New Zealand Oil & Gas chairman Peter Griffiths has thrown his support behind legislative moves to make directors liable if the companies they govern fail to meet health and safety obligations. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Institute of Directors yesterday released health and safety governance guidelines for directors outlining best practice and advice for company boards. …

The New Zealand dollar rose as the greenback weakened on trader bets that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday may say he is still cautious about the pace of recovery in the world’s largest economy. The kiwi rose to 81.72 US cents from 81.20 cents at the 5pm market close yesterday. The trade-weighted index gained to 76.98 from 76.65 …

Wall Street touched fresh records earlier in the day before giving up gains as investors await clues from the US Federal Reserve on its plans for maintaining stimulus measures. The minutes from the latest Fed’s policy committee meeting are due on Wednesday, the same day that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will be giving testimony to Congress. In late afternoon trading …