The Most FM Business Hour

The Most FM
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Sponsored by GQ The Lawyers and hosted by Naomi Harris and Jordan McFadyen, The Business Hour is on New Plymouth's MOST FM (100.4 FM) airs live every Monday morning from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. The show features local business owners, leaders, and entrepreneurs discussing success stories, business growth, and strategies in the Taranaki region.

  1. 3d ago

    Richie Shearer: There's No Such Thing as Can't, It's Won't

    In this episode of The Business Hour, the tables are turned. Jordan sits down with Richie Shearer - the man who launched this very show back around 2008 and interviewed hundreds of Taranaki business owners over the years - this time in the guest's seat. From a "could do better if he applied himself" schoolboy pointed toward industrial instrumentation by a switched-on careers advisor, to an apprenticeship, an OE that took him from a London pub to oil and gas projects across the UK, Singapore, Indonesia and Australia — Richie's path has been one opportunity leading to the next. Back home in Taranaki, that instinct turned into a string of businesses and a lasting commitment to the community. Together, they explore: Being chucked in the deep end overseas — from 30-input systems in New Zealand to 2,500 in London — and why one year in a fast-growing business feels like tenThe "cast-iron bath" lightbulb moment when web hosting revealed itself as a multiplier — and the birth of WebFarm in 1997Building FreeParking as the NZ domain registry opened up, hitting third in the Deloitte Fast 50 with 550%+ growth, and the 18-month earn-out on exitDe-risking the leap by asking "what have I really got to lose?" — and his grandmother's line, "there's no such thing as can't, it's won't"Buying and running QP Sport for nearly 20 years, niche chest-protection gear, and navigating the S-curve as cheap copies biteRescuing the Most FM from shutdown in 2008 and running it as a community-funded charitable trustHow Taranaki Futures was dreamed up live on air — and why the fancy boats at the port belong to the tradiesWhy the internet's early ethical, open ethos feels a world away from today's big-tech AI era A warm, full-circle conversation about risk, reinvention, and the quiet privilege of sharing other people's stories. Key takeaway: "There's no such thing as can't, it's won't." Richie's grandmother's words — and the through-line of a career built on backing yourself and finding the next opportunity.

  2. Aug 10

    Tough Times Don't Discriminate: Wellbeing, Community & the Taranaki Retreat

    In this episode of The Business Hour, Naomi Harris sits down with Jamie Allen of the Taranaki Retreat and Richard Williams of GQ — a trustee of the Retreat — for a moving conversation about mental wellbeing, community, and the quiet power of showing up for one another. Launched 12 years ago and designed by the community for the community, the Taranaki Retreat is the only organisation of its kind in the country offering completely free, wraparound support when people are in distress. Jamie unpacks its holistic, whare tapa whā-based approach across four spaces — the residential retreat, the food truck, the Strandon outreach hub, and Waimanako, the café and support space with its listening-ear team. Together, they explore: Why word of mouth matters so much — and how being someone's advocate can be the most helpful thing you can doThe visible and the invisible: why mental distress can feel so private and isolating, and the "I'm fine" mask so many of us wearRising stress in unexpected places — including our over-65s — and the scarcity messaging that stops people reaching outSuicide prevention as a genuine collective, and the 70+ organisations partnering with the RetreatĀwhina — the Retreat's own secure, Taranaki-built, data-sovereign software platform for community providers, with all data staying onshoreWhy men are wired to avoid asking for help — and that tough times don't discriminate, reaching even the CEO "busking it" at the topJamie's vision of Taranaki as a gold standard for trauma-informed care across schools, workplaces and support servicesHow businesses can give back in small but meaningful ways — a coffee at Waimanako, an auction item, driving a van, or a governance seatA warm, generous conversation about kindness, connection, and the difference a community can make when it decides its people are everyone's responsibility. Key takeaway: "Tough times don't discriminate." Support at the Taranaki Retreat is there for everyone, completely free — and we all have something we can give back.

  3. Aug 6

    Governance, Purpose & Giving Back

    In this episode of The Business Hour, Jordan hosts a full studio for a conversation all about governance - and the community organisations that hold the region together. He's joined by Rob Facer from the Institute of Directors (IoD), Jo Weiss from The Wheelhouse, and experienced director Diane Mason. Across Taranaki there's a plethora of well-meaning community organisations crying out for people to sit on their boards and, at the same time, a pool of talented, capable people looking for governance roles. This conversation is about bridging that gap, and why good governance matters just as much in the not-for-profit sector as it does in business. Together, they explore: The IoD and Wheelhouse "governance connections" event - which began life as governance speed datingThe four pillars of good governance: defining purpose, setting the right culture, holding to account, and complianceWhy community organisations need to be board-ready - clear on their purpose, vision, values, and the skills they're seekingDiane's journey from a 15-year international energy career with Shell to trustee roles with New Plymouth InjurySafe and the Toi FoundationDoing your due diligence as an aspiring director - values alignment, cultural fit, and finding the right match on both sidesThe genuine joy and personal satisfaction of giving back through governanceHow The Wheelhouse supports leadership and capacity across 100+ community organisations a yearA warm, practical conversation about purpose, connection, and the quiet work of strengthening a region - one board table at a time. Key takeaway: "Don't wait for the time to come - you can start right now." Diane's advice for anyone considering governance: start local, build your network, and learn as you contribute.

  4. Jul 29

    From Engineer to Advocate: Juliet Oliver on Endometriosis & Endo45

    In this episode of The Business Hour, Naomi Harris sits down with Juliet Oliver — a process systems materials engineer turned startup founder, and the creator of Endo45, a digital health platform supporting people living with endometriosis. Originally from Auckland, Juliet came to Taranaki for its energy sector and built a career at Todd Energy — until, at the height of that career, she was hit by stage four endometriosis. Drawing on her engineer's instinct for data, she built a "biological blueprint" of what was broken in her body, overhauled her health, and reached a remission she's now maintained pain- and symptom-free for a decade. The conversation explores how a personal health crisis became a mission to help others — and what it takes to leave a secure industry with no background in tech or women's health and build something from scratch. Together, they explore: Navigating a high-demand career in a male-dominated industry while managing a hidden chronic illnessWhy endometriosis is a whole-body inflammatory disease — and why cutting it out isn't the end of the storyThe staggering economic burden: upwards of $22 billion a year to New Zealand, most of it lost productivityBuilding an app to make evidence-based support accessible, bootstrapped largely on volunteer powerA new schools pilot with Spark Health and Deborah Bush's "What About Me" programme, bringing menstrual health education into five Waikato high schoolsWhy sales and marketing was harder than working offshore on North Sea rigsTelling your story to connect — and leading with hope rather than only painThe emerging diagnostic tools (saliva, blood and urine tests) that could change the landscape overnightA candid, generous conversation about resilience, taking your health into your own hands, and turning privilege and hard-won knowledge into help for others.

  5. Jul 20

    Stacey Hitchcock on Taranaki's Economic Future

    In this episode of Most FM The Business Hour sponsored by GQ The Lawyers, Jordan sits down with Stacey Hitchcock - Deputy Chief Executive and General Manager of Strategy and Investment at Venture Taranaki, and a former two-term New Plymouth District Councillor. From growing up in Inglewood and dropping out of university six months in, to youth work, drumming in a band, launching Zeal in West Auckland, and eventually putting her face on a billboard - Stacey's path has been anything but a five-year plan. What runs through all of it is a willingness to back herself and define success on her own terms. The conversation turns to the region's economic future: the decline of oil and gas, the 1,700 jobs lost in three years, and the bold plays Venture Taranaki is making to catalyse what comes next — including the Taranaki Alliance, a first-of-its-kind model uniting 80+ engineering and manufacturing firms behind a single front door. Together, they explore: Defining your own version of success, and why dropping out was the right callThe "circle of courage" - belonging, mastery, independence, generosity - and why it applies at any ageFreezing on stage at 26, and the mantra that got her back up there: if it scares you, that's probably the thing to doWhat economic development actually involves: finding the gaps, de-risking, catalysingThe Taranaki Alliance - chasing $200 million in contracts and 1,200 jobs in three yearsLand diversification and functional botanicals: turning $800 a hectare into potentially far moreWhy Awakino Gorge, Port Taranaki and a clear, undiluted regional message matter so muchGrowing homegrown talent rather than relying on immigration aloneAn energising, big-picture conversation about what Taranaki can build when it plays to its strengths and refuses to take things lying down.

  6. Jul 15

    Start Small, Build the Story: Ryan Jacobs on Community & Centre City

    In this episode of The Business Hour, Naomi Harris is joined by co-host Adam as they sit down with Ryan Jacobs, Marketing Lead at Centre City — the region's only shopping centre, reimagined as a hub for the whole community. Originally from Canada and in Taranaki for the last four years, Ryan brings a genuinely unconventional path to marketing: nearly 15 years as a professional musical theatre performer, national graduate programmes at Downer, a stint in real estate, and now the challenge of shifting how a 30-year-old shopping centre tells its story. The conversation weaves through community, creativity, and the thread that ties Ryan's whole career together - storytelling - and why the journey, failures and all, is what actually builds an audience. Together, they explore: Why storytelling is the essence of every business — and how you shift the language for each audienceThe reality of finding community as a new parent, and rebuilding it in a new season of lifeReframing Centre City from "the big box by the sea" to an evolving asset built by local contractors, for local peopleMeasuring marketing impact when you're playing the long game — footfall, sentiment, and the qualitative side that's easy to overlookDiversifying channels beyond the meta analytics that only show you who's already listeningChampioning your journey publicly, and why tall poppy syndrome holds the region backBig ideas on the whiteboard: site-specific theatre, community light displays, and a pop-up shop anyone can test an idea inA warm, ideas-rich conversation about connection, resilience, and the power of showing the work behind the doors. Key takeaway: "Build an audience along the way." Don't wait for the perfect, finished success — bring people through the failures and the journey, and you'll arrive with a whole community already behind you.

  7. Jul 6

    Say Yes, Worry Later: Steve Scott on Building Rivet

    In this episode of The Most FM Business Hour sponsored by GQ The Lawyers, Jordan is joined by Cam from GQ as they sit down with Steve Scott of Rivet - the Taranaki metal fabrication business behind some of the region's most iconic buildings. From buying a small heating and ducting business with his parents in December 1991 (knowing nothing about heating, but plenty about making a sink bench), to growing from 7 staff to 25 within 18 months, Steve shares nearly 35 years of adapting, pivoting, and refusing to stand still. The conversation moves from the challenges and rewards of family business, to the rebrand from Scott's Sheet Metal to Rivet, to the calculated risks behind landmark projects - including the Len Lye Centre, a $2.5 million job that dwarfed anything Rivet had done before and left everyone telling Steve he was mad. Together, they explore: Why buying and revitalising an existing business can beat starting from scratch - for both the seller and the next generationDrawing clear lines in a family business (and knowing when to stop talking shop at the dinner table)Structuring his parents' gentle exit - and how "just take Mondays off" turned into 20 years of travelFocusing on your craft and subbing out the rest, rather than being the unicorn who does everythingThe Len Lye Centre: 32 tonnes of stainless steel, 520 panels, and backing your own instincts when the experts doubt youLaunching Ribvet Innovate to get involved before projects hit the budget wall - selling the sizzle before the sausageBuilding a genuine succession plan, and what's next now that the sales hustle still fires him up A candid, inspiring story about risk, reinvention, and the quiet pride of leaving your mark on the skyline. Key takeaway: "If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity, just say yes and worry about it later." A Richard Branson line that shaped the Len Lye Centre - and much of what's come since.

  8. Jun 29

    Garry Carnachan on Leadership & Community

    In this episode of The Business Hour, Naomi Harris and Jordan sit down with Garry Carnachan - Taranaki born and bred, former CEO of School Sport New Zealand, and a governance leader whose "attempt to retire" has been gloriously unsuccessful. From playing barefoot rugby in the Kaponga frost, to 25 years in teaching, to an accidental leap into professional sport with the Hurricanes and Junior All Blacks, Garry shares a career built around one conviction: that sport, done well, changes lives - and that the real game is rarely the one on the scoreboard. The conversation moves from the interface of sport and education, to values-led strategy, to the governance model behind the Taranaki Community Rugby Trust - and why social cohesion, not silverware, is the point. Together, they explore: Why engagement starts with simply getting a kid through the gateBuilding strategy from values, then turning those values into actionsThe "don't be that guy, be that guy" model of authentic leadershipWhy leadership can be lonely — and how trust, delegation and feeling valued fix itLooking after yourself as a non-negotiable of good leadership (four nights home in six months was the wake-up call)How hubbing and collaboration are bringing whole communities together through sportThe Community Rugby Trust model: business supporting sport, $1.4 million back into the communityA genuinely inspiring conversation about leadership, legacy, and the quiet power of bringing people together. Key takeaway: "Don't be that guy, be that guy." Great leadership isn't a style you copy from a book - it's built from the people who shaped you, made authentic and your own.

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Sponsored by GQ The Lawyers and hosted by Naomi Harris and Jordan McFadyen, The Business Hour is on New Plymouth's MOST FM (100.4 FM) airs live every Monday morning from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. The show features local business owners, leaders, and entrepreneurs discussing success stories, business growth, and strategies in the Taranaki region.

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