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Synlait Milk, which plans to take a quarter-stake in Sichuan New Hope Nutritional Foods Co to gain a direct interest in a Chinese infant formula brand, has talked down the threat of dry conditions in Canterbury, saying its farmer suppliers have reliable access to irrigation water. The Rakaia-based milk processor hasn’t seen a drop in milk production as parts of …

Landcorp, New Zealand’s largest corporate farmer, plans to increase returns from sheep, signing a three-year contract with NZ Merino to manage its entire wool clip and seeking board approval next month to build a new shed to trial milking some of the flock. The state-owned enterprise indicated last July it was taking a serious look at milking sheep as a way of getting a …

Greg Hall A visit from Silicon Valley investors Sam Altman and Scott Nolan had Auckland’s startup community buzzing, with the pair coming to town as a part of a half-work/half-holiday tour of New Zealand. They’ve already seen some of what New Zealand has to offer, and on Friday joined a selection of NZ  innovators at Spark City to talk about …

Bank of China (NZ)  signed MOU with two of New Zealand’s best known companies; Air New Zealand and NZX. The signing of the memorandum with NZX was included as part of the official state visit to New Zealand this week by China’s President Xi Jinping. Both the Chinese President and John Key witnessed the signing at a function in Karaka, South Auckland. Bank …

By Alan Oxley Last week’s APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Beijing was more significant than many business leaders realise – and certainly more important than the anti-trade protests that gained headlines across New Zealand. For the first time, there was a genuine agreement – and push — on  a broader Free Trade Agreement for the Asia Pacific (FTAAP). The prime mover …

The China/Australia Free Trade Agreement, or “CHAfta” as it is being called, gives Australian dairy farmers much better access to the Chinese infant formula market, which they have been beaten out of by the New Zealanders in recent years. Agricultural sector writer Alan Emerson recently noted that in 2009 New Zealand and Australia produced approximately the same amount of milk. …

There can be little doubt that the Australian’s have pulled off a rather remarkable piece of diplomatic manoeuvring to strike what appears to be such a comprehensive and far reaching Free Trade Agreement with the Chinese government. The broadly based FTA includes agreement on areas including Agriculture, Resources, Service industries, Investment and Worker mobility. Few expected anything so extensive or …

The world’s 7th largest bank*, the Bank of China announced that it has been granted its banking licence from the Reserve Bank of  and will formally launch its business at a special ceremony in Auckland on Friday. The granting of the banking licence will allow the Bank of China to meet the growing demand for the significant reciprocal trade opportunities between New Zealand and the People’s …

There is broad global support for moves to curb international tax avoidance, New Zealand Finance Minister Bill English said on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brisbane. Cracking down on tax avoidance is one of the key agenda items at this weekend’s G20 Summit, where New Zealand is an invited guest. The G20 countries make up 85 percent of global economic activity …

New Zealand’s recently signed Free Trade Agreement with Korea is a positive step in freeing up our trade relations and represents an absolute bottom line for the quality of outcomes for further agreements.  “We appreciate how difficult it has been to reach an agreement with Korea, and are pleased to now be on a level playing field with our trade …