NZ Innovation & Export Podcast

Episode 12: From Garage-Built Bike To NZ’s Only Motorcycle Manufacturer

From a BMX frame with batteries strapped on, to 160 pre-orders, cost reduction, production challenges, customer feedback, test ride events and early export traction.

Luke Sinclair from FTN Motion shares how a garage-built electric bike became New Zealand’s only motorcycle manufacturing business in the retail space. Luke unpacks the real work behind building a hardware startup from New Zealand. It is a candid look at innovation, manufacturing, pricing, product-market fit and why FTN Motion thinks in cities, not countries.

Follow FTN Motion here:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/ftnmotion
Instagram – www.instagram.com/ftn_motion
YouTube – www.youtube.com/@ftnmotion
Website – www.ftnmotion.com

Episode 11: Building a Māori-Owned Wellness Brand from Native Plants

Mānuka honey may be world famous, but it is only one part of New Zealand’s native plant story.

Helen Paul-Smith, co-founder of Ōku, a Māori-owned wellness brand using native plants like kawakawa, horopito and mānuka to create teas, balms, elixirs and soaps. Helen shares how the business grew from farmers markets and boxes under the bed into a New Zealand and export-focused brand, and why sustainability, culture and long-term thinking have shaped every major decision.

Follow Ōku here:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/OKUNewZealand
Instagram – www.instagram.com/oku_nz
YouTube – www.youtube.com/@oku-nznativeherbalproducts6227
Website – www.oku.co.nz

Episode 10: From an Auckland SaaS Startup to a Global Tool for Lenders

FileInvite Founder James Sampson on SaaS Growth, Export Revenue and Enterprise Sales James Sampson from FileInvite shares how an internal tool built inside a New Zealand web agency became a global SaaS platform serving banks, lenders and financial institutions.

James talks about the pressure of moving from service business to software, the shift from small customers to enterprise contracts, why niching down changed the business, and how FileInvite now earns 96% of its revenue offshore. He also shares the unusual story behind his first investor.

Follow FileInvite here:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/fileinvite
Instagram – www.instagram.com/fileinvite
YouTube – www.youtube.com/@fileinvite
Website – www.fileinvite.com

Episode 9: Why a New Zealand Business Coach Built an 80-Person Global Team

Scaling A Coaching Business Across Four Countries

Tony Fraser-Jones has taken Profitable Tradie from one-on-one business coaching in New Zealand to a global coaching company with 80 staff, 700+ clients, and revenue across New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Canada.
In this episode, Josh Moore talks with Tony about scaling beyond yourself, hiring better people, building a values-led culture, entering overseas markets, and why New Zealand business owners need to think bigger about what is possible.

Follow Profitable Tradie here:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/profitabletradie
Instagram – www.instagram.com/profitabletradie
YouTube – www.youtube.com/@profitabletradie
Website – www.profitabletradie.com

Episode 8: Taking a Kiwi-Owned Pharmaceutical Brand Into the US

How Kiwi-Owned US Pharmaceutical Company Healthtex Launches OTC Products in America

Tim O’Donoghue is the co-founder of Healthtex, a Kiwi-owned US pharmaceutical company built around a simple but powerful idea: listen closely to what customers actually say.

Tim explains how decades of pharmacy conversations led to Asteroid, an over-the-counter (OTC) haemorrhoid product designed from real customer feedback, and how Healthtex is now navigating FDA listings, Amazon reviews, ecommerce, crowdfunding and the challenge of taking on far larger pharmaceutical competitors in the United States.

Follow Healthtex here:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/people/Asteroid-Ointment/61582105001935
Instagram – www.instagram.com/asteroid_ointment
TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@asteroid.ointment
YouTube – www.youtube.com/@AsteroidOintment
Website – www.neoqura.com

Episode 7: Buy Now Pay Together, Shopify And Fintech Innovation

How PaySquad Is Building “Buy Now, Pay Together” For E-Commerce

Cam Richardson is building something different: buy now, pay together. Cam shares how a surprising 21st birthday gift sparked the idea for PaySquad, a Kiwi fintech startup creating a “pay with friends” checkout option for retail, ticketing, and travel. Josh and Cam unpack the customer problem, the merchant opportunity, the funding journey, and the bigger vision behind multiplayer commerce.

Follow PaySquad here:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/paysquad.co
Instagram – www.instagram.com/paysquad.co
TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@paysquad
LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/company/paysquad
YouTube – www.youtube.com/@paysquad
Website – www.paysquad.co

Episode 6: The Hidden Industry Behind Cleaner Lakes, Ponds & Public Waterways

How Parklink Is Solving Water Quality Problems Across New Zealand and Australia

Regan Senior from Parklink, a Hastings-based company working in one of New Zealand’s more niche environmental industries. Regan shares how Parklink moved from wastewater bacteria dosing into broader freshwater solutions, why the business chose to manufacture selected products in New Zealand, and how it is navigating Australia, regulation, R&D, and global interest in its Oxyjet technology. It is a practical conversation about focus, timing, and knowing when to walk away from good revenue.

Follow Parklink here:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/parklinksolutions
YouTube – www.youtube.com/@parklink3504
Website – www.parklink.nz

Episode 5: Taking a Kiwi Road Case Innovation to the US Live Events Market

Can a Kiwi company’s innovation crack the US live events market?

Joe Bradford, co-founder of Fiasco Cases, shares how a small Cambridge company became a supplier to major names across sport, entertainment, and live events, including the NBA, Disney, Fox Sports, UFC, and more. In this episode, Joe explains how Fiasco rethought the humble road case, pushed into the US market, survived the collapse of live events during COVID, and rebuilt momentum through sharp product thinking, social media, and export-focused growth.

Follow Fiasco here:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/fiascocases
Instagram – www.instagram.com/fiasco_cases
TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@fiasco.cases
YouTube – www.youtube.com/@fiascocases
Website – www.fiasco.co.nz

Episode 4: How a Kiwi Farmer Turned One Practical Fix Into an Export Business

What happens when a farmer solves a problem no one else has cracked, then turns it into an export business?

In this episode, Wilco Klein Ovink shares the Number 8 Wire story behind The Wrangler, from farm-built prototypes and Fieldays wins to distributors in Australia and the US. This conversation goes beyond invention into commercialisation, export lessons, patents, distributor strategy, and what it takes to keep practical innovation moving.

Follow The Wrangler here:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/Wrangler.ltd
Instagram – www.instagram.com/wranglernz
YouTube – www.youtube.com/@thewranglernz

Websites:
www.thewrangler.co.nz
www.pollensmart.co.nz
www.rideovergate.com

Episode 3: Solving Complex Problems by Connecting Technology

What does it take to turn everyday warehouse risks into controlled, trackable systems?

Jason Buckley from ARC breaks down how combining cameras, GPS, and custom coding created a safer working environment for a major manufacturer. From preventing forklift incidents to unlocking unexpected efficiency gains, this conversation explores how practical innovation happens on the ground.

Follow ARC here:
Website – www.arc.net.nz