How cheap drones became the defining weapon of modern conflict

Drones have gone from hobbyist toys to decisive tools of war and essential infrastructure for industry. Few people have had a better vantage point on that shift than FenixUAS founder Dr Andrew Shelley.  In the latest episode of The Business of Tech podcast, the economist and aviation specialist ex…

The Kiwi fintech startup hacking the admin hell out of financial advice

In the creaky world of financial advising, where compliance paperwork devours hours and clunky software feels like a relic from the dial-up era, a New Zealand startup is deploying AI to free advisers from the drudgery.  Marloo, co-founded by Hardy Michel, who cut his teeth as head of operations at…

How Tracksuit turned brand data into a global growth engine

In the latest episode of The Business of Tech, Tracksuit co-founder and chief commercial officer Matt Herbert explains how the startup is using brand data to help marketers navigate an era of economic uncertainty, shifting consumer behaviour and AI-driven search.  “The edge that we brought to it w…

Inside the AI race: Energy use, agents and the real impact on work

Reporting from the front line of the artificial intelligence revolution, Time magazine reporter Harry Booth has a unique perspective on the technology moving markets and transforming business. The London-based University of Auckland graduate has been part of Time’s team of AI reporters for the las…

Banking unleashed: What the new open banking regime means for consumers and fintech players

After years of anticipation and frustration over slow progress, New Zealand’s open banking era is about to become a reality.  On December 1, official regulations come into effect, bringing sweeping change to how Kiwis access and control their financial data. Akahu co-founder Josh Daniell, whose pl…

Oppo’s bid to crack NZ’s smartphone duopoly

Chinese smartphone maker Oppo is making an assertive play to shake up the $1.3 billion smartphone market in New Zealand, aiming to disrupt the long-standing duopoly of Samsung and Apple with a mix of tech innovation and brand-building efforts. In this week’s episode of The Business of Tech podcast…

Rocket Lab at 20: From pipe dream to $50 billion space empire

Rocket Lab is on the brink of turning 20 – and what began as one man’s dream in an Invercargill garage is now a Nasdaq-listed global space business valued at over NZ$50 billion.  In the latest episode of The Business of Tech, Sir Peter Beck joins me from Rocket Lab’s headquarters in Long Beach, Ca…

From pilot to payoff: “Five times return on our AI investment”

It’s been a year since AI agents burst onto the tech scene, driven largely by the vision and product roadmap of Salesforce founder Marc Benioff, who is betting the company’s future on the “agentic enterprise”. Saleforce’s Agentforce platform, which allows customers to build and deploy agents in da…

Steady hands, not knee-jerk bans: Brainbox’s approach to AI regulation

The call for dedicated regulations governing artificial intelligence has grown louder as the technology’s power to disrupt industries and society becomes ever more apparent.  But this week’s guest on The Business of Tech podcast, Brainbox Institute director and co-founder Tom Barraclough, warns ag…

Rebuilding With AI: Grief, creativity, and the rise of a digital life companion

Wellington artist and animator Chelfyn Baxter has turned the darkest year of his life into a pioneering experiment in human-AI partnership, one fuelled by grief, healing, creativity and ethical ambition. In this week’s episode of The Business of Tech podcast, airing during Mental Health Awareness …