Business

Fonterra Cooperative Group cut its forecast 2015 milk price payout by about 12 percent, citing weaker global dairy prices and said there is a risk of further declines given strong global milk production.  New Zealand’s biggest company revised its forecast payout to farmers while releasing its results for the year ended July 31, which showed sales climbed 19.5 percent to …

New Zealand shares jumped, led by MightyRiverPower, after the National Party’s convincing election victory on the weekend wiped out any regulatory fears for the power companies. Meridian Energy, Genesis Energy and Contact Energy paced gains. The NZX 50 Index advanced 54.947 points, or 1.1 percent, to 5236.292. Within the index, 27 stocks rose, 13 fell and 10 were unchanged. Turnover …

Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom presented no evidence to back his claim the Prime Minister was at the centre of a Hollywood plot to have him extradited to the United States to face charges. As I wrote on the New Zealand Herald website last night  “If Kim Dotcom thinks his Moment of Truth will affect the outcome of Saturday’s election, he …

Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey talks up his country’s potential to be the “world’s number one energy exporter” within the decade but China’s ban on the sale and import of coal with high ash or sulfur content may impact forecast returns. The Chinese Government’s crackdown is in response to the heavy pollution in Shanghai and Beijing and social unrest in many …

Airwork Holdings, the aviation services firm which listed last December, boosted annual profit 52 percent on the strength of its helicopter engineering unit, beating guidance. The shares gained. Net profit rose to $9.83 million, or 20.8 cents per share, in the 12 months ended June 30, from $6.47 million, or 15.2 cents, a year earlier, the Auckland-based company said in a …

Fonterra Cooperative Group will offer a premium of at least 20 percent for a one-fifth stake in Beingmate Baby & Child Food as part of a $615 million investment in a partnership to drive baby food sales into China. Fonterra will offer 18 yuan a share for Beingmate stock in a partial tender offer that will be supported by chairman Wang Zhentai, …

Don’t act so surprised, Your Highness. You weren’t on any mercy mission this time. Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you. In my experience, there is no such thing as luck. Partially, but it also obeys your commands. I want to come with you to …

The Commerce Commission is consulting with the telecommunications industry over what price Chorus can charge rivals to access its copper telephone lines, suggesting a review process could be accelerated and the final price backdated. The Commerce Commission is reviewing the price by building a full cost model on Chorus’s unbundled local loop, which lets retailers rent the lines for voice …

The Reserve Bank’s inflation target is crucial if it wants the private sector to believe its projected interest rate path, and means the monetary authority needs consistent communications, deputy governor Geoff Bascand says. The central bank is mandated to provide a type of forward guidance in its policy statements, which is typically the future track of the 90-day bank bill …