New Zealand manufacturing volumes continued to grow in the final three months of 2012, and a rundown in stocks outside food and beverage bodes well for the sector this year as construction gets underway in Canterbury and Auckland. Total manufacturing sales volumes rose a seasonally adjusted 1.5 percent in the three months ended Dec. 31, slowing from a 2.5 percent …

New Zealand property values continued to rise in February, with most of the increase still coming from Auckland and Canterbury. National property values rose 3.2 percent in the three months ended Feb. 28 to $428,692 and have gained 6.3 percent over the past year, according to state valuer Quotable Value. Property values are now 3.2 percent above the last peak …

Reserve Bank governor Graeme Wheeler has an increasing number of moving parts to juggle in his assessment of monetary policy, with the kiwi dollar higher than forecast, a resurgent housing market and the impact of drought on economic output. Wheeler will keep the official cash rate at 2.5 percent when he releases his monetary policy statement on March 14, according …