Insured Group, whose shares last changed hands more than five months ago, was suspended from trading on the New Zealand stock exchange for failing to provide its annual report on time. The Australian insurer used the shell of failed finance company Lombard Group for a backdoor listing on the exchange in 2010. It has been late filing its annual report …

Smartpay shares have jumped to a two-year high after fund manager Milford Asset Management disclosed a 6.3 percent stake in a bet on the potential for the restructured eftpos company to repeat its New Zealand success in Australia. SmartPay climbed as much as 2.6 percent to 39 cents, the highest since July 2011, having soared 23 percent yesterday. The company …

Business confidence rose to its highest in more than three years in the third quarter and broadened beyond Canterbury, according to the latest Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research. A net 32 percent of businesses were optimistic in the September quarter, seasonally adjusted, up from a net 30 percent in the June quarter, …