Today in Business: October 1, 2025

Welcome to Today in Business - Powered by Spark for Business, an experimental AI podcast by the New Zealand Herald.
Each weekday, we bring you five stories, the best of the New Zealand Herald business journalism, summarised and delivered by an AI voice as an easily digestible recap.
It's Wednesday, October 1, 2025, and here are five stories you should know about.
RNZ has confirmed cuts to youth platform Tahi, weekend shows, and presenting roles after its annual budget was reduced by nearly five million dollars. The broadcaster says its Sunday Culture 101 show will drop from two presenters to one, while the At The Movies radio segment will end but continue as a podcast. The Sunday Sampler show has also finished. Interim head of content John Hartevelt says expansion of platforms such as YouTube and TikTok had made it difficult to support dedicated youth channels. The final Tahi podcast will be released November 6. Tahi was launched in 2021 to target younger listeners.
In other news, American author Mel Robbins has sold out two shows scheduled for March at Auckland's new one-billion-dollar New Zealand International Convention Centre. SkyCity Entertainment Group says nearly 2,852 seats were sold twice after Robbins added a second date on March 21. Only limited accessible tickets remain. Tickets, priced from 132 to 177 dollars, went on sale last week. Robbins, author of The Let Them Theory, will present her Let Them Tour, 2026. The venue's general manager Prue Daly says hosting Robbins marks an exciting start for the country's largest seated theatre opening in February.
Land Information New Zealand has granted exemptions to Shoon-dee Customs, developer of Auckland's 56-level Seascape tower, allowing it to sell apartments to overseas buyers. Lynns says delays, including a dispute with former contractor China Construction, created financial pressures. The dispute is resolved and new builder Icon is engaged. A Shoon-dee spokesman disputes Lynns' comments on financing but confirms exemptions were necessary to complete pre-sales. The Seascape project, New Zealand's tallest planned apartment tower, has been stalled for more than a year. Lynns says the exemption enables continued settlement of residential unit sales with foreign purchasers.
Meanwhile, global air passenger traffic grew in August, according to the International Air Transport Association. Revenue passenger kilometres, or RPKs, rose 4.6 percent year-on-year, up from July's 4.1 percent increase. Passenger load factors from the Americas to the Southwest Pacific, which includes New Zealand, fell 1.5 percent compared to last year. The global airline association expects flight volumes this month to be up 3.4% on a year ago.
And Netsafe reports financial losses from impersonation scams rose sharply last month, despite fewer incidents being reported. Losses increased from 5,000 dollars in August to 19,600 dollars in September, with an average of 268 dollars lost per scam. Netsafe says impersonation scams exploit relationships and trust, making victims more likely to follow instructions or send money. The agency urges people to verify unusual requests, even if they appear to come from trusted sources. Netsafe also recorded an increase in account compromise scam reports, rising from 51 cases in August to 59 in September.
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