Offshore mining of ironsands deposited in the southern Taranaki bight has come a step closer with the lodging of a mining permit application by TransTasman Resources, a privately held, Australian-led venture with plans for a multi-billion dollar export industry. TTR’s application is for a 65.76 square kilometre area between 22 and 35 kilometres offshore from Patea in an area where …

The New Zealand dollar will probably take its lead from the US this week, where traders will be looking for guidance from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke on future monetary stimulus, and reports on how the economy is tracking. The local currency may trade between 78.60 US cents and 82.30 cents this week, according to a BusinessDesk survey of 10 …

Methven, the tapware maker, will buy its Chinese manufacturer for as much as US$10 million, which it says will improve margins and profits. Auckland-based Methven agreed to buy Heshan, Guangdong province-based Invention Sanitary for four times the manufacturer?s profit in the 12 months ending June 30, 2014, up to a maximum of US$8 million before potential earn-outs, the company said …