Wellington, once a vibrant hub for New Zealand’s tech innovation, has faced stagnation in recent years.

Last week, a packed audience at a Vision for Wellington event on Wellington’s waterfront heard from the city’s tech luminaries about how the city can embrace its strengths, particularly in technology, and foster a more supportive, connected ecosystem.

Sitting in the audience was Ralph Highnam, founder of breast screening software maker Volpara Health, which was started in Wellington in 2009 and, after listing on the ASX, was bought in 2024 by South Korean AI medical imaging company Lunit in a deal valued at around $300 million.

On this week's episode of The Business of Tech, Ralph outlines his own vision for Wellingtion and his plans for WellyForge, a new organisation started with the aim of breathing new life into the city's tech ecosystem.

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Inland Revenue's cracking down on unpaid tax bills.

It's been allocated an extra $35 million in Budget 25 to boost its tax compliance and collection activities.

The tax department expects to return an additional $4 for every dollar in the first year, and $8 in year two.

IRD Commissioner Peter Mersi told Mike Hosking it's hard to estimate how much tax is owed across the board.

He says they don't really know the size of the gap, but believes it's around $9 billion.

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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.

Labour has slammed the Government for not getting a better trade deal out of the current Trump administration.

New Zealand currently has to pay a 10 percent tariff on all imports on New Zealand products out of the US.

But the opposition has claimed the Government is failing Kiwis by 'being comfortable' with a 10 percent tariff.

Former trade negotiator Stephen Jacobi says the Government is watching and consulting with trading partners.

"It's doing all those right sort of things. You have to remember that we are being charged as an additional tariff at the lowest end of the scale - we don't have a lot to offer the United States."

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