http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.maq.co.nz en-us Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:15:12 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/post/158262/our-changing-employment-landscape/ 2025 was a year of transformation in the NZ employment landscape, with the introduction of numerous bills and reviews, and proposed amendments to employment related issues.  The overall goal being to make NZ businesses more competitive.  There were two main strategies to achieve this goal - by increasing labour market flexibility and reducing compliance costs for businesses. While some of the changes are undergoing parliamentary review, other key changes have already come into eff... Fri, 19 Dec 2025 08:55:12 +1300 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/#post158262 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/post/151661/investment-boost/ What is Investment Boost?Investment Boost is a new tax incentive for New Zealand businesses to invest in productive assets like machinery, tools and equipment. Businesses can deduct 20 per cent of the new asset’s value from that year’s taxable income, on top of normal depreciation. The deduction applies to new assets purchased from today, 22 May 2025. Why is the Government introducing Investment Boost?Investment Boost improves the cashflow from new investments, meaning more investment o... Thu, 04 Sep 2025 14:49:05 +1200 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/#post151661 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/post/149292/app-stacking-and-ai-making-tech-work-for-your-business/ With AI on our horizon - whether you like it or not - as a business, you just have to embrace it. One of the challenges with all things being digital, is trying to understand what can improve your business, and subsequently, your businesses productivity. The latest in the never-ending list of tech buzz words is App Stacking. App Stacking uses different technology solutions to run your business. But how do you know what to use, or even how it really works? These are the questions being addressed&... Tue, 22 Jul 2025 15:58:58 +1200 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/#post149292 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/post/142869/employee-retention-attracting-new-talent/ 2024 saw record rates of both unemployment and the number of people leaving NZ, as business confidence took a dive.  This, along with a lack of placements on offer meant that employees tended to stay where they were, rather than seeking out new employment opportunities.As we head through the first quarter of 2025, business confidence seems to be heading in a positive direction.  This is reflected by an increase in advertised employment positions.  This means that the power is star... Wed, 12 Mar 2025 15:38:17 +1300 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/#post142869 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/post/139308/scams-are-you-ready-for-them/ Scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and they continue to target vulnerable individuals across various platforms. Here are the top ten scams currently circulating:Phishing: Fraudulent emails, messages, or websites designed to steal personal information like passwords and credit card details.Romance Scams: Fake relationships formed online to manipulate individuals into sending money to scammers posing as potential partners.Tech Support Scams: Fraudsters impersonate tech support represen... Tue, 17 Dec 2024 10:32:44 +1300 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/#post139308 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/post/135933/juggling-cash-during-tough-times/ The saying “cash is king” is well known. For anyone who has been kept up at night wondering how to meet this week’s wages, this article is for you.Cash can hide in several areas in a business.  The places to look include:-          Is your invoicing erratic and/or not covering all your costs.  The costs associated with the work being invoiced has been paid for by you – and you carry those costs until your client/customer has paid.-&... Wed, 09 Oct 2024 09:49:43 +1300 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/#post135933 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/post/131861/6-powerful-reasons-to-watch-your-financial-reports/ Making time to look over your financial reports each month is an important task for any business owner. If you are not taking time to do this, either because you’re too busy, or perhaps you don’t really understand what you’re looking at and it doesn’t make sense to you, then here are 6 reasons we recommend you should start to.But before we get our 6 reasons, let’s talk very quickly about which reports to look at. At a bare minimum, and depending on the complexity of your business, you ... Mon, 15 Jul 2024 15:56:36 +1200 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/#post131861 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/post/129606/dont-adjust-your-sets-as-the-picture-becomes-a-little-clearer/ Following on from my last article about the increase to the Trust tax rate and the first budget announced by the coalition government last week, we have a clearer picture of the tax landscape for the near future.... Tue, 04 Jun 2024 12:29:14 +1200 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/#post129606 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/post/128685/xero-invoicing/ ... Wed, 22 May 2024 10:32:09 +1200 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/#post128685 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/post/128683/have-you-updated-your-payroll-systems-and-processes-for-the-new-minimum-wage/ Does the minimum wage increase affect you? Make sure your payroll systems are updated now.- The adult minimum wage increased to $23.15 per hour on 1 April.- The starting-out and training minimum wage rates have also gone up to $18.52 per hour.Employers who pay their employees by the day, week, or fortnight, or pay them an annual salary, need to make sure employees are paid at least the minimum wage, appropriate to the basis on which they are paid. Additional time must be paid at least $23.15 per... Wed, 22 May 2024 10:21:38 +1200 http://www.maq.co.nz/blog/#post128683