By Paul McBeth Oct. 22 (BusinessDesk) – New Zealand Refining, operator of the country’s only oil refinery, added an extra US cent to its margins from recent upgrades, and anticipates further gains from a bigger project to be completed next month. The Whangarei-based company has lifted margins 13 US cents per barrel from a series of initiatives aimed at lifting …

By Paul McBeth Oct. 22 (BusinessDesk) – Crown Fibre Holdings, the government entity tasked with overseeing the taxpayer-sponsored fibre network build, will have its mandate extended to cover rural connectivity, which Communications Minister Amy Adams wants delivered at faster speeds over the next decade. The agency will continue to be responsible for the ultrafast broadband programme, which is currently in …

By Paul McBeth Oct. 23 (BusinessDesk) – New Zealand’s reputation as a responsible member of the world’s financial community is undermined by holes in the financial services provider register, which is still open to abuse by unscrupulous foreign firms, industry groups say. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is revisiting the register in a legislative review of the 2008 …