The lowest annual pace of inflation in 14 years is relieving pressure on the Reserve Bank to have to raise interest rates this year, as rising construction costs stay contained. The consumer price index rose 0.2 percent in the three months ended June 30, just shy of the 0.3 percent expected in a Reuters survey of economists, for an annual …

Accident Compensation Corp, the state-owned no-fault accident insurance scheme with more than $20 million of funds under management, has taken advantage of retailer Pumpkin Patch’s shares near an 18-month low to lift its holding to 9.2 percent. ACC bought 500,000 shares in the children’s clothing chain on July 12 for about $411,000, or about 82 cents apiece. It had previously …

New Zealand inflation printed just below expectations in the second quarter, as cheap imported petrol helped counter rising housing related prices, pushing the annual rate to a 14-year low. The consumer price index rose 0.2 percent in the three months ended June 30, just shy of the 0.3 percent expected in a Reuters survey of economists, for an annual pace …