New Zealand commodity prices rose for a seventh month in February, led by gains in the price of butter, though the strength of the local currency meant they were flat in kiwi dollar terms. The ANZ Commodity Price index rose 1 percent to 275.3 last month, with 10 of the basket of 17 raw materials lifting in price. Five were …

Allied Farmers, which reported a further $4.1 million writedown on its ex-Hanover Finance assets last week, is trying to cobble together a loan repayment by the end of the day in a bid to stave off a potential liquidation. The Hawera-based company is in talks with various parties, including secured lender Crown Asset Management on a repayment proposal to a …

Fonterra Cooperative Group, the world’s biggest dairy exporter, is going ahead with a plan to build a cheese plant and dairy ingredient factory in the north of the Netherlands with Dutch dairy firm A-ware Food Group. The dairy companies will develop a greenfield site in Heerenveen where A-ware will operate a cheese plant and Fonterra the ingredients unit alongside, Fonterra …