Calibre Group, an ASX-listed mining and rail consultancy, has acquired New Zealand engineering and survey advisors Spiire Group from Downer EDI Group for $1.9 million. Perth-based Calibre said the acquisition by its Brown Consulting unit would add to earnings immediately and extend its reach in civil and urban infrastructure. Spiire, which has about 120 workers, is expected to generate $19 …

The Environmental Defence Society is calling for the government to scrap its draft regulations governing deep sea oil exploration on the same day as Texan oil explorer Anadarko said it was plugging and abandoning the first of the two deepwater wells it’s drilling this summer. While there were some oil and gas shows in the Romney-1 well, drilled in 1.5 …

The New Zealand sharemarket dropped to a four-week low, tracking a decline on Wall Street, after a report showed US manufacturing activity grew at the slowest pace in eight months, fuelling concern about global growth. New Zealand’s benchmark NZX 50 Index fell 58.331 points, or 1.2 percent, to 4,791.171 in morning trading. In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average …