Going under in a sea of wealth – Wishbone and the Bowen St triangle

A tweet that launched a social influencer career. (Image: C Finny)

Sat, 19 Aug 2023

The weather was as dismal as the state of the political discourse and economic news the other day. So, as I walked up the Terrace, just past the Reserve Bank, I could not resist taking a quick snap of the view over the road. There, the recently closed Wishbone café branch was all dark while the lights of the Treasury offices were on. I posted this on what we used to call Twitter (now called X) with a comment that this photo pretty much summarized the state of the New Zealand economy. To date over 105,000 people hav...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}

Travel

Airport hotels are evolving beyond layover necessities

The staid, cheap, bed-for-a-night abodes no longer dominate airport hotels.

The Washington Post 5:00am

Bloomberg Opinion

US bonds have never been risk-free, and never will be

It will still be a low-risk asset and in high demand.

Bloomberg 26 Apr 2025

US bonds have never been risk-free, and never will be

World

Morocco volunteers on Sahara clean-up mission

Some 50 people, gloved and equipped with rubbish bags, toiled away for five hours.

AFP 26 Apr 2025

Morocco volunteers on Sahara clean-up mission

Sponsored

“Not an invisible footprint”: Why technology supply chains need optimising

Outdated hardware is a supply chain and cost risk.

Datacom

Sponsored

Bayleys Total Property Issue 3 out now

Backed by Bayleys’ national strength and global reach

Bayleys

More Economy

Economy Free

Consumer confidence back on the up – ANZ survey

Consumer confidence rose five points to 98.3 in April, according to the latest ANZ-Roy Morgan survey, shoring up the upward trend that was starting to look wobbly.But inflation expectations also rose sharply – up 0.5 points to 4.7%, the highest reading since July 2023.“Household...

Staff reporters 24 Apr 2025