New Zealand shares rose, pushing the NZX 50 Index to a new five-year high, as expectations of a pickup in building activity lifted companies such as Fletcher Building, Steel & Tube Holdings and Cavalier. PGG Wrightson rose to a 17-month high. The NZX 50 rose 15.54 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4119.08, the highest since November 2008. Within the index, …

Nelson-based Brightwater Group, which last year threatened redundancies over delays to Bathurst Resources’ proposed coal mine on the Denniston Plateau, has been ordered to pay more than $77,000 to in lost wages and compensation over the way it laid off four staff in 2010. Employment Relations Authority member Helen Doyle found the engineering firm ran a flawed and predetermined process …

custom research paper writing service The next United States New Zealand Pacific Partnership Forum promises to be a “truly global dialogue, focused on ‘defining what’s next’  for the NZ-US relationship in a pivotal year for the region.“ US NZ Council CEO and president Bill Maroni says 2013 will be a year of change and increasing focus on the Asia Pacific …