David Bortolussi, CEO of The a2 Milk Company, tells us how the premium dairy pioneer has put the global pandemic in the rearview and is aiming for a $2 billion sales target. He shares the inside story of coming back from "rapid decline" to share price gains.

Find out why David isn’t worried about declining Chinese birth rates, and how the company is shifting its strategy towards e-commerce. David shares a2’s goal to reach profitability in the US by 2027, helped along by the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, and the challenges of getting traction in India. How did a2 use the My Little Pony brand to blow up on Chinese social network RedNote? How did it become the first-ever dairy partner of the Australian Open? And are plant-based milks actually a threat to dairy?

Plus, with a strong position in the global infant formula market, learn why David now believes "senior nutrition" for the over-60s is the next big opportunity.

For more or to watch on YouTube—check out http://linktr.ee/sharedlunch

Shared Lunch is brought to you by Sharesies Australia Limited (ABN 94 648 811 830; AFSL 529893) in Australia and Sharesies Limited (NZ) in New Zealand. It is not financial advice. Information provided is general only and current at the time it’s provided, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation and needs. We do not provide recommendations and you should always read the disclosure documents available from the product issuer before making a financial decision. Our disclosure documents and terms and conditions—including a Target Market Determination and IDPS Guide for Sharesies Australian customers—can be found on our relevant Australian or NZ website.

Investing involves risk. You might lose the money you start with. If you require financial advice, you should consider speaking with a qualified financial advisor. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.

Appearance on Shared Lunch is not an endorsement by Sharesies of the views of the presenters, guests, or the entities they represent. Their views are their own.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is 3% giving Kiwis a false sense of retirement security?

We unpack the growing debate around lifting KiwiSaver contribution rates and comparisons being drawn to Australia’s 12% super system. Would higher compulsory contributions better prepare us for retirement, or risk widening inequality by pushing more people to opt out?

This bite explores whether we’re really ready to contribute more — and what it would take to make it fair.

This bite is from our episode ‘The KiwiSaver wake-up call’.

For more or to watch on YouTube—check out http://linktr.ee/sharedlunch

Sharesies Investment Management Limited is the issuer of the Sharesies KiwiSaver Scheme. The product disclosure statement (PDS) for the Sharesies KiwiSaver Scheme has been lodged, and may be viewed on the Disclose Register or on our documents page.

Shared Lunch is brought to you by Sharesies Australia Limited (ABN 94 648 811 830; AFSL 529893) in Australia and Sharesies Limited (NZ) in New Zealand. It is not financial advice. Information provided is general only and current at the time it’s provided, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation and needs. We do not provide recommendations and you should always read the disclosure documents available from the product issuer before making a financial decision. Our disclosure documents and terms and conditions—including a Target Market Determination and IDPS Guide for Sharesies Australian customers—can be found on our relevant Australian or NZ website.

Investing involves risk. You might lose the money you start with. If you require financial advice, you should consider speaking with a qualified financial advisor. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.

Appearance on Shared Lunch is not an endorsement by Sharesies of the views of the presenters, guests, or the entities they represent. Their views are their own.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Was the 3% contribution rate always wrong? We sit down with Greg Smith from Generate KiwiSaver and Matt Macpherson from Sharesies to discuss the state of retirement. KiwiSaver membership is growing for both Generate and Sharesies, but Greg and Matt say that there’s a lot of work to do at the national level.

So why did the latest budget halve government incentives, and what’s happening with the higher contribution rates? Why are so many of us opting out of KiwiSaver altogether, while Australia sits on a $4.5 trillion retirement pool? Hear how more New Zealanders are actively switching their providers, and whether it’s time to close the "total remuneration" loophole.

Plus, hear why a weakening US dollar might be making your balance look red even when the market seems to be up.

For more or to watch on YouTube—check out http://linktr.ee/sharedlunch

Sharesies Investment Management Limited is the issuer of the Sharesies KiwiSaver Scheme. The product disclosure statement (PDS) for the Sharesies KiwiSaver Scheme has been lodged, and may be viewed on the Disclose Register or on our documents page.

Shared Lunch is brought to you by Sharesies Australia Limited (ABN 94 648 811 830; AFSL 529893) in Australia and Sharesies Limited (NZ) in New Zealand. It is not financial advice. Information provided is general only and current at the time it’s provided, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation and needs. We do not provide recommendations and you should always read the disclosure documents available from the product issuer before making a financial decision. Our disclosure documents and terms and conditions—including a Target Market Determination and IDPS Guide for Sharesies Australian customers—can be found on our relevant Australian or NZ website.

Investing involves risk. You might lose the money you start with. If you require financial advice, you should consider speaking with a qualified financial advisor. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.

Appearance on Shared Lunch is not an endorsement by Sharesies of the views of the presenters, guests, or the entities they represent. Their views are their own.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CEO Naomi James joins us to discuss leading a critical reset for Ryman Healthcare. The healthcare and property hybrid holds over $12 billion in assets, but the post-covid era has exposed its over-reliance on the housing market.

In this episode, Naomi reveals Ryman’s big shifts to achieve its first positive free cash flow in over a decade—and the tough calls along the way, including closing care centres and resetting the balance sheet.

With the 80-plus population set to double by 2050, is our healthcare system ready for the Baby Boomers? What’s happening with urgent aged care funding reforms, and what can we learn from Australia? Naomi talks about balancing resident outcomes and shareholder returns, and why a well-functioning retirement sector is foundational to the entire public health system.

For more or to watch on YouTube—check out http://linktr.ee/sharedlunch

Shared Lunch is brought to you by Sharesies Australia Limited (ABN 94 648 811 830; AFSL 529893) in Australia and Sharesies Limited (NZ) in New Zealand. It is not financial advice. Information provided is general only and current at the time it’s provided, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation and needs. We do not provide recommendations and you should always read the disclosure documents available from the product issuer before making a financial decision. Our disclosure documents and terms and conditions—including a Target Market Determination and IDPS Guide for Sharesies Australian customers—can be found on our relevant Australian or NZ website.

Investing involves risk. You might lose the money you start with. If you require financial advice, you should consider speaking with a qualified financial advisor. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.

Appearance on Shared Lunch is not an endorsement by Sharesies of the views of the presenters, guests, or the entities they represent. Their views are their own.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand’s love affair with property investing might be entering a new era. Economist Tony Alexander joined us to unpack what’s changed — from the end of decades-long falling interest rates, to shifting tax rules, tighter lending restrictions, and rising costs that are reshaping investor behaviour.

He explains why fewer everyday Kiwis may see property as the default path to wealth, and why first-home buyers are now driving a bigger share of the market.

This bite is a bonus from our episode ‘The end of the property era?’.

For more or to watch on YouTube—check out http://linktr.ee/sharedlunch

Shared Lunch is brought to you by Sharesies Australia Limited (ABN 94 648 811 830; AFSL 529893) in Australia and Sharesies Limited (NZ) in New Zealand. It is not financial advice. Information provided is general only and current at the time it’s provided, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation and needs. We do not provide recommendations and you should always read the disclosure documents available from the product issuer before making a financial decision. Our disclosure documents and terms and conditions—including a Target Market Determination and IDPS Guide for Sharesies Australian customers—can be found on our relevant Australian or NZ website.

Investing involves risk. You might lose the money you start with. If you require financial advice, you should consider speaking with a qualified financial advisor. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.

Appearance on Shared Lunch is not an endorsement by Sharesies of the views of the presenters, guests, or the entities they represent. Their views are their own.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Independent economist Tony Alexander explains why we’re moving away from housing as a primary retirement plan, as a thirty-year era of falling interest rates comes to an end. Get Tony’s take on the dominance of first-home buyers, and whether now’s the time to lock in a long-term mortgage rate.

Why does Tony believe the Reserve Bank will hike rates again before the year is out? What’s behind the widening gap between the Kiwi and Australian economies? Why are we getting mixed signals from central bank forecasting, and what’s behind Tony’s theory that current inflation models might be fundamentally broken?

Plus, why Tony calls your local council a “monopoly”—and why you can't escape it.

For more or to watch on YouTube—check out http://linktr.ee/sharedlunch

Shared Lunch is brought to you by Sharesies Australia Limited (ABN 94 648 811 830; AFSL 529893) in Australia and Sharesies Limited (NZ) in New Zealand. It is not financial advice. Information provided is general only and current at the time it’s provided, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation and needs. We do not provide recommendations and you should always read the disclosure documents available from the product issuer before making a financial decision. Our disclosure documents and terms and conditions—including a Target Market Determination and IDPS Guide for Sharesies Australian customers—can be found on our relevant Australian or NZ website.

Investing involves risk. You might lose the money you start with. If you require financial advice, you should consider speaking with a qualified financial advisor. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.

Appearance on Shared Lunch is not an endorsement by Sharesies of the views of the presenters, guests, or the entities they represent. Their views are their own.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could the upcoming election mess with our economic recovery? Mark Lister reckons you should focus on "profits over politics" regardless of who wins. We’re joined by Mark, Director at Craigs Investment Partners, and Kiwibank Chief Economist Jarrod Kerr to break down what Kiwi investors can look for in 2026.

Find out how mortgage rates hitting 4% could finally wake up the property market and lure back investors. Jarrod questions whether the risk management departments in banks may have actually intensified our recession, and whether the power of the US dollar is changing.

Plus, why Mark says the Kiwi share market is traditionally the "high income" choice compared to the US, and how to tell if you’re ready for the volatility of crypto.

Shared Lunch is brought to you by Sharesies Australia Limited (ABN 94 648 811 830; AFSL 529893) in Australia and Sharesies Limited (NZ) in New Zealand. It is not financial advice. Information provided is general only and current at the time it’s provided, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation and needs. We do not provide recommendations and you should always read the disclosure documents available from the product issuer before making a financial decision. Our disclosure documents and terms and conditions—including a Target Market Determination and IDPS Guide for Sharesies Australian customers—can be found on our relevant Australian or NZ website.

Investing involves risk. You might lose the money you start with. If you require financial advice, you should consider speaking with a qualified financial advisor. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.

Appearance on Shared Lunch is not an endorsement by Sharesies of the views of the presenters, guests, or the entities they represent. Their views are their own.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the first of two parts on what investors need to know in 2026, we discuss a world preoccupied with the Trump effect.

While markets like Japan and Europe outperformed the States last year, Craigs Investment Director Mark Lister and KiwiBank Chief Economist Jarrod Kerr explain why the US remains a major force. Closer to home, they outline how NZ is getting off its knees and into recovery mode. Is tech and AI concentration in the US S&P 500 something to be concerned about? Are lower interest rates leading to a broader recovery at home beyond dairy? What are the sectors to watch this year? Plus, investing in alternative assets as gold’s record-breaking run continues.

For more or to watch on YouTube—check out http://linktr.ee/sharedlunch

Shared Lunch is brought to you by Sharesies Australia Limited (ABN 94 648 811 830; AFSL 529893) in Australia and Sharesies Limited (NZ) in New Zealand. It is not financial advice. Information provided is general only and current at the time it’s provided, and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation and needs. We do not provide recommendations and you should always read the disclosure documents available from the product issuer before making a financial decision. Our disclosure documents and terms and conditions—including a Target Market Determination and IDPS Guide for Sharesies Australian customers—can be found on our relevant Australian or NZ website.

Investing involves risk. You might lose the money you start with. If you require financial advice, you should consider speaking with a qualified financial advisor. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.

Appearance on Shared Lunch is not an endorsement by Sharesies of the views of the presenters, guests, or the entities they represent. Their views are their own.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.