New Zealand shares fell as Fletcher Building, the biggest company on the NZX 50 Index by market value, left some investors at a Macquarie briefing in Sydney with the impression earnings would be at the low end of guidance. The NZX 50 fell 30.14 points, or 0.7 percent, to 4544.32. Within the index, 22 stocks rose, 19 fell and nine …

New Zealand’s first public offer privatisation of the 21st century is a week away, with registrations from individual New Zealand investors closing at 5pm ahead of next week’s book-build, following by listing on the NZX and ASX next Friday. No details will be released of the number of registrants. Some 440,000 New Zealanders requested the 260-page prospectus offering shares in …

NZX wants to boost its exposure to agriculture and commodities and the company is on the hunt for bolt-on acquisitions less than $5 million, says chief executive Tim Bennett. “We continue to look for small add-on acquisitions,” Bennett told shareholders at their annual meeting in Wellington. “Ultimately, of course, we would like to offer a broad range of soft commodity …