Stories
In-depth features, founder profiles, and business stories from across New Zealand. Real journeys, real impact.
business
Allbirds: The Kiwi Wool Shoe That Took On the World
A wool trainer from a Kickstarter, built on New Zealand merino and a Kiwi footballer’s idea, became a six billion dollar Wall Street company. Then it had to learn the harder half of the sustainability lesson.
Noteworthy Staff22 Jul 2026
business
Who is Les Mills? How an Auckland Olympian's Gym Became a Global Brand
Les Mills was the Auckland Olympian who opened a gym in 1968. He died on 29 June 2026, aged 91. The global brand that carries his name is what his family built from that room.
Noteworthy Staff17 Jul 2026
business
Made Everywhere but Here: New Zealand's Quiet Billionaires
New Zealand's largest fortunes were built offshore by its most private people. What that says about the country depends on how you read the silence.
Noteworthy Staff6 Jul 2026
food-tech
Replace the Cow or Build on It: What New Zealand Food-Tech Learned
Three food-tech founders, three bets on how to change what New Zealand sells the world. One broke, one held and one bet on the movement itself.
Noteworthy Staff5 Jul 2026
business
Control, Not Scale: Six New Zealand Women Who Redefined Success
The default measure of success is scale. Six NZ women defined it as control instead, from building an empire to keeping a label deliberately small.
Noteworthy Staff4 Jul 2026
tech
Boring on Purpose: The NZ Founders Who Built Moats Out of Regulation
New Zealand celebrates consumer app heroes. Its most durable tech is built by founders who embed in regulated systems nobody notices.
Noteworthy Staff2 Jul 2026
tech
Christchurch Founder Launches LDOO, the Tool That Lets You Ask Your Data a Question
After twenty years in digital marketing, Gideon Banks has launched LDOO, a conversational analytics tool that answers plain-English questions about your data in seconds instead of building dashboards.
Noteworthy Staff1 Jul 2026
business
Fix the Product or Fix the Person: How NZ Fintech Founders Disagree About Money
Four NZ fintech founders, two theories of why people are locked out of money. One camp rebuilt the products. The other set out to teach.
Noteworthy Staff1 Jul 2026
business
30 Famous New Zealand Entrepreneurs and the Companies They Built
The founders behind Rocket Lab, Xero, Trade Me, Zuru and Allbirds. Our list of twenty famous New Zealand entrepreneurs and the companies they built.
Noteworthy Staff24 Jun 2026
business
Sell, Stay or Franchise: Three Ways a New Zealand Brand Goes Global
Five NZ brands, three routes to going global, and what each one cost. Sell, stay independent, or franchise the model.
Noteworthy Staff21 Jun 2026
food-tech
New Zealand Food-Tech Startups to Watch
New Zealand’s economy runs on food, and a growing group of founders are now applying biology, engineering and data to how protein itself is made.
Noteworthy Staff20 Jun 2026
food-tech
What Is Precision Fermentation?
The “fermentation” part has been with us for millennia, bread, beer, cheese, yoghurt. The “precision” part means using modern biology to make a microbe.
Noteworthy Staff19 Jun 2026
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In-depth features on the New Zealand businesses, founders and brands shaping local innovation.
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