The SME Stream Weekly Wrap - 12 June

The SME Stream Weekly Wrap - 12 June

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, What’s behind the government’s secret budget spend, Kiwis are spending more but buying the same, and there’s some good news for job numbers ….  Plus why some of us could be in line for an overseas windfall.  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

AI vs public sector jobs

The Government’s plan to cut 8,700 public sector jobs and save $2.4 billion has been framed largely as a brutal cost‑cutting exercise.  In this week’s episode of The Business of Tech podcast, Hamilton‑based technologist Brandon Hutcheson argues it could instead be the catalyst for a once‑in‑a‑generation redesign of how government works – if we get the AI strategy right. He admits, that's a big "if". Hutcheson, head of quantum at Netherlands-based IT services firm HSO and co‑founder of AI specialist Aware Group, has published a detailed catalogue of 160 ways artificial intelligence [https://ai.brandon.nz/#0] could transform the public sector. The ideas range from obvious efficiency wins – such as shared AI‑enabled contact centres and common cloud HR and payroll platforms – through to more ambitious proposals like synthetic populations for policy testing and real‑time legislation impact simulators. Rather than starting with “who can we cut?”, Hutcheson wants agencies to map their processes into four buckets: fully automatable, automatable with a transition plan, partially automatable with permanent human oversight, and human‑only functions. That discipline, he argues, is missing today, with agencies scrambling to bolt on AI tools in isolation, baking in the next wave of technical debt and eroding public trust. The next wave of computing He’s particularly critical of the way the cuts have been communicated – telling public servants their jobs are on the line while expecting them to lead the automation of their own roles. In his view, the smarter play is to frame AI as a way to improve citizen experience, reduce low‑value manual work, and spin out new export‑focused ventures built on New Zealand’s deep public‑sector expertise. The episode also looks ahead to the next wave of computing that will sit behind many of these changes. Hutcheson has just returned from Microsoft’s quantum labs in Redmond, where the company is racing to build fault‑tolerant quantum machines. He explains what he saw on the ground, why quantum should already be on the radar of boards and CIOs, and how it could combine with AI to reshape industries that rely on complex simulations – from materials and manufacturing to agriculture and finance. For business leaders, technologists and policy makers, this conversation is a roadmap to what’s possible – and a warning about the architectural decisions we make now. Listen to The Business of Tech, streaming on iHeartRadio, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Should you grab a slice of SpaceX's $75 billion IPO this weekend? | Wed 10 Jun

Forsyth Barr Investment Adviser Mark Richardson weighs in as anticipation grows for the biggest IPO in history.  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

How can we get big tech to pay more tax? | Wed 10 Jun

Better Taxes for a Better Future spokesperson Kate Stone talks about Facebook's ability to send NZ income to low-tax Ireland.  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Fieldays opens to full house as rural confidence rebounds | Wed 10 Jun

BusinessDesk's Riley Kennedy talks to Herald NOW Business from the first day of the sold out Fieldays in Mystery Creek. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.