Murray McCully’s controversial $10 million deal to buyoff an aggrieved Saudi Arabian investor and his Government and remove a block to a free trade deal bypassed the normal Government channels. It’s arguable that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat) has simply been used as a slush fund. But it’s more complex than that. A close look at the …

Fonterra Cooperative Group has opened applications for its farmer suppliers to lock in a guaranteed milk price for a portion of their milk in the coming 2015/2016 season in a price range of $4.85 per kilogram of milk solids to $5.25/kgMS, despite undersubscription for the last two offers. The upper limit matches the farmgate milk price forecast for the new season which …

Auditor-General Lyn Provost must investigate Murray McCully’s secret Saudi deal, which is attracting far too much adverse comment on the international stage to be easily swept under the carpet. Cabinet documents do not shed sufficient light on why McCully spearheaded an initiative which at its kindest interpretation resulted in a sweetheart deal to look after Saudi businessman Hamood Al-Ali Al-Khalaf, …