New Zealand retail spending on debit, credit and charge cards rose more than expected last month, stoking optimism for a fourth-quarter rebound in fourth-quarter sales after a surprise decline in the third quarter. Electronic card transactions rose 0.5 percent, seasonally adjusted in November, following a 0.4 percent increase in the previous month, according to Statistics New Zealand. Actual sales rose …

The government’s second round of tenders for oil and gas exploration blocks has yielded 10 new exploration licences, including two in the previously unexplored Pegasus Basin to deep-sea exploration specialist Anadarko. The Pegasus Basin is south of the bottom tip of the North Island, and sees the Texas-based explorer adding to its existing suite of deep-sea territories in the Taranaki …

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 …