &amp; Todd Graydon to explore the journey behind their globally recognised brand, Blunt. From building a product that redefines a daily essential to navigating the challenges of Covid and what came after.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Served by <a href="https://www.nespresso.com">Nespresso&nbsp;Professional&nbsp;</a>

The Country 08/07/26: Christopher Luxon talks to Hamish McKay

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