Join hosts David Altena and Rob Bull as they delve into the subject of small and medium- business productivity in New Zealand. With a focus on driving operational excellence and business improvement, The Better SMB Podcast is your go-to resource for strategies, insights, and success stories from the front lines of the SMB sector.
Despite New Zealand’s historical challenges with productivity compared to our OECD peers, David and Rob are on a mission to turn the tide. Tune in to discover actionable
tips, expert interviews, and innovative ideas that will help your business thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, The Better SMB Podcast will equip you with the tools you need to enhance productivity and achieve your business goals.
Connect with us on LinkedIn: @DavidAltena and @RobBull
Ep 46. A Fair Go? Dan Rosewarne on Labour's Plan for NZ's 530,000 Small Businesses
Part of Better SMB's Election 2026 series — sitting down with each major party's small business spokesperson ahead of 7 November. Before two decades in the NZ Army and now Parliament, Dan Rosewarne struggled at school and found his path through vocational training. He walks David and Rob through Labour's Small Business Action Plan ("A Fair Go") and its follow-up, Small Business First — and what it would actually mean for a tradie, a café owner, or a sole trader.
In this episode:
The real story behind the 15-day payment rule: a $15k materials bill, a 90-day wait, and why "paid on time" isn't yet the law
Scrapping Investment Boost for a $10,000 instant asset write-off — and Labour's answer to the "$5 billion tax grab" criticism
Raising the GST threshold to $80,000, taking 35,000 of the smallest operators out of GST altogether
The 15% target for government contracts going to small business — and who's accountable if it's missed
Capability, AI support, and the case for "earning the right to automate" before pushing adoption
What two decades in the military and a cancer diagnosis taught Dan about leading under pressure
Key quote: "Regardless of who you vote for this election, the future performance of your business won't be determined by policy alone. It will be determined by the decisions you make, the capability you build, and the actions you take every day." — David Altena
Book recommendation: Dan's pick for SME owners — That Will Never Work (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44428950-that-will-never-work) by Marc Randolph, co-founder and first CEO of Netflix
🔗 Dan Rosewarne MP — Labour Party: labour.org.nz/our-team/dan-rosewarne🔗 Labour's Small Business Action Plan: labour.org.nz/small-business-action-plan🔗 Small Business First: labour.org.nz/small-business-first📊 Benchmark your own business with PerformIQ: www.thebettersmb.com/nz-manufacturer-signup/ (http://www.thebettersmb.com/nz-manufacturer-signup/)🌐 The Better SMB: www.thebettersmb.com (http://www.thebettersmb.com)🎙️ The Better SMB Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/0VmzaRqeU5g94kzfPRKQlq
Proudly sponsored by Setseed — www.setseed.com (http://www.setseed.com)
#BetterSMB #Election2026 #NZPolitics #SmallBusiness #SMBPolicy
21 Sept 2026
Ep 45. Will It Actually Help? Qiulae Wong on What the Opportunity Party Would Change for NZ's SMBs
With hosts David Altena & Rob Bull | Guest: Qiulae Wong, Leader, The Opportunity Party
New Zealand has been unable to meaningfully lift productivity for 40+ years, despite inquiries, restructures and reforms. Qiulae Wong — leader of The Opportunity Party, with a career in sustainable and ethical business including the B Corp movement — joins David and Rob to test her party's policies against one simple question: not whether they sound good, but whether they'd genuinely help SME owners build capability, capacity and confidence.
In this episode:
What "radically centrist" actually means, and why Qiulae argues the left-right divide is holding New Zealand back
The B Corp philosophy: putting social and environmental impact on equal footing with profit — and what that looks like inside a small business
The tax reset policy explained in plain terms — and an honest admission that some SME owners could be worse off under it
The Breakthrough Economy policy: widening access to R&D tax credits and smaller, faster grants so the innovation pipeline isn't just for big business
Rob's pushback: R&D policy is only useful if SMEs have the time and capability to act on it in the first place
Closing test for listeners: will this policy actually make it easier to build a capable, resilient small business — not just whether it polls well
Key quote: "We simply need to enact the playbook that [other OECD countries] have done over the last couple of decades." — Qiulae Wong
Book recommendation: Qiulae's pick for SME leaders — Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia
🔗 The Opportunity Party: www.opportunity.org.nz (http://www.opportunity.org.nz)📊 Benchmark your own business with PerformIQ: www.thebettersmb.com/nz-manufacturer-signup/ (http://www.thebettersmb.com/nz-manufacturer-signup/)🌐 The Better SMB: www.thebettersmb.com (http://www.thebettersmb.com)🎙️ The Better SMB Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/0VmzaRqeU5g94kzfPRKQlq
Proudly sponsored by Setseed — www.setseed.com (http://www.setseed.com)
#BetterSMB #NZPolitics #SMBPolicy #Productivity #NZBusiness
8 Sept 2026
Ep 44. Better Isn't Bigger — Dr Paul Wood on Why Continuous Improvement Starts With the Leader, Not the Business
With hosts David Altena & Rob Bull and special guest: Dr Paul Wood, author of Better Never Stops.
Growth and improvement aren't the same thing. Some businesses get bigger and more complicated. Some hit their targets while quietly drifting from what made them great. Dr Paul Wood — psychologist, former SAS and Hurricanes performance consultant, and author of Better Never Stops — joins David and Rob to unpack what continuous improvement actually looks like for the person running the business, not just the business itself.
In this episode:
The line between healthy continuous improvement and never feeling like anything is good enough
"Personal prisons": the limiting mindsets that quietly hold capable owners back — including the assumption that everyone should care as much as you do
What elite environments like the SAS and the Hurricanes do differently that an average NZ business could actually borrow
Genuine self-accountability for a leader with no one above them to report to
The smallest first move to reverse slipping standards — service, culture, or your own habits
Why "can't" is the word to ban from your leadership team's vocabulary — and what to replace it with
Key quote: "Better isn't really about fixing a business. It's about continually refining the person leading it." — David Altena
Book recommendation: Paul's pick for business owners — Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
📖 Paul Wood — paulwood.com📚 Better Never Stops — HarperCollins NZ: www.harpercollins.co.nz/9781775542971/better-never-stops/ (http://www.harpercollins.co.nz/9781775542971/better-never-stops/)📊 Benchmark your own business with PerformIQ: www.thebettersmb.com/nz-manufacturer-signup/ (http://www.thebettersmb.com/nz-manufacturer-signup/)🌐 The Better SMB: www.thebettersmb.com (http://www.thebettersmb.com)🎙️ The Better SMB Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/0VmzaRqeU5g94kzfPRKQlq
Proudly sponsored by Setseed — www.setseed.com (http://www.setseed.com)
#BetterSMB #Leadership #ContinuousImprovement #NZBusiness #BetterNeverStops
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