New Zealand house sales fell in August as a lack of listings compounded the chilling effects of rising interest rates and mortgage loan restrictions, and as the upcoming general election adds another uncertainty for buyers. The number of houses sold fell 16 percent to 5,481 in August from the same month a year earlier, and were down 7 percent from …

New Zealand food prices rose in August, paring the previous month’s fall, as more expensive tomatoes, lettuce and broccoli offset discounted breads. The food price index rose 0.3 percent last month, paring a 0.7 percent fall in June, according to Statistics New Zealand. The index was 0.7 percent higher than August 2013, bolstered by a rise in restaurant and ready …

In the 2014 Mood of the Boardroom report we  took the temperature of the nation’s leading CEOs in our annual survey. We examined what CEOs expected from each political party in the lead up to the 2014 election; opportunities and challenges for New Zealand businesses and the policies chief executives wanted escalated for New Zealand’s future success. The report was …