The New Zealand dollar rose to a five-week high against the Australian dollar, extending its gains of the past week on expectations the New Zealand central bank is more inclined to raise interest rates while its counterpart could be looking at a cut. The kiwi dollar rose to 79.66 Australian cents at 5pm in Wellington from 79.52 cents at the …

The New Zealand Maori Council’s case to stop the partial privatisation of MightyRiverPower while tribal claims to water rights are outstanding has failed at the High Court and is now almost certainly heading for appeal. The key question now is whether it will go to the Court of Appeal, or whether grounds may be found to take it straight to …

The Reserve Bank has settled on what it thinks are appropriate capital ratio requirements for the nation’s lenders which are set to kick in from next month. The bank regulator hasn’t moved on its view that banks should be holding a ratio of 4.5 percent of common equity Tier 1 capital in relation to their risk-weighted assets, a Tier 1 …