New Zealand shares fell, with trading muted as some Australian states celebrated Labour Day and with no sign politicians in Washington can break their budget standoff. Fletcher Building paced the decline and Sky Network Television gained. The NZX 50 Index fell 3.34 points, or 0.1 percent, to 4756.044. Within the index, 19 stocks fell, 19 rose and 12 were unchanged. …

Bay of Plenty iwi Te Arawa has appointed one-time joint chief executive at Fletcher Forests, Ian Boyd, to head its commercial entity, Te Arawa Group Holdings. Te Arawa settled its Treaty claims in 2009 with a $34 million cash settlement and established TAGH to undertake its commercial operations, which include forest and farm ownership, as well as the recently purchased …

The New Zealand dollar drifted lower, while remaining within its recent range, as the stalled budget talks in the US kept traders from taking big positions, while a business confidence survey tomorrow is expected to affirm the strength of the local economy. The kiwi traded at 82.82 US cents at 5pm in Wellington, from 83.12 US cents at the start …