Knauf, the German building materials company, failed to get Fletcher Building’s use of the “Batts” trade mark for building insulation thrown out on the grounds that it is a common name in general public use. In a 113-page High Court judgement, Justice Brendan Brown refused a request to revoke the trade mark, although he limited Fletcher’s claim of infringement of …

New Zealand food prices rose in April, snapping two declines, as eggs and dairy products lifted grocery bills in the month, though inflation remained contained as the strong kiwi dollar kept a lid on imported prices. The food price index advanced 0.6 percent in April following a 0.3 percent fall in March, according to Statistics New Zealand. Food prices increased …

The opposition Green Party has fleshed out a proposal to set up a government-backed investment bank backing ‘green capital’ projects, which it would fund by hiking tax rates on oil companies by more than half. Co-leader Russel Norman today announced his party’s green investment bank policy, which would look to drive greater investment in the clean-tech sector, at a cost …