Wavelink appoints Danny Meadows to lead expansion in New Zealand
The company has historically provided support to New Zealand partners from its Australian operations for over two decades. With this new investment, Wavelink will now establish a dedicated local team in New Zealand, led by Danny Meadows. This strategic move forms part of a broader regional expansion plan and responds to increasing demand from vendors and partners for a stronger local presence.
Expansion and leadership
The appointment of Meadows and the establishment of a New Zealand team denote Wavelink's intention to build a lasting presence in the market and accelerate growth. The company aims to align its operations more closely with the needs of strategic vendors and to better support joint go-to-market efforts.
The New Zealand technology market is experiencing heightened demand for advanced solutions in cybersecurity, mobility, storage, and networking, particularly within key sectors such as critical infrastructure, government, healthcare, and logistics. Wavelink plans to address this demand by introducing its range of mobility and security vendors, including Censys, Claroty, Garland Technology, Honeywell, Orca Security, Penguin Solutions, SOTI, Spectralink, and Swimlane. Additional vendors are expected to be added in the coming months.
Supporting local partners
Wavelink's expanded presence will mean local partners have access to portfolio solutions that are already established in neighbouring markets, supported by enablement, training, and support services. This is expected to help channel partners accelerate deal cycles, support evolving customer needs, and improve competitiveness in New Zealand. Ilan Rubin, chief executive officer, Wavelink, said, "Expanding into New Zealand is a key part of Wavelink's regional growth strategy. There is increasing demand from partners and vendors for a local presence, and this investment reflects Wavelink's commitment to meeting that demand with the right people and support. Having Danny on the ground gives Wavelink the ability to provide a more consistent and dedicated partner experience and meet the growing expectations of the vendor community. Danny's appointment reflects Wavelink's commitment to New Zealand as a growth market and positions the business to accelerate its momentum, especially as many vendors serve both the Australian and New Zealand markets. Danny's industry experience, local insight, and partner-first mindset align strongly with Wavelink's values, and the company is confident he will play a key role in shaping the next phase of its ANZ expansion."
Danny Meadows will operate from Auckland, tasked with developing Wavelink's network of partners and building a local team. His background includes decades in the IT industry and experience building high-performing teams within both distribution and vendor roles.
His main focus will be on onboarding and enabling partners, helping ensure that Wavelink's proven approach and vendor portfolio is effectively introduced to the New Zealand market. Danny Meadows, regional manager, New Zealand, Wavelink, said, "I'm excited to be joining Wavelink and using my extensive network and local knowledge to further establish the New Zealand arm of the organisation. Wavelink's unique approach to distribution will be a huge selling point to open doors to channel partners. Wavelink's reputation for delivering genuine channel value and its strong portfolio of vendors make this an ideal time to launch a local presence in New Zealand. I'm looking forward to building the business with the support of an experienced and committed team."
The company's move is seen as a response to global vendor demand for consistent coverage and strengthened capability across the Australia and New Zealand region. By investing in local leadership and market capability, Wavelink aims to reinforce its position as a trusted partner across both sides of the Tasman.
Follow us on:
Share on:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
3 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Former Wiggles CEO Luke O'Neill sues popular kids' group in Australian Federal Court
Award-winning Australian children's music sensation The Wiggles face a lawsuit from their former CEO. Photo / Getty Images Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Award-winning Australian children's music sensation The Wiggles face a lawsuit from their former CEO. Photo / Getty Images The former chief executive of The Wiggles – who left after just over a year into his role – has lodged proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia against the popular children's entertainment group. Luke O'Neill was named the music sensation's first CEO last year, according to aNb Media, with his role focusing on 'expanding The Wiggles' digital footprint, developing new products and expanding the commercial operations of the business'. O'Neill had worked as a consultant with The Wiggles since mid-2023 before stepping into the new role. His LinkedIn profile states he finished the role in August 2024. In a Federal Court application filed this week, O'Neil has lodged proceedings under the Fair Work Act against The Wiggles, the group's leader, Anthony Field, and its general counsel, Matthew Salgo.
NZ Herald
5 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Donald Trump wants to open up US retirement savings to crypto, should KiwiSaver follow suit?
In contrast, the same investment in a typical balanced KiwiSaver fund would likely have grown to $65,000–$70,000, according to Swyftx's numbers. Swyftx chief executive Jason Titman said there was a case for long-term investors to include crypto in their portfolios. 'We're not about saying that people should put all of their money into crypto by any stretch,' Titman told Stock Takes. 'We're saying that it is an asset class that's here to stay. 'It's a growing asset class, and the beta – the returns – are pretty significant. 'So for a small portion, 3 to 5% of your portfolio, we think it's good for investors to have the conversation and give them the opportunity to access that asset class with those higher returns.' FMA on crypto In New Zealand, there's nothing to stop KiwiSaver managers getting involved in crypto, the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) says. The FMA's executive director licensing and conduct supervision, Clare Bolingford, said: 'In New Zealand, there is no legislative restriction stopping KiwiSaver fund managers from investing in crypto. 'Indeed, some fund managers already offer KiwiSaver funds that are partially invested into crypto (such as Bitcoin),' she said in response to a Herald inquiry. 'However, fund managers must comply with disclosure rules to ensure investors understand the types of assets that the fund can invest into,' Bolingford said. 'Additionally, KiwiSaver fund managers must act with the care, diligence and skill of a prudent manager. 'KiwiSaver fund managers predominately offer funds that invest in less volatile assets, like shares and bonds, rather than crypto. 'Those fund managers that offer KiwiSaver funds with an exposure to crypto often significantly limit the exposure to crypto (for example, to 10% of assets under management). 'This is likely because crypto assets are highly volatile, have more custody risks and often necessitate more rebalancing. 'Additionally, high exposure to crypto may not always be suitable for investment funds, like KiwiSaver, that are designed for retirement.' Fund managers' view Trump's moves to try to loosen up what the US retirement savings industry can and can't do have not gone unnoticed in the local funds management industry. 'We've been following the developments in the US, and have seen the moves by the Trump administration to make it easier to invest in private markets and cryptocurrencies,' Fisher Funds chief investment officer Ashley Gardyne said. He said Fisher Funds was always on the lookout for opportunities and saw private equity as being well-suited to KiwiSaver. 'The longer-term nature of KiwiSaver also aligns well to the timeframe of private market investments,' Gardyne said. Across the Tasman, some Australian superannuation funds have 20% allocations to private markets, compared to about 2% in KiwiSaver. Fisher Funds had earmarked more than a billion dollars over the next three to five years for its wider private equity strategy, with several hundred million dollars for New Zealand businesses. Private equity 'On the other hand, we're less certain that there is a place for cryptocurrencies in mass-market retirement portfolios,' Gardyne said. 'While some investors may choose to invest in this space, we prefer to invest in assets that generate cashflows – like listed companies, fixed income securities and private equity. 'It is very difficult to determine an intrinsic value for cryptocurrencies – and it is therefore more speculative in our view." Harbour Asset Management portfolio manager Shane Solly said that for investors, diversification was key. 'It's reasonable for long-term investors to include an allocation to alternative assets such as real estate, venture capital, credit, commodities and cryptocurrency as part of a diversified portfolio, as these assets can provide returns that are less correlated with more traditional assets and the broader economy,' Solly said. Spark's sale Morningstar says Spark's sale of its majority interest in data centres to Australia's Pacific Equity Partners should calm investor nerves about the telco. The research firm maintains its $3.60-per-share, fair-value estimate for Spark, against yesterday's opening price of $2.56. 'We make no changes to our forecasts, with the completion of the data centre portfolio sale not expected until the end of 2025,' it said. 'Shares in the group remain at an attractive discount to our intrinsic assessment. 'Investor caution is understandable, given the three downgrades to earnings guidance over the past 18 months. 'Tangible evidence of cost-outs is needed with the upcoming result to assuage such caution.' However, the data centres had been monetised at a good price, especially compared with the $200m-$220m capital Morningstar estimated Spark has pumped into building them since fiscal year 2021. 'The proceeds should go a long way toward calming investor nerves about the balance sheet,' Morningstar said. Ebos result Brokers Forsyth Barr expects Ebos Group to exceed consensus earnings expectations when it reports on Wednesday. At its first-half result, Ebos posted a lower half-year profit after losing a $2 billion contract to supply Chemist Warehouse (CW) Australia. 'While ebitda [earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation] will be down versus the prior year, it should be near or above the top end of its guidance [A$600m], reflecting solid performance excluding the CW contract loss,' it said. Adam Hall was installed as new chief executive at Ebos on July 1. 'It's too early for any shift in messaging or strategy, but we expect clear/confident communication (if provided) would reassure investors, particularly on M&A [mergers and acquisitions],' Forsyth Barr said. On a milk run? French dairy giant Lactalis is the leading bidder for Fonterra's Australian food business after being granted exclusivity to negotiate for a buyout, the Australian Financial Review reported this week. If successful, the deal will lead to a major shake-up of the country's agricultural sector, the paper said. Lactalis – the world's biggest dairy company – is on the acquisition trail. In July, the firm's US arm bought General Mills' US yoghurt business. The acquired business represents approximately US$1.2b in annual net sales. 'This acquisition advances our US growth strategy and strengthens our position as an emerging leader in the US yogurt market,' the company said then. Concrete down Stats NZ said the volume of ready-mixed concrete (RMC) produced was 891,909 cubic metres in the June quarter, down 10% compared with the year-ago quarter. In the year ended June 2025, 3.7 million cubic metres of RMC was produced, down 6.0% compared with the year ended June 2024. Forsyth Barr noted Fletcher Building (FBU) had started to release quarterly volume data, which included its Firth ready-mix concrete volumes. FBU's Firth RMC concrete volumes were down 2% on the prior year, compared to national 12-month rolling volumes which were down 6%. This suggests that Firth had managed to consolidate market share over the quarter, the broker said. Jamie Gray is an Auckland-based journalist, covering the financial markets, the primary sector and energy. He joined the Herald in 2011.
NZ Herald
9 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Insurance premium growth to finally abate if not fall, say Suncorp and IAG chief executives
Suncorp, which sells insurance via the Vero and AA Insurance brands, as well as banks, collected 8.3% more in home insurance premiums in the year to June, compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, IAG New Zealand, which sells insurance via the AMI, State, NZI, NAC, Lumley and Lantern brands, as well as banks, collected north of 10% more in home insurance premiums. The growth in both insurers' cases was driven more by them upping premiums than selling more policies. As for motor insurance, IAG's motor premium collection fell, while Suncorp's only inched up 0.5%. Both Higgins and IAG New Zealand chief executive Amanda Whiting suspected the cost-of-living crisis might have prompted people to cut back on the amount they drove. Higgins also wondered whether households reduced the number of cars they had. The chief executives of the two Australian-owned giants, which released their annual results this week, noted the story was quite different in the commercial insurance space. Indeed, commercial insurance premiums fell during the year – with Suncorp collecting 5.3% less in premiums. Higgins explained a number of new underwriters, including those part of the Lloyds of London network, entered the market after Cyclone Gabrielle and the floods. With the incumbents forced to raise premiums to cover higher reinsurance costs and recoup losses from the events, the new entrants seized the opportunity to undercut them. Higgins said there was a similar situation following the 2010/11 Canterbury earthquakes. The underwriters that didn't face the costs of those in the market during the disasters could come in and scoop up business by offering lower premiums. IAG New Zealand chief executive Amanda Whiting draws attention to the cyclic nature of commercial insurance. Photo / Supplied Whiting described the situation as being cyclic. Higgins said the value of the big incumbents was that they were in the market for the long haul. They had established networks and weren't going to exit the market after expensive events. He said businesses under pressure due to the tough economic environment were trying to save money by agreeing to pay larger excesses. He also noted Suncorp had taken a knock by government departments watering down their insurance cover to save money, but this exposed the Crown's balance sheet to greater risk. Despite the market being soft, a year of relatively good weather helped both insurers grow their profits substantially in the year to June. Suncorp reported a A$457 million ($501.6m) insurance trading result – a 95% increase from the previous year. IAG New Zealand reported an insurance profit of A$606m – a 33% rise from the previous year. Jenée Tibshraeny is the Herald's Wellington Business Editor, based in the Parliamentary press gallery. She specialises in government and Reserve Bank policymaking, economics and banking.
