Version two of the Skilling/Weldon document Swan Dive or Belly Flop is now released. The document reflects a more considered response, based on more research and analysis, along with reader and blogger comments and, it seems, just more effort. Good job. I read through the rest of document, and made notes about what I liked, …
Category Archives: NZ Business
Paul Reynolds on Ferrit
The nationwide embarrassment. The site we love to, err, dislike. Ferrit. Paul Reynolds answered two questions on Ferrit (they were not mine but from BarnacleBarnes). How did he do? Ferrit Q. One word: Ferrit. With an investment north of $30 million dollars and traffic that is less than a deal-a day site and only slightly …
Telecom CEO Paul Reynolds answers questions
Over at Geekzone Mauricio collected a bunch of questions for Telecom CEO Paul Reynolds. Today the answers came through and Mauricio has posted them – check them out. Kudos to Dr. Reynolds for answering a substantial percentage of the questions posed. I for one posed 5 questions, and they were all answered: Network/Investment Q. What …
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Those house prices
The IMF’s Prakash Loungani reports on housing price changes. the chart below shows 2008 until June, and so before the recent financial events. NZ was not looking too good, while other economies, such as USA have already shown considerable drops prior to 2008. More to come I am sure.
Saving New Zealand from the crisis
Mark Welden and David Skilling went to Davos, got back to NZ, clearly talked a lot over beers and came up with what I can only term a business first over-reaction to the current global gyrations. Good on them for the doing this though, and for the intention which they are following through of starting …
Lotto online – lots of colour but some serious work to do
The good news for those that have only a tentative grasp of statistics and economics is that you can play Lotto online in New Zealand. It’s not bad, but a few fatal flaws need to be addressed before sales can really take off: 1: Don’t go to Lotto.co.nz – someone else owns it. Actually I …
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Telstra iPhone: $13 per GB or $15,000 per GB? Your choice
A welcome text from Telstra the other day – my iPhone data plan has been upgraded fro free to 9 GB from 3GB. That’s great – full prices are here. But sadly I have data switched off at the moment, as that iPhone is not in Australia, but New Zealand. I have not cracked the …
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All my utilities have now been arbitrarily cut off
First they came for my electricity, and I did nothing. Then they came for my gas, and I did nothing. Then they came for my electricity again, and I got mad and blogged about it. Now they have come for my internet. and my phone. and my Sky TV. I arrived back home here in …
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Three business ideas: 1: Baby Business Bank
It’s easy to take advantage of today’s doom and gloom, but you need a stiff will and plenty of freed up capital. Here is the first of three ideas. 1: Baby Business Bank It’s hard enough these days to get finance for a house – but it has always been hard to get bank finance …
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XNET are Spineless and Uncaring
I was at a friend’s house the other night, and we were trying to work online. The DSL router/modem was working just fine, our phones and computers were all just fine, but no internet. The ISP was XNET, who have no phone customer service at night after 8pm – which is not exactly a quiet …
Paymex is back, but why would you trust them?
There has been lots of commentary on the Paymex debacle, and today I see that Paymex’s site is up, and there is a comment on this news entry from the “new owners”. Some advice, for free: 1: if you want us to trust you, please tell us who you are 2: If you want us …
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Goodbye Autotrader
It was an empire. If you wanted to sell a car, then Autotrader was the place. Dealers paid huge monthly payments, and AutoTrader took home giant profits. When Trade Me entered the market AutoTrader was unable or unwilling to react online – their online offering was appalling. Inside Trade Me we used to say we …
Unigo: Universities by students for prospective students
Simple. So simple. Via an excellent NYTimes article comes news of Unigo, a site where current students talk about their universities, and where those comments are edited, grouped and displayed for prospective students to browse. The competition, such as the Princeton Review and the US New & World Report, are mired in the past – …
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Goodbye Paymex?
As Jandal (JamesTurner) and Sam have commented it looks like online payments provider Paymex has faltered, or folded. Word on the street is Paymex is dead and gone as of 27/9/2008 (Jandal) Yes Paymex is gone, taking my money with it, supposedly its now caught up with BNZ..” Sam and Paymex looks ok, but who …
Bad Aussie Food
Halls Creek, a cross road between the Tanami Track, and the main route East, and base for a few mines, along with gateway to the Bungle Bungles. This is the $22 breakfast at the local hotel, the second best of 2 in town. Along with the instant coffee, the reconstituted and cold scrambled eggs, atrophied …
Lance Wiggs 