Leaders Getting Coffee with Bruce Cotterill

iHeartRadio NZ

Kiwis seem to be debating the big issues more than ever before. Whether it’s house prices, the state of the economy, or the performance of our political leaders, most of us aren’t lacking for an opinion. One of the things we don’t talk about that much is the need for good leadership. And it’s not just the politicians that need to take note. Whether you are running a sports team, a small business, a big business, or even a school, good leadership will see goals achieved and better outcomes generated. Join company director and business adviser Bruce Cotterill as he talks to leaders about leadership.     

  1. 20 HR AGO

    Episode 61: Former Blackcap and Broadcaster, Mark Richardson

    In episode 61 of the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast, our guest is Former Blackcap and Broadcaster Mark Richardson. There are many elements to the Mark Richarson story. The cricketer who bloomed late. The accidental broadcaster who seemed a natural behind the microphone. And now the Investment Advisor, charting a new path in yet another career. Even as a boy, Mark Richardson dreamed of playing for the Black Caps. His early years saw him on the pitch as a bowler and over time he transformed himself into a batsman, and then again into an opening batsman. The dream didn’t come true until he was 29, but the story of how he got there is a testament to his determination and resilience. He was honest enough to hang up the cricket bat when he was mentally burned out, despite the fact that he probably could have gone on. But he didn’t sit idle for long. The opportunity to broadcast the game he loved opened a door to a twenty year broadcasting career that included “The Crowd Goes Wild”, “The Block NZ”, “The Project” and “The AM Show”. He continued to commentate the cricket, not because of the money, but because of his love for the game. But the changes in the media industry meant the going was too tough and first Mediaworks and then Today FM closed down, leaving Richardson wondering what might come next. But he’s nothing if not adaptable, and another casual conversation turned opportunity arose, one which sees him today operating as an Investment Advisor with well known financial services group Forsyth Barr, a topic deserving of some air time given the current challenges in the markets. On the Leaders Getting Coffee Podcast, Mark Richardson speaks with Bruce Cotterill about his passion for cricket, the teammates he loved playing with, the disappointment of being out for 99 and the relief of that first century scoring 115 just a few weeks later. And he’s refreshingly open about the highs and lows of that broadcasting career.  Behind the blokey persona is a man who takes every step as he did his batting, with careful preparation and just enough nervousness to keep him trying his very hardest to be his very best. It’s a seriousness of intent that he now channels to the task of guiding clients on their investment journey. Leaders Getting Coffee - Episode 61 with Bruce Cotterill and Mark Richardson, former Blackcap, Broadcaster and Investment Advisor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1hr 12min

  2. 15 APR

    Episode 60: Deputy Prime Minister, David Seymour

    In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 60, our guest is The Right Honourable David Seymour, Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand and Leader of the Act Party. To many of us, it seems like David Seymour has been in the public eye for so long that we feel like we know him. And yet, as it turns out, we know very little. He grew up in a Whangarei family, with working parents and a personal ambition shaped partly by a mother who suffered from a disability. As a youngster he was exposed to business and voluntary work, all of which drove a unique work ethic and a passion for the freedoms his generation took for granted. He left the family home for life as a boarder at Auckland Grammar and soon he was at Auckland University studying for degrees in Engineering and Philosophy. He had to work his way through university to make ends meet and talks of forty hour weeks bookended by lectures and assignments. His early career focussed on engineering until the opportunity came to work for a Canadian think tank and a new career path was formed, one that would ultimately see him return to New Zealand, becoming an MP and Act party leader in 2014. On the Leaders Getting Coffee Podcast, David Seymour speaks with Bruce Cotterill about the loneliness of his early years as parliament’s sole Act MP and his focus on working with other politicians, many of whom were not natural bedfellows, to get his End of Life Choice Act passed into law as a result of a referendum in 2020. That led to him ushering in nine additional MP’s in 2020 and Act’s role in parliament has been secured as a result. David Seymour speaks proudly about taking on some of parliament’s tougher challenges, including charter schools, regulatory reform, and the treaty principles bill, as well as the End of Life legislation. This is a man who is passionate about personal freedoms and making New Zealand a better and more productive place for its people. And as one of parliament’s best communicators, he is very clear on some of the challenges ahead. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1hr 18min

  3. 1 APR

    Episode 59: Founder of Eat My Lunch & Free AF, Lisa King

    In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 59, our guest is Lisa King, the inspirational founder of Eat My Lunch and more recently alcohol free cocktail brand, Free AF. She was born in Hong Kong and moved to New Zealand at the age of two. Her hardworking parents instilled a passion for education and an enthusiasm for entrepreneurial flair. Lisa King didn’t waste that business oriented zest for life. A couple of university degrees provided her ticket to her dream jobs, in big corporate organisations that could show her the world. The New Zealand Daily Board sent her to the Philippines, Unilever took her to the UK and the arrival of her first child brought her home. Roles in the heart of FMCG business followed at Bluebird, Cadbury and eventually back to the newly named Fonterra. But a need to do something with purpose was stirring and, inspired by an advertisement for shoes – buy one get one free – she set up a school lunch programme that followed that same model. If sponsors would pay for a school lunch, her team would deliver that and another to students in need. It was called “Eat My Lunch” and it arrived at a time when some schools had 50 kids going without a midday meal. They prepared the lunches in her lounge at first, and at its peak her team were delivering 2,600 free lunches and the same number of paid ones, across 45 schools, every day.  With the arrival of the Government’s school lunch programme, her work there was done and another purpose was waiting. Lisa had decided to give up drinking alcohol, and was astounded by the social pressures and the awkward questions. She’d decided that the conversation around not drinking was broken. And so, in 2020, despite Covid and lockdowns and plenty of reasons not to, she assembled a team and created a brand, developed recipes, and launched Free AF, an alcohol free cocktail brand with a goal to reduce the alcohol in people’s lives without sacrificing the experience. On the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast Lisa King speaks to Bruce Cotterill about, not one, but two entrepreneurial journeys, the lessons she’s learned and the opportunities ahead. Free AF now features in more than 4,000 stores across the USA, including Whole Foods, Target and Walmart and she is very open about the hard work involved in getting established in a massive market, including the importance of keeping her team small and action orientated, jumping time zones and the funding challenges associated with order sizes you don’t expect. This is a case study in purpose from someone who is in the process of building a global brand. It’s a must listen for every aspiring entrepreneur. Spoiler alert… it’s a lot of hard work! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1hr 6min

  4. 18 MAR

    Episode 58: Chief Economist at ANZ, Sharon Zollner

    In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 58, our guest Sharon Zollner, Chief Economist at ANZ Bank. At a time when the economic recovery in New Zealand is threatened, yet again, by a major international shock, we thought it was worthwhile to host one of the Country’s leading economists on Leaders Getting Coffee. And we weren’t disappointed. This week’s guest is one of the most entertaining economists we could wish to speak to. A self-confessed geeky kid, and cricket tragic, Sharon Zollner grew up in rural Canterbury in a farming family near Methven. She excelled at school, particularly it seems in English and Mathematics, capabilities which influenced her decision to study English Literature and Economics. She left Canterbury University with a Masters in Commerce and majors in Economics and English Literature, and headed to the New Zealand Reserve Bank to start what has become an amazingly successful career. A stint with Norway’s central bank followed, where her work included developing a macro economic model for the Norwegian economy. Returning to New Zealand, her climb up the ranks of Bank Economists has been rapid and she speaks openly about becoming the Chief Economist at ANZ in 2017, just ahead of a change in government and prior to the disruption created by Covid 19. On the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast Sharon Zollner speaks to Bruce Cotterill about the current state of the New Zealand economy, which she suggests is more resilient that many of us might expect. She is also refreshingly open about the impacts of war in the Middle East and the associated panic around oil prices and supplies, and the likely stages that economies will go through as the conflict continues. As you might expect, Zollner reels off economic terms and statistics in an uncomplicated manner that is easy to understand and entertaining to listen to. Her lessons from Norway are interesting given the similarity of that economy to that of New Zealand, and the differing constraints that the two countries must operate within. Most importantly, she is positive about the current state of New Zealand, despite the obvious headwinds, and one wishes that her enthusiasm for our future should be contagious. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1hr 1min

  5. 4 MAR

    Episode 57, Part 2: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon

    In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 57 part 2, we continue out chat with The Right Honourable Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand. Following on from last week, we get deeper into his past two years as Prime Minister, the recent India Free Trade Agreement, and whether he would work another term alongside coalition partners Winston Peters and David Seymour. There is no escaping Christopher Luxon’s aspiration for New Zealand nor his passion for the role that he now occupies. He’s driven by outcomes rather than slogans and that reflects in his attitude about the election campaign ahead. And if he could flick a switch, what’s the one thing he would like to change? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    34 min

  6. 25 FEB

    Episode 57: The Right Honourable Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand

    In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 57, our guest is The Right Honourable Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand. A typical Kiwi upbringing was a hallmark of young Christopher Luxon’s life. The oldest of three brothers, he grew up in Christchurch and later Auckland, with working parents and a work ethic that was obvious early. He was a sports mad kid, but it didn’t stop there. Walking home one afternoon he decided to cold call the neighbourhood homes to see if he could sell his services as a window cleaner. A business was born. It’s owner-operator just 14 years old. He returned to his hometown of Christchurch for his university studies before his corporate career took hold.  Starting as a management trainee with global consumer goods giant Unilever, it was a company and a career that took him around the world. He worked in Australia, the United Kingdom and the USA before his eventual appointment as President and CEO of Unilever Canada. In 2011, he returned to New Zealand for a senior executive role at Air New Zealand and a year later he was appointed CEO, a role he held for seven years. That he walked away from such a spectacular business career is a story in itself. Within four years, and after just three years as a Member of Parliament, he became New Zealand’s 42nd Prime Minister. In the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast, Christopher Luxon talks openly with Bruce Cotterill about his short but spectacular rise in New Zealand’s political scene. He is surprisingly open about his successes and failures in government to date and equally forthright about the assembly and operation of a coalition that has held together better than many expected. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    53 min

  7. 11 FEB

    Episode 56: CEO of Resonate Health, James Whittaker

    In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 56, our guest is the founder and CEO of Resonate Health, James Whittaker.  James started life in the UK and began his career in one of that country’s most iconic companies, British Airways. The story of how he became an entrepreneur on the other side of the world is both entertaining and inspiring. He came to New Zealand with his young family as tourists, and they returned a year later with the intention of settling and staying. He continued his corporate career in New Zealand, working with Private Equity to turnaround the fortunes of a company specialising in hearing aids. But he thought of a better way, and after a couple of false starts, Resonate Health NZ was born. Resonate brings a totally new approach to the business of hearing loss, and with an ageing population, the possibilities seem endless. From a startup in 2022 to 31 hearing studios today, the business is on a mammoth growth curve. At its centre is world class technology and a driven entrepreneur determined to build the world’s best health care company. In the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast, James Whittaker talks to Bruce Cotterill about a vision that sets his business apart, the extremes he goes to in order to attract talent, and the importance of building trust with his customers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1hr 6min

  8. 10/12/2025

    Episode 55: Former Speaker of the House and High Commissioner to London, Sir Lockwood Smith

    In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 55, our guest is the former National Party Minister, Speaker of the House and Ambassador to London, Sir Lockwood Smith.  Sir Lockwood Smith is one of those people you feel you know before meeting him. He first stepped into the public gaze as a television presenter of science programmes aimed at school age children. What started as a university holiday job delivered some early name recognition, helping him to win a seat in the old first part the post political system. He grew up on the family farm that he still runs today. He learned the ropes early and developed the skills necessary to run the farm before leaving school. A Bachelors and Masters degree (with honours) in Agricultural Science put the theory alongside the practical skills he’d already developed. At first, he followed what most of us would observe as an academic career, lecturing at Massey University and wining a scholarship to attend the Waite Agricultural Research Institute, at the University of Adelaide, where he studied for his PhD in ruminant metabolism. He tells of studying Opera, as a sideline, while he was there. While in Adelaide he took up rowing, winning five state championships and leading the Adelaide University Boat Club as it’s captain. Back in New Zealand, politics was calling and he was elected to parliament as the MP for Kaipara in 1984. He became one of our longest serving MP’s, staying for 29 years, the last five of which were spent as a most respected “Speaker of the House”. On the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast with Bruce Cotterill, Sir Lockwood speaks of the highs and lows of life in politics. There have been many achievements and the occasional disappointment, and he is refreshingly open in his discussion, including the behind the scenes conflict surrounding leadership appointments. And he reflects on his time as Speaker of the House and his disappointment at today’s parliamentary behaviour. He also covers off his five-year stint as our High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ghana & Nigeria, and Ambassador to Ireland and the various roles he conducted on behalf of the UK government after his post was completed. Today, he’s back on the farm that he has operated throughout a busy life, breeding Belgian Blue bulls, a breed that he has continued to develop and enhance over his entire life. He’s a happy and contented man with a wonderful story to tell. And he tells it very well. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1hr 19min
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About

Kiwis seem to be debating the big issues more than ever before. Whether it’s house prices, the state of the economy, or the performance of our political leaders, most of us aren’t lacking for an opinion. One of the things we don’t talk about that much is the need for good leadership. And it’s not just the politicians that need to take note. Whether you are running a sports team, a small business, a big business, or even a school, good leadership will see goals achieved and better outcomes generated. Join company director and business adviser Bruce Cotterill as he talks to leaders about leadership.     

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