The Financial Markets Authority has issued a warning to the directors of failed lender St Laurence over potential breaches of the Securities Act, deciding against pursuing them in court as the breaches occurred during a four-month period when reinvestment was low and that there was no evidence of dishonesty or personal gain in the alleged misconduct. The market watchdog has …

Microsoft New Zealand, the local arm of the world’s biggest software maker, lifted sales and profit last year while Hewlett Packard’s local unit extended its losses, highlighting increased demand for cloud-based services and weaker sales of personal computers. Sales at Microsoft NZ rose 2.9 percent to $78.5 million in the 12 months ended June 30, 2013, according to its annual …

Postie Plus, the worst performing stock on the New Zealand sharemarket the past year, had its shares placed on a trading halt pending a material announcement by the company. The Auckland-based retailer has previously said it expects to have a “significant” net loss before tax in the year ending Aug. 3, though smaller than last year’s loss of $10.6 million. Postie …