Épisodes

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

    Steady hands, not knee-jerk bans: Brainbox’s approach to AI regulation
    Oct 15 2025
    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 against rushing into bespoke artificial intelligence regulation. He instead argues that the country is best served by leveraging and coordinating its existing legal framework. “It’s not a binary exercise,” Barraclough stressed. “Even if you take the most strident approach to regulating artificial intelligence, and that is really the European Union approach, what you find is the top-level legislation can be quite general. It’s not like we’re just going to say, let’s regulate AI and then tomorrow AI will be regulated.”​ AI Act - no easy fix The European Union’s AI Act takes a risk-based approach to regulating AI services, requiring scrutiny and oversight of them in proportion to their potential to do harm, with an outright ban for some AI-powered uses, such as social credit scoring systems. But in reality, a complex series of codes of practice, self-regulation, regulatory instruments and legislation makes up the EU’s regulatory regime. Many of those provisions exist in our own laws and could be applied to AI – if we better understood what is available. New Zealand shouldn’t see existing legislation as obsolete, Barraclough told me. “Fraud through deepfakes is already a criminal offence. The other example of this is non-consensual sexual imagery as well… covered by the Harmful Digital Communications Act and the Crimes Act,” he pointed out.​ Biometrics Code as a model “From a kind of starting point, it’s much more grey in terms of what we already have in place and how we use that more effectively. Even if we did decide to just really kick things off and go hard, it would still be a pretty long process of trying to work out what regulatory stuff means.” Barraclough suggests that clarification is needed more than new legislation, something Parliament could play a more proactive role in by updating existing laws. He also points to initiatives like the Biometrics Processing Privacy Code 2025 developed by the Privacy Commissioner as examples of models that can be rapidly adapted or incorporated into AI policy. “If you can demonstrate that you’ve got a code that works, it’s much, much easier for an agency to just pick that up and give it some teeth if it works well,” he said.​ New Zealand’s competitive edge: Smart deployment and sovereign AI Barraclough does see a vital need for a national vision for AI. “I probably would have advocated for what’s called a human rights-based approach, but that kind of framing has fallen out of favor internationally,” he pointed out. Sovereign AI, where New Zealanders have a level of autonomy over the infrastructure supplying AI services rather than relying on offshore tech platforms plays into his thinking.​ “This isn’t about having a NZ GPT that’s trained on like all of the data in New Zealand and speaks with a Kiwi accent. [Sovereign AI] can be as simple as talking about meaningful AI literacy, or making sure that we do have resilient digital infrastructure for access and deployment of AI systems. In all likelihood, it probably means fine-tuning models that already exist,” he said.​ New Zealand’s competitive advantage lies in “being the world’s smartest deployers of AI systems” Barraclough argues. That acknowledges that while we may not, as a nation, have the resources to build our own large language models, with smart regulation and a collaborative approach, we can deploy innovative AI systems that can transform digital services and win offshore business in the process. Listen to episode 121 of The Business of Tech, powered by 2degrees Business for my in-depth interview with Tom Barraclough, streaming on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. Your weekly tech reading list Gigged out: meet your new digital co-workers - BusinessDesk Dispute Buddy startup makes its case for ‘justice tech’ - BusinessDesk Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Slimmer, sharper, and (almost) ready for prime time - BusinessDesk Latest capital raise values Sharesies at $750m - BusinessDesk It’s Sam Altman: the man who stole the rights from copyright. If he’s the future, can we go backwards? - The Guardian Tesla faces Australian class action suit - news.com.au AI Data Centers Are an Even Bigger Disaster Than Previously Thought - Futurism DOJ seizes $15 billion in bitcoin from massive ‘pig butchering’ scam based in Cambodia - CNBC Researchers used $800 of off-the-shelf hardware to collect data sent by satellites unencrypted, like T-Mobile users' calls and texts and some US military comms - Wired Salesforce expands its OpenAI and Anthropic partnerships to embed their LLMs into Agentforce 360, letting users access...
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    38 min
  • Jenee Tibshraeny: NZ Herald Wellington business editor on the Reserve Bank modelling finds Covid-era money printing didn't cause inflation to spike

    Jenee Tibshraeny: NZ Herald Wellington business editor on the Reserve Bank modelling finds Covid-era money printing didn't cause inflation to spike
    Oct 15 2025

    The Reserve Bank recently disputed the idea that Covid-era money printing programme caused sky-high inflation, which cost the Government billions.

    Staff at the bank have published new research that concludes the bank’s $55 billion Large-Scale Asset Purchase (LSAP) programme didn’t 'meaningfully' contribute to above-target inflation following the pandemic.

    NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further.

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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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    4 min
  • Paul Bloxham: HSBC chief economist on reports claiming the RBA won't cut interest rates til 2026

    Paul Bloxham: HSBC chief economist on reports claiming the RBA won't cut interest rates til 2026
    Oct 14 2025

    New reports indicate the Reserve Bank of Australia won't be cutting interest rates until at least February 2026.

    Employment remains high and inflation is still at target, and experts claim the central bank has no reason to do anything big.

    HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham explains further.

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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.
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    5 min
  • David Cunningham: Squirrel Mortgages CEO on the Reserve Bank easing loan-to-value-ratio restrictions

    David Cunningham: Squirrel Mortgages CEO on the Reserve Bank easing loan-to-value-ratio restrictions
    Oct 14 2025

    The Reserve Bank's continuing to change its approach to preventing risky lending.

    It's further easing loan-to-value-ratio restrictions, allowing banks to lend more money to low-deposit borrowers.

    It follows the roll-out of debt-to-income restrictions last year, restricting how much banks can lend to people who already have a lot of debt relative to their income.

    Squirrel Mortgages Chief Executive David Cunningham told Mike Hosking LVRs had been imperfect on their own.

    He says when property prices went up, it allowed banks to lend more, pushing up property prices further, with borrowers' incomes not factored in.

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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.
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    3 min
  • (#79) When should I hire my first team member?

    (#79) When should I hire my first team member?
    Oct 13 2025

    Thinking about hiring your first team member? Get it wrong and it can drain your cash and slow your growth. Get it right and it can transform your business. In this episode of Make It Happen (thanks to Uber One), I share the 5 signs you’re ready to hire, who your first hire should be, and how to do it without the overwhelm. If you’re stuck doing everything yourself and wondering if it’s time for help, this episode will give you the clarity you need.

    👉 www.makeithappen.org.nz
    📲 Socials: @makeithappen

    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.
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    22 min
  • Gail Pacheco: Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner reveals how DEI can boost productivity

    Gail Pacheco: Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner reveals how DEI can boost productivity
    Oct 13 2025

    The Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner recently penned an opinion piece in defence of DEI amid ongoing concerns about the measures.

    Winston Peters and Judith Collins have taken aim against these policies, with Collins aiming to remove diversity requirements from the Public Service Act.

    Gail Pacheco revealed how DEI standards can boost productivity.

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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.
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    7 min
  • Tony Morris: Inland Revenue spokesperson on the IRD taking money from people's bank accounts

    Tony Morris: Inland Revenue spokesperson on the IRD taking money from people's bank accounts
    Oct 13 2025

    The IRD is set to be cracking down harder on those who don't pay their taxes properly, and they've unveiled new measures for people who ignore correspondence.

    The department will start taking money out of people's bank accounts if they owe over a certain amount - and they've recovered at least $17 million so far.

    The IRD's Tony Morris says they aim to phone people at least twice before they start directly taking money out of accounts.

    "Other times, we might just contact people once or twice and then take money out of their accounts so they don't squander it."

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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.
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    3 min
  • Shane Solly: Harbour Asset Management expert on Fletcher Building posting a 'gloomy' quarterly update

    Shane Solly: Harbour Asset Management expert on Fletcher Building posting a 'gloomy' quarterly update
    Oct 13 2025

    Fletcher Building's issued a gloomy trading update, marked with trading slumps, market falls and low sales volumes.

    The company's now aiming for a further $100 million dollars in cost cuts.

    Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly explains further.

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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.
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    3 min