The government is committing to improving the quality of New Zealand’s natural resource base at the same time as pushing more intensive agriculture and more extraction of minerals, oil and gas to accelerate economic growth. The latest update on its economic growth agenda, released this morning by Finance Minister Bill English and Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce, appears to heed …

DNZ Property Fund chief executive Paul Duffy sold 9.9 percent of his stake in the property investor worth $1.65 million, cashing in as the share price tests record-highs since listing two years ago. Duffy sold 964,150 shares at an average price of about $1.625 last week, netting him $1.57 million, having sold 50,000 shares for $79,250, or $1.585 a share, …

L&M Energy chairman and creditor Geoff Loudon has drawn more than 80 percent acceptances for his takeover offer. Loudon’s New Dawn Energy has acceptance for 80.4 percent of L&M, according to a substantial shareholder notice yesterday. It needs to get to 90 percent to declare the offer unconditional. The company made its offer in October at 6 Australian cents a …