Frances Valintine reflects on 2019's first quarter

Futurist and Spark Lab Partner Frances Valintine takes stock of the business world, reflecting on advances while challenging assumptions.

Paymark

Paymark is developing a new 5G powered cloud-based payment platform that will unlock the next generation of payment capabilities. Watch the full story.

The Patience Project

The Patience Project helps children undergoing long-term treatment connect to the classroom. 5G has the potential to enhance this. Watch the full story.

Ohmio

Ohmio was the first NZ business to test the technical capabilities of 5G. Now they're exploring how Spark's 5G could enhance their products and experiences.

Lindsay Cowley on Agile transformation

Spark's Agile implementation consultant discusses the move to Agile. See if your business is ready to adopt Agile ways of working.

Five ways IoT will change business

Th internet of things is changing the workplace, making businesses more efficient and transparent. Here are five ways IoT can give you an edge.

​Frances Valintine on the generation opportunity

Educational Futurist Frances Valintine weighs in on what businesses can learn from young people in the workforce and what this means for the future of work.

Preventing data theft in your business

What would happen if someone outside your business got hold of your data? Read our six tips for preventing data theft in your organisation.

Cameron Bagrie on data security

Cameron Bagrie has been an economist for 20 years. Read his take on data security for businesses.

Frith Wilson-Hughes on social media presence

Your social media presence depends on curating your content. Follow these tips to determine the best message to represent your brand.

Four tips for increasing Facebook engagement

Facebook changed its News Feed algorithm in 2018. Here are a few ideas for making your Facebook posts do more work for your business.

Email newsletter dos and don'ts

​Many successful businesses use email newsletters to connect with their customers. Here's a list of dos and don'ts for creating effective email newsletters.​

Five website must-haves

It’s never been easier to create your own website, but making a good website is the challenge. Here are five must-haves for building your business website.

Data security blind spots

​For businesses, good data security is more than updating your anti-virus software. Here are some digital security tips from Spark Lab.

Switching off in a digital world

It might not seem possible to leave work behind. Here are some tips for taking a real holiday while running your own business.

Simplifying the cloud

Talk about the cloud is everywhere. But just what is the cloud, and how does it matter for your business?

Taking risks is key to navigating business disruption - Cameron Bagrie

Kiwi small to medium-sized businesses need to take a few risks to get their edge in an age of disruption. Spark Lab partner Cameron Bagrie weighs in on what issues are facing New Zealand businesses and how to deal with change.

Five fundamentals for securing information

Information security is a top priorities for business. We look at five concepts related to protecting information.​

Protect yourself against cyber security threats

See how to protect your company from ransomware, phishing and other cyberattacks.

Dr Claire Barber on AI & automation

How can businesses anticipate and adapt to AI and automation? Watch Claire speak about these topics and how they're shaping the future of work.

Josh Bahlman on cyber security for big business

Josh Bahlman is a cyber security specialist with 20+ years’ experience of staying one step ahead of cyber crime. Here he shares his top tips for businesses.

Frances Valintine on the future of business

Hear from Frances, a leading innovator, futurist and founder of Tech Futures Lab. She discusses the biggest challenges of a rapidly changing world.

Lisa King from Eat My Lunch on starting a movement

Lisa shares her experience of starting a movement and the challenges of maintaining momentum as the business scales.

James Kemp on digital business mentorship

The use of digital technology is synonymous with running a business. Listen to James Kemp on how to drive results with digital marketing.

Wendy Thompson on Start Social

As a future-focused business leader, Wendy knows what it takes for businesses to be successful in a digital environment.

Lemonade vs Lemonade: A social experiment

How much difference does social media make to the success of a business? Watch the video to find out.

Uber's Erik Klimczak on autonomous cars

Eric and his Uber product design team are creating new fusions of tech, data and design to make transportation more reliable, affordable and driverless.

Facebook's Ana Arriola on displaced perception

Facebook's Ana Arriola has been immersed in product design for nearly two decades, creating experiences that are human, simple and authentic.

6 ways to improve your customer experience

Are your customers enjoying every interaction they have with you? If you’re not sure, here are 6 ways to tune up your customer experience offering.

Makaia Carr on social media & MotivateMe

The founder of MotivateMe, Makaia, talks about how she uses Facebook to build her businesses. She recommends developing an online personality.

Eight tips for executing a marketing strategy

Once you have your marketing strategy in place, use these eight tips to ensure your marketing efforts impact your customers and your bottom line.

How today’s tools make marketing ROI calculation easier than ever

The words ‘return on investment’ roll off the tongue so easily, but quantifying the advertising spend results can be challenging. Here’s how to do it.

How to leverage social media marketing for your business

Here’s how to use social media marketing to build brand awareness, gain more engaged customers and develop stronger customer loyalty.

Make smarter decisions with audience personas

If you want to get a complete picture of your different target audiences, create customer personas. Here’s why they’re so useful for connecting with customers.

5 steps to an effective customer journey map

Customer journey maps reveal the true paths people take to become your customers, and the emotions they experience along the way.

James Kemp on becoming a market leader

Three ways to stay ahead of digital disruption

Today, digital technology is the primary agent of disruption. Will your industry be the next to be "Uberised"? Read for useful tips for your business.

How to develop a social media plan

Our simple pragmatic approach will help you create a plan that doesn't sit on the shelf gathering dust, but helps you get the results you want.

Nine tips to improve your work-life balance

With 24/7 connectivity, how do you create a balance between work and life? We asked some busy people for tips on how best to deal with technology.

As a service explained, with a squeeze of lemon

What's "as-a-service"? Here’s a quick, Kiwi-flavoured guide to share with colleagues.

How superdiversity can give your business an edge

With superdiversity, businesses need to expand their thinking beyond traditional Kiwi audiences. We speak with three people at the forefront of inclusion.

Movio's Will Palmer on creating a niche

Will Palmer, founder of Movio, talks about going global by focusing on finding a niche within a niche.

Using a third party to manage social media

Mastering social media marketing is often not as simple as it may seem at first glance and driving the best possible return on investment takes both time and experience.

Supporting education in your community

Spark Jump brings heavily subsidised broadband to school-age children whose families can’t afford commercial home broadband services.

Colart Miles on changing the game

Colart Miles from Velox Innovation discusses how to speed up innovation in the face of unstoppable change, and explains the importance of creating capacity.

Simone Iles on decoding the digital landscape

Watch Simone Iles from Asia Pacific Digital (APD). In this video, she discusses the six behaviours of truly digital organisations.

Google's Reuben Halper on culture & innovation

Reuben explains how Google’s success is enabled by continuous iteration. Google culture disregards "the impossible" to drive staff engagement and action.

Wendy Thompson on social media for your business

Wendy from Socialites answers some pressing social media questions in this Q&A workshop.

Dr Mike Ashby on upping the ante

More than settling for a good idea, you can learn how to pursue great ideas. Watch Mike from The Breakthrough Company speak about risk and returns.

Ling Hou on building a culture of security

We’re seeing new data and security breaches nearly every day. Read how information security starts with people and business culture.

Jenene Crossan on taking start-ups to the next level

Entrepreneur Jenene Crossan shares stories and tips on fundraising. She suggests creating a plan with an 18-month roadmap.

Dame Rosanne Meo on social responsibility

In this video, Dame Meo discusses the importance of social awareness to both business and communities in New Zealand.

Brendon King on VR for business

Brendon King from Immersify demystifies the world of VR and describes the best application of VR, AR and mixed reality in specific business sectors.

Xero's Anna Curzon on cloud services for SMEs

Xero's Anna Curzon outlines the top three factors for a successful business: efficiency, a partner, and a plan.

Vaughan Fergusson on today's changing world

Vaughan Fergusson is the founder of Vend. Here he discusses the never-ending future of tech, including VR, AR and AI, and its role in education.

Carmen Vicelich on disrupting with data

Carmen Vicelich from Valocity looks at how data is driving exponential business change – and how to encourage customers to share data.

Dr Michelle Dickinson on disrupting geekiness

Michelle, also known as Nanogirl, discusses introverts, extroverts and ambiverts in the workplace.

Ido Leffler on the awesome cause

Ido Leffler is a successful American entrepreneur and businessman. In this video, he talks about the benefits of building social enterprises.

Kaila Colbin on the exponential wave of change

Kaila talks about the future of technology and exponential growth. She considers how this growth is impacting jobs and industries.

Alan Brannigan on gearing up to go global

Vigil Monitoring's CEO Alan discusses the opportunities and challenges for NZ disruptors in health care, especially in the midst of globalisation.

Glenn Andert on defending against disruption

Hear from Glenn Andert from Creative HQ on how exponential technology is disrupting industries.

Sunny Bates on why you should get out more

Sunny Bates discusses networking and the benefits of meeting more people.

James Hurman on the world's best

James from Previously Unavailable examines why some of the world’s biggest companies are also the most innovative.

Colart Miles & Nick Williamson on Lean & Agile

Colart and Nick explain what Lean and Agile really mean and give examples of these methodologies.

Josh Robb on people & leadership

How to build a high-performing team: Josh Robb from PushPay talks about the importance of alignment and empathy when recruiting.

Tomorrow’s CFO: strategist and innovator

CFO's roles are changing from finance controllers to innovators. For many, these new duties will require new skill sets to keep pace with changing demands.