
Booster Savvy Returns $1 Million To Customers
Press Release – Booster
As of 3 June, those returns topped $1,018,000 delivering a significant boost to account holders. Savvy has proved popular with Kiwis attracting nearly 6,000 customers who now collectively hold $50m in their Savvy accounts.
Where do you find a million bucks? In Booster Savvy customers' returns!
Since Savvy was launched a little over 18 months ago to offer New Zealanders a new way of managing their money, more than $1 million has been paid in returns.
Booster Savvy is an investment account linked to a debit card and smart app for day-to-day payments and transactions. Clever features in the companion app help users manage their money and save toward goals.
Savvy is unique in offering savers a competitive return on every dollar – currently 3.25% – whilst also offering the flexibility to withdraw as and when required without penalty.
As of 3 June, those returns topped $1,018,000 delivering a significant boost to account holders. Savvy has proved popular with Kiwi's attracting nearly 6,000 customers who now collectively hold $50m in their Savvy accounts.
'This is a fantastic milestone for our customers,' says Booster Chief Executive Di Papadopoulos.
'At Booster, we understand people work hard for their money and we want their money to work hard for them. We're thrilled that $1m has already been returned to their pockets.
'It's also great to see people saving using Savvy's tools. By choosing to use our 'Boost' feature that rounds up purchases and saves the difference, Savvy customers have saved $141,000 so far. At the same time our 'Sweep' feature has been used to move $190,000 of unspent money towards savings goals.
'Automatic tools like this are a really easy way to consistently save and we're delighted that so many Savvy customers are getting such good use – and returns – out of their accounts,' says Papadopoulos.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


National Business Review
9 minutes ago
- National Business Review
Quick Takes of the Week to June 6
Tuesday June 3 TruScreen raises $2.3m via initial share placement TruScreen device. Dual-listed Kiwi cervical cancer screening company TruScreen says it has received firm commitments from both new and existing investors for an initial placement of 107 million shares, meaning it has so far raised $2,354,750 before costs. The company said approximately 80.9 million of the shares will be issued under its existing 15% placement capacity, with the balance being subject to shareholder approval at a meeting to be held on July 11. It also intends to issue one free attaching option for each new share issued, with an exercise price of $0.022 and a one-year expiry date, subject to shareholder approval. A share purchase plan (SPP) offer is due to open today, providing eligible shareholders the opportunity to purchase up to $50,000 (A$45,000) worth of new shares. The company is limited to raising up to an aggregate of $1,220,796 (A$1,119,996) via the SPP, but the board may accept oversubscriptions, subject to shareholder approval. Improving hydro storage allows increased production at Tiwai A deal to save power by cutting production at Tiwai Point aluminium smelter will end four months early as storage at hydro lakes improves. In a statement to the NZX, electricity generator Meridian said it had agreed with NZ Aluminium Smelters that Tiwai could start increasing production from June 16 and the current demand response would end on August 11 rather than November 25. 'New Zealand's hydro storage is looking much healthier than it was just a few weeks ago, so we are now confident regarding security of supply this winter,' said chief executive designate Mike Road. 'As a result, we want NZAS to get back to business.' Meridian had called on its option to cut Tiwai's power use by 50MW in February to run for an initial period between March and August, with a ramp-up period of 86 days thereafter. Argosy boss, chair to step down in 2027 Peter Mence. NZX-listed property investor Argosy Property has said its chief executive and board chair will retire from their positions in 2027. In a note this morning, the company said chief executive Peter Mence has notified the board of his intention to step down after next year's annual meeting. Mence has been in the top job since 2009. The company said the long notice period enabled a well-planned leadership transition with a CEO search to start in the latter part of 2026. Alongside Mence's departure, chair Jeff Morrison will step down from his role after next year's annual meeting when his three-year term comes to an end. Arrangements were already in place for Martin Stearne to take his seat at the head of the boardroom table. Directors Chris Gudgeon and Mike Pohio, who are nearing the end of their terms, have also said they will not stand for re-election at this year's annual meeting. Alex Cutler, who joined the board last year, will stand for election. Bad debts rise at UDC Finance Business lender UDC Finance has reported a sharp increase in provisioning for bad debts in the period to March 2025. Financial statements filed to the Companies Office show an allowance for expected credit losses of $100.1 million at balance date, up from $74.1m in December 2023. Total credit impairments doubled to $40m from $19.7m at the previous balance date, while loans in default doubled to $66.2m from $33.9m. At balance date, UDC had net loans and advances of $4.6 billion, up from $4.5b in December 2023. About a fifth of UDC's main lending was categorised as 'personal and other services', with construction, agriculture, and retail the next biggest sectors. After a change in balance date, UDC, a subsidiary of Japan-based SBI Shinsei Bank, reported a net profit of $95.6m for the 15 months to March, compared with $74m for the 12 months to December 2023. Chris Penk. Council consenting processes have sped up Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says councils are processing building consents and code compliance certificates quicker since the Government began publicly releasing council performance data. He said just over a year ago he directed the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment to start publishing quarterly performance data to show how well building consent authorities were handling consent applications. 'The decision to put performance in the spotlight is paying off, and I wish to acknowledge councils who have moved quickly to expedite consenting processes.' Penk said the latest data showed 92.7% of building consent applications and 96.8% of code compliance certificates were processed within the statutory timeframe in the first three months of this year. That was up from 88% and 93.6%, respectively, when reporting began last year. Wednesday June 4 Key economic growth sectors feel credit default pinch New data shows business credit demand has increased, but the tough economy is still putting pressure on key growth sectors. The Centrix Credit Indicator for May, released today, showed business credit demand across all sectors rose 8% on the previous year. The report also said credit defaults were up across the board, sitting at +18% year on year for all sectors. Notably, manufacturing, construction, and transport credit defaults had risen. Meanwhile, company liquidations rose 30% from last year, with 175 liquidations in April. Over the past year, 730 construction companies were liquidated, up 48% from the previous year. Rua Bioscience settles legal dispute with ASX-listed Cann Group NZX-listed medicinal cannabis company Rua Bioscience has settled legal proceedings against Cann Group, which had cancelled an existing supply contract. The settlement follows mediation between the parties, who have signed new supply agreements for their respective operations in the New Zealand and Australian markets. Rua CEO Paul Naske said the settlement terms are confidential but involve agreement on pricing for the cultivator to supply Rua with medicinal cannabis as the marketer and distributor needs it. Rua had filed a claim in the Supreme Court of Victoria in February 2024 that it had suffered significant damages after Cann breached a term of its existing supply contract requiring the Australian firm to supply it exclusively with products that were to be resold in both markets. This month Rua's board approved a $2 million debt facility offered to wholesale lenders to provide additional working capital to purchase stock to meet significant sales growth. Westpac subsidiary RAMS to be fined for loose mortgage lending Westpac Australia's mortgage lending subsidiary, RAMS Financial Group, which closed to new business last August, is in line for a civil penalty after being sued by regulator Asic over the lending practices of some franchisees. Asic has begun proceedings in Australia's Federal Court over what it said was RAMS' 'systemic misconduct in arranging home loans'. The regulator claims that between 2019 and 2023, RAMS conducted business through unlicensed operators, failed to supervise its representatives, and failed to implement adequate policies and procedures. The result was 'widespread misconduct', which created the opportunity for home loans to be provided to unqualified customers while RAMS franchisees earned commissions. Westpac issued a statement today saying RAMS had reached agreement with Asic to resolve the investigation through civil penalty proceedings. Dairy prices decline at latest auction Global dairy prices declined at the latest overnight auction, with key export commodity whole milk powder down 3.7% to US$4173 per tonne. The broader GDT index also dropped for the second consecutive auction, with price declines recorded for several other commodities, while anhydrous milk fat and mozzarella increased. Overall, dairy prices are still at strong levels and are reflected in a solid payout forecast to farmers. Last week, dairy giant Fonterra announced an opening forecast Farmgate Milk Price for the 2025/26 season of $10 per kg of milk solids, driven by stable market demand. Chief executive Miles Hurrell said it was committed to delivering strong shareholder returns through earnings and the farmgate price. 'Looking at the season ahead, we expect this demand to continue for now, but we acknowledge the ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and the potential for a wider series of outcomes across the season.' All Blacks sign up global insurance company as new sponsor New Zealand Rugby has struck a multi-year sponsorship deal with global insurance brokerage Gallagher Insurance. Gallagher's brand will appear on the training and match-day shorts of NZR's teams, including the All Blacks, Black Ferns, Māori All Blacks and Sevens teams. Gallagher's brand will also be on New Zealand referees' jerseys across all domestic competitions from next year, while All Black Beauden Barrett has signed on as a global brand ambassador for the company. The partnership with Gallagher comes after NZR agreed a three-year deal with Toyota, both contracts replacing the deal with Ineos, which pulled out of its six-year sponsorship with NZR. Flick Electric gets best satisfaction rating in Consumer survey A survey on electricity retailing by Consumer NZ has found respondents gave Flick Electric the highest satisfaction rating at 71%. The survey of 1985 people took place from March 12 to April 7, before Meridian announced it had bought Flick for $70 million from Z Energy. Reporting the survey results, Consumer said customer satisfaction with Meridian subsidiary Powershop, seven times previously the top performer in the survey, had fallen to 60% from 67% last year. 'Flick has consistently rated well in our surveys, so it's disappointing to see it absorbed by a larger player,' said Consumer's acting head of research and advocacy. 'Flick customers have typically been among the most satisfied. We don't know what the future holds for Flick customers, but there is a risk it will be consumers who will bear the brunt of reduced competition.' The poorest performers were Pulse Energy (41%), Contact (44%) and Mercury (47%). Thursday June 5 Outgoing Vector chief to stay an extra six months Vector chief executive Simon Mackenzie, who was due to step down at the end of June, will stay on until the end of the year. In a statement to the NZX, the electricity distribution utility said the recruitment process for a new CEO was continuing. "The board is grateful to Simon as this provides Vector with continuity of leadership and direction." Mackenzie, who has been CEO since 2008, announced his departure in February. Natural gas rig. Natural gas reserves reduced 27% last year Natural gas reserves reduced 27% in the past calendar year, data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment shows. MBIE data service delivery head Karlene Tipler said natural gas reserves continued to reduce faster and sooner than previously forecast. 'Previous forecasts had annual gas production falling below 100 PJ by 2029, but due to revised production forecasts, we now expect to reach this level by 2026.' In 2024, natural gas 'proven plus probable' reserves reduced from 1300 PJ to 948 PJ. The reduction was largely driven by field operators reducing their estimates of gas readily extractable from the ground by 234 PJ. The remaining reduction of 119 PJ reflects the portion of gas reserves that were used during the year. Contingent natural gas reserves, which is gas that exists in the ground but cannot be extracted due to current economic or technical conditions, increased by 184 PJ or 10% from the previous year's figure. Gender balance on public sector boards Minister for Women Nicola Grigg is celebrating that for the fifth year running women's representation on public sector boards and committees has been at 50% or above. Women now hold 52.1% of those roles. Grigg announced the results of the 2024 stock take of gender and ethnic diversity on public sector boards and committees at an Institute of Directors event on Wednesday. 'It's taken a deliberate and coordinated effort to achieve this result, and we continue to focus on ensuring we have gender-balanced boards appointed on merit that result in better governance practices, decision-making and financial performance.' Grigg said Māori representation and ethnic diversity on public sector boards had also increased since 2019. Dairy leads commodity price gain in May: ANZ Commodity prices bounced higher in May, driven by an increase in dairy and aluminium, according to ANZ's World Commodity Price Index. The index rose 1.9% last month, compared with April. Global shipping prices were largely stable, while dairy prices rose 4.5% because of a global milk shortage. ANZ noted key export commodity whole milk powder surged 6.2% before moderating later in May. Prices also rose for butter and cheese, while skim milk powder fell slightly. Elsewhere, the meat and fibre index edged lower, but meat still benefited from strong export demand, including North America, Europe, and Asia. Aluminium prices were volatile before rising 3% higher compared with April. Overnight, it was reported that the UK could be spared from the fresh 50% steel and aluminium tariffs this week. US President Donald Trump said he had decided to provide 'different treatment' to the UK, after a trade deal was agreed but has yet to be signed between the two countries.

1News
19 minutes ago
- 1News
NZ's natural gas supply running out faster than thought
The country's natural gas supply is running out faster than previously thought. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said previous forecasts showed annual gas production falling below 100 petajoules by 2029, but revised forecasts indicated that level would be reached by next year. A petajoule, or PJ, is a unit measurement of energy use commonly used for large-scale energy use, with one petajoule equal to one million billion joules. MBIE also said as of January this year, natural gas reserves were down 27% compared to last year - also falling faster than previously estimated. "In 2024, natural gas proven plus probable (2P) reserves reduced from 1300 PJ to 948 PJ," MBIE head of data service delivery Karlene Tipler said. ADVERTISEMENT "The reduction in natural gas reserves is largely driven by field operators reducing their estimates of gas readily extractable in the ground by 234 PJ." MBIE said contingent gas reserves, or gas that existed in the ground but could not be extracted for various reasons such as economic or technical, increased by 184 PJ or 10% on last year. "Some of this increase can be attributed to natural gas reserves being downgraded to contingent resources," Tipler said. "A significant contributor to this is Pohokura field, which included a large volume of contingent gas which had previously not been reported." Tipler said some contingent gas may have the potential to be upgraded to 2P if there were changes to economic or technical conditions. Govt says data proves it's 'correct to act now' Resources Minister Shane Jones said the decline in gas reserves was a "stark reminder" of why the Government was seeking greater investment in exploration and production. ADVERTISEMENT "New Zealand needs a secure supply of affordable and reliable gas for industry to continue and for Kiwis to keep the lights on," Jones said. "A 27% year-on-year decline in our natural gas reserves is further proof that the coalition Government has made the right decisions in overturning the oil and gas ban, and is willing to become a cornerstone investor in gas production," he said. As part of Budget 2025, the Government announced $200 million over four years for co-investment in new domestic gas field developments.


Scoop
12 hours ago
- Scoop
Urgent Reform Needed To Address Mental Health Crisis In NZ Construction
Press Release – The Professional Builder Marti Amos says as part of a move to improve financial management in the sector he has now authored a book, The Profitable Builders Playbook, which is aimed at equipping builders with the business acumen needed to navigate these challenges. More needs to be done to address the high rates of suicide in the construction industry, according to the head of one of the world's largest mentoring services for the sector. Recent research shows New Zealand's construction sector is facing a mental health crisis, with suicide rates 25% higher than other sectors and Māori, Pasifika, female, migrant workers, apprentices and labourers among those at higher risk. This is due to a number of factors including financial instability, low pay and lack of mental health support. [1] Marti Amos (Ngāpuhi), a former marketing lecturer at Otago University and the New Zealand-based head of The Professional Builder, says these issues are amplified by the industry's boom-and-bust cycle, cost-of-living crisis and a training model that prioritises trade skills over business acumen. [2] 'Kiwi tradespeople are trained to excel on-site, they are underprepared to manage the multimilliondollar business aspects of their work, with dire consequences for their mental wellbeing. 'Our construction workers account for about 7% of workingage male suicides – with nearly one worker losing his life to suicide each week and the avoidable burden and impact of suicide in the NZ construction industry has been estimated at $1.1 billion per annum,' he says. Amos, whose coaching service has supported over 2,500 building companies worldwide over the past 21 years, says the growing mental health crisis among Kiwi builders requires a radical overhaul of the country's traditional construction model – with greater emphasis on financial literacy a priority. 'The New Zealand building industry is seeing its lowest levels of annual growth over a decade with a rate of just 0.6% in the second quarter of 2024 – a factor that is likely to exacerbate mental health concerns for many in the trade. 'Kiwi builders have been taught how to create outstanding projects, they're brilliant with the tools – but no one has taught them how to build a great business. 'In New Zealand and Australia, builders often employ their own teams and handle every aspect of a project themselves. This contrasts sharply with the U.S. model, where general contractors delegate tasks – reducing the burden on the individual,' he says. Amos says his concerns extend beyond the daily operational stresses that plague many builders. He says that without a proper understanding of financial management, many are left grappling with severe cashflow challenges, working long hours and sacrificing their personal lives – a situation that has, in many cases, led to overwhelming stress and deteriorating mental health. 'When you're constantly worrying about how to pay your subcontractors or secure payroll for the next week, it isn't just your business that suffers – it's your whole life,' he says. Amos says demand for targeted support from builders around the world is growing rapidly and his service, The Professional Builder (TPB), which started with a team of three people in 2004, has expanded to 56 and is projected to reach 100 employees within the next 18 months. Company revenue is also projected to double to $30 million within the same timeframe. He says TPB operates in five main countries: the US, Canada, the UK, New Zealand and their fastest growing market – Australia. The company has launched an expansion programme to grow the US market, with plans to increase their physical presence there and establish partnerships with hardware wholesalers, similar to their relationships with Carters, ITM and Mitre 10 in New Zealand. Amos says as part of a move to improve financial management in the sector he has now authored a book, The Profitable Builders Playbook, which is aimed at equipping builders with the business acumen needed to navigate these challenges. 'At the moment they're stuck on the builder's 'hamster wheel', caught in the weeds of daily operations without the skills to manage the large sums of money and complex challenges that come with running a construction company. 'What we need is to implement business training into apprenticeship programmes to ensure that our future generations of builders are as adept at managing large-scale financial responsibilities as they are at delivering quality craftsmanship. 'With a vital sector at risk and the mental health of thousands hanging in the balance, my message is clear: reform is essential. 'As New Zealand's construction industry stands at a crossroads, stakeholders must adopt a more balanced training model – one that nurtures not only technical excellence but also financial literacy and sustainable business practices. 'This call for change is more than an economic imperative; it is a matter of safeguarding the well-being of those who build our nation,' he says. More information on The Profitable Builders Playbook is available here [1] BRANZ. (2024). Workplace psychosocial stressors in the construction industry. Retrieved from here. [2] BRANZ. (2024). Workplace psychosocial stressors in the construction industry. Retrieved from here. Marti Amos Marti Amos (Ngāpuhi) is a business strategist, entrepreneur, and global mentor who has helped over 2,500 building company owners scale their businesses and achieve financial independence. As the founder of The Professional Builder (TPB), he has built a team of 56 professionals operating across New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the UK, the US, and Puerto Rico, delivering business growth strategies for the construction sector. Born and raised in Stewart Island, Marti studied commerce at Otago University, where he pursued PhD research on branding. He lectured in Marketing and MBA programs, examined MCom theses, and worked as a Māori students' tutor and thesis officer in Otago's Commerce Division. As a Mannaki Scholarship recipient, he was also awarded the Otago University Postgraduate Māori Scholarship in 1998. Beyond academia, Marti has built eight businesses across wholesale, insurance, mortgage banking, cleaning, and coaching. As founder of Action Coach New Zealand, he ranked NZ's #1 business coach and #2 globally out of 1,250 coaches worldwide. His expertise in business scaling and financial strategy led him to develop TPB, which helps construction business owners increase profitability and efficiency through structured business systems and mentorship. His insights on business growth and financial resilience will be shared in his upcoming book, launching in May 2025.