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 …

The New Zealand dollar climbed above 83 Australian cents for the first time since October 2009 as investors look for increasing returns on this side of the Ditch ahead of next week’s Australian central bank. The kiwi climbed to 83.02 Australian cents at 5pm in Wellington, near its 83.08 cents high, from 82.86 cents yesterday. The local currency gained to …