New Zealand shares rose as investors renewed their appetite for growth stories such as Xero and Diligent Board Member Services, while Synlait Milk soared 25 percent in its NZX debut. The NZX 50 Index gained 26.550 points, or 0.6 percent, to 4580.591. Within the index, 25 stocks rose, nine fell and 16 were unchanged. Turnover was $78 million. OceanaGold, the …

Loss-making start-up companies with heavy research and development expenditure will be eligible for a tax-free loan of up to $500,000 annually under proposals outlined in a discussion paper released today. The tax rules, as they stand, are seen to discourage R&D-intensive start-up firms because they have more difficulty than most accessing bank lending, can often expect to make losses for …

The New Zealand dollar rose above 80 US cents for the first time in a month as a lull in US data keeps traders unsure as to where the Federal Reserve is leaning in its plan to unwind its stimulus programme, and as volatility in financial markets dwindled to a three month low. The kiwi rose as high as 80.06 …