Property developers, retailers, fashion designers and other businesspeople were among those awarded New Year Honours by the Queen this year. The honours are made by Queen Elizabeth II, in her capacity as the Queen of New Zealand, to recognise the achievements or service by New Zealanders or for New Zealand. Prime Minister John Key reinstated the awarding of knighthoods and …

The New Zealand dollar rose to an eight-month high against the yen as New Zealand heads into a period of higher interest rates while Japan eyes further stimulus to boost its economy. The kiwi rose as high as 86.37 yen early this morning and was trading at 86.23 yen at 8am in Wellington from 85.61 yen at 5pm yesterday. The …

Wall Street is little changed to start the week, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index on track to close its best year since 1997. The S&P 500 has gained 32 percent in 2013, bolstered by US Federal Reserve stimulus measures that have stoked the world’s largest economy to a level where some of that monetary help can be removed. …