Business Desk

By Paul McBeth Sept. 17 (BusinessDesk) – New Zealand’s economy accelerated by less than expected in the second quarter, with agriculture and mining recovering from a weak start to the year. The kiwi dollar dropped almost half a US cent. Gross domestic product grew 0.4 percent in the three months ended June 30, accelerating from a 0.2 percent pace in the March quarter …

By Pattrick Smellie Sept. 17 (BusinessDesk) – A New South Wales-based mining investor, Mach Energy, is expected to make an alternative bid for distressed state-owned coal miner Solid Energy at today’s ‘watershed’ meeting of creditors in Christchurch this morning. BusinessDesk reliably understands Mach will seek a 30 day delay to the vote scheduled at today’s meeting of Solid Energy creditors, …

Solid Energy’s banking backers can expect to get back between 35 cents and 40 cents in the dollar under a Deed of Company Arrangement that will allow the insolvent state-owned coal miner to be wound up and its saleable assets disposed of over the next two and a half years. A raft of banks, local authorities and businesses including Kiwirail, Fonterra …

The number of home sales fell 4.4 percent in August from July, while soaring on an annual basis, as the national median price steadied on a monthly reading, according to the latest figures from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand. Auckland’s median price increased 0.7 percent in August to $740,000, and has surged 21 percent in the year. Some 7,766 homes sold …

NZX, New Zealand’s stock market operator, has accredited US-based Straits Financial to access its growing dairy derivatives market. Straits has been accredited as a general clearing, trading and advising participant for the NZX dairy derivatives market, the first US clearing member to receive approval since authorisation was granted from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission in February 2014, Wellington-based NZX said in a …

By Fiona Rotherham Sept. 9 (BusinessDesk) – Fonterra Cooperative Group, the country’s largest milk processor, has confirmed it has put on hold a proposed coal mine at Mangatangi while it assesses its energy options. The Coal Action Network Aotearoa (CANA), which is trying to stop coal mining in New Zealand, said Fonterra sent a letter last week to local residents …

Christchurch International Airport, which is 75 percent owned by the city council, more than doubled full-year profit and lifted dividends for the year, including a special payment from proceeds of a property sale. Net profit rose to $37.8 million in the 12 months ended June 30, from $15.7 million a year earlier, the company said in a statement. Operating revenue rose …

Diligent Corp, the governance software developer, appointed a permanent chief financial officer as it recovers from a string of errors in filing its financial statements. Michael Stanton will today take over as CFO from interim CFO and corporate controller Alex Sanchez, who will continue as vice president and chief accounting officer, the New York-based, New Zealand-listed company said in a …

New Zealand’s nascent equity crowdfunding market may be heading for a shakeout as an eighth platform, Property Mogul, seeks regulatory clearance to start operations. The Financial Markets Authority recently approved a seventh equity crowdfunding platform which is being run by Hong Kong-based Propellar Corp, while the backers of Property Mogul, based solely on property crowdfunding, say they are in the throes of gaining regulatory approval. There …

Shares on both sides of the Atlantic moved higher, triggered in part by a late surge in Chinese equities, amid optimism China’s government will act to support its flagging economy. In New York trading at about 2.45pm, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 2.3 percent, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index climbed 2.1 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index added …