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New Zealand lamb wool prices fell from a four-year high at auction last week as a rising local currency made the fibre more expensive for overseas buyers.   The price for clean lamb wool slipped 2.3 percent to $6.50 per kilogram from the previous week’s auction, which was the highest since February 2011, according to AgriHQ. The average price for …

2Degrees, New Zealand’s third-largest mobile telecommunications provider, is to acquire Christchurch-based internet service provider, Snap, to allow it to compete more effectively for business customers by offering a full range of mobile, broadband and fixed-line voice telephony using the internet.   The purchase, for an undisclosed sum, formally links the two companies, which have been in a selling partnership arrangement for the …

New Zealand consumer confidence rose in the first three months of the year, as Kiwis enjoyed cheaper fuel prices and lower fixed home-loan rates, and became more upbeat about the near-term outlook for the economy.   The Westpac McDermott Miller Consumer Confidence Index rose to 117.4 in the latest survey from 114.8 three months earlier. The present conditions index gained 1.8 points to …

New Zealand consumer confidence edged up in March with both current and future measures increasing.   The ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index rose to 124.6 in March from 124 in February. The current conditions index advanced to 123.7 from 123, while the future conditions index gained to 125.3 from 124.6.   “Amidst some volatility from month to month, the underlying …

A resurgence in property prices means LVR ‘speed limits’ are like to stay in place, Standard & Poor’s says in a report that predicts banks will continue to post strong earnings growth while trading in the shadow of a “heightened risk” of a future property crash.   “The relatively low level of credit losses over the next two-to-three years will continue, underpinning …

New Zealand has a “two-speed” economy as strong domestic demand cushions a weaker export sector, according to Moody’s Analytics. GDP data due tomorrow will probably show New Zealand’s economy expanded 0.8 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, said Faraz Syed, an associate economist at Moody’s Analytics, a division of Moody’s Corp which is independent of the credit ratings …

Professional director Joan Withers has been named chair of Television New Zealand, replacing Wayne Walden. Withers has been deputy chair of the state-owned broadcaster since 2009 and her previous experience in media companies includes being chief executive of Fairfax Media New Zealand. TVNZ dominates free-to-air broadcasting in New Zealand and its market share rose to 61.6 percent in the first half from …

Fonterra Cooperative Group’s managing director of its Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa business unit, Pascal De Petrini, has resigned with immediate effect to take up a role with his former company and Fonterra arch competitor, the French food giant Danone, less than 18 months after moving to the world’s largest dairy exporter. De Petrini, who is a member of Fonterra’s management …

Apple Sales New Zealand, the local unit of the iPad and iPod maker, increased annual profit by 44 percent, on largely unchanged sales, as it benefited from a gain on its currency positions. Profit was $15.1 million in the year ended Sept. 27, up from $10.5 million the year earlier, according to its financial statements lodged with the Companies Office. Sales rose to …

Lion  – Beer, Spirits & Wine (NZ) Ltd , which has 46 percent of the New Zealand market and is owned by Japan’s Kirin Holdings, is making less money in the domestic market as alcohol drinkers opt for quality over quantity. Accounts for Lion filed to the Companies Office add to the picture of a declining booze industry, partly offset by a move to “premiumisation” and …