New Zealand shares joined in a global sell off, led by OceanaGold Corp and Fletcher Building, as investors were spooked by a falling oil price. Air New Zealand, Mainfreight and Z Energy gained on the prospect of cheaper fuel costs. The NZX 50 Index fell 3.32 points, or 0.1 percent, to 5495.752. Within the index, 24 stocks fell, 13 rose and 13 were unchanged. Turnover …

The New Zealand government has pushed out its targeted return to surplus for a year as falling dairy prices and a low inflation environment has kept a lid on its rising tax take, but is still dangling a possible tax cut in 2017, the next election year and promising to try and achieve the surplus pledge on which it campaigned …

Buller Coal, the would-be Denniston Plateau coal miner owned by Bathurst Resources, has lost an application in the High Court to claim interest on a $4 million advance to Brightwater Engineers, the consultant for the escarpment mine. In 2010, Buller sought resource consent for its planned escarpment coal mine on Denniston Plateau, which was finalised in May this year. At the same time as seeking the consents, …