The Health New Zealand leader says their cost growth has plateaued.

Its report for the June quarter shows the preliminary result for the financial year is a $934 million deficit.

Earlier, in quarter three, a $299 million surplus was forecast.

Chief Executive Margie Apa told Heather du Plessis-Allan they've stopped their cost growth and have stabilised in the past quarter.

She says they need to take out costs and balance that with delivering on targets, using the core workforce they have.

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The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professional advice. Any opinions expressed in the podcasts are not necessarily shared by BNZ, or its related entities. BNZ is not liable for any losses resulting from the content of the podcasts.

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Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

New data from the 2023 Census reveals over half the country isn't religious? Is this surprising? What do we think changed?

The Mood of the Boardroom Survey results came out today, revealing Kiwi business leaders are feeling more optimistic about the economy. What do we make of this?

A teenager has been arrested for running a 'smishing' scam - where fraudulent text messages are sent out en masse to get people to give up sensitive information. Should we be concerned about this?

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The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professional advice. Any opinions expressed in the podcasts are not necessarily shared by BNZ, or its related entities. BNZ is not liable for any losses resulting from the content of the podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business leaders have given their verdict on the Government in the Herald’s Mood of the Boardroom survey.

Some experts have noted that as the country enters an interest-rate cutting phase, now is the time to have a discussion about the make-up of ongoing retirement savings.

NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says there's a clear mood for change as the economy enters a new phase.

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The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professional advice. Any opinions expressed in the podcasts are not necessarily shared by BNZ, or its related entities. BNZ is not liable for any losses resulting from the content of the podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mood of the Boardroom is back today for its 22nd year.

The annual survey of the country’s top CEOs and business leaders has seen a broad tick of approval for the coalition Government, with strong support for Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis and their economic plan.

But they want to see the Government be bolder and set out their vision for New Zealand’s future, and that could include tackling some of the most contentious economic issues in our country.

Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald Business Editorial Director Fran O’Sullivan is with us to digest the thoughts of our top business leaders.

You can read all of the Mood of the Boardroom stories at nzherald.co.nz.

Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Sound Engineer: Paddy Fox
Producer: Ethan Sills

The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professional advice. Any opinions expressed in the podcasts are not necessarily shared by BNZ, or its related entities. BNZ is not liable for any losses resulting from the content of the podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senior business leaders are rating Christopher Luxon well on keeping his Cabinet focused on delivery, and Education Minister Erica Stanford well on performance.

More than 100 CEOs and board chairs have been quizzed for today's Mood of the Boardroom survey.

They've identified energy prices as their biggest concern, followed by the cost of living.

Dame Joan Withers, Chairperson for the Warehouse Group, told Heather du Plessis-Allan that they’ve one incredibly well, and have addressed key issues up front, or tried to do as much as they can.

She said that business people are in consensus that we need to pivot and start maximising New Zealand’s opportunities both domestically and also in terms of our place in the world.

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The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professional advice. Any opinions expressed in the podcasts are not necessarily shared by BNZ, or its related entities. BNZ is not liable for any losses resulting from the content of the podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Genesis Energy has confirmed it will spend $64 million on taking a majority stake in ChargeNet - the nation's leading EV public charging network.

Under terms of the agreement, Genesis will acquire a 65 percent stake in ChargeNet, which was founded in 2015 by tech entrepreneurs Steve and Dianna West.

Genesis chief retail officer Stephen England-Hall says decarbonising New Zealand's transport output is critical to the country's future.

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The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professional advice. Any opinions expressed in the podcasts are not necessarily shared by BNZ, or its related entities. BNZ is not liable for any losses resulting from the content of the podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has continued its push to increase the use of remote building inspections to speed up the construction and consenting process.

Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has voiced disapproval with the current process - and claimed that remote inspections will make the building process more efficient and affordable.

NZ Certified Builders CEO Malcolm Fleming says this process works well in remote parts of the country - or high-congestion areas like Auckland CBD.

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The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professional advice. Any opinions expressed in the podcasts are not necessarily shared by BNZ, or its related entities. BNZ is not liable for any losses resulting from the content of the podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A proposal to re-develop Marsden Point's decommissioned refinery is being considered.

Channel Infrastructure NZ recently entered a conditional agreement with Seadra Energy to create a bio-refinery at the Northland site.

Seadra would purchase it for about $53-million and use some existing, decommissioned assets like tankage and jetties.

Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton unpacks what this could look like.

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The podcasts in the SME Stream contain general information only, not financial or professional advice. Any opinions expressed in the podcasts are not necessarily shared by BNZ, or its related entities. BNZ is not liable for any losses resulting from the content of the podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.