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Soaring commodity prices and insatiable Chinese demand for milk powder helped the primary sector emerge largely unscathed from last summer’s drought and Fonterra Cooperative Group’s series of food scares in 2014. homework central The year started badly for Fonterra after a Wall Street Journal article questioned the safety of New Zealand milk after traces of DCD, a nitrate inhibitor, were …

The New Zealand dollar dropped to its lowest in more than a week against the Australian dollar on expectations the divergent paths of the two economies is already priced into their respective currencies. The kiwi touched a low of 91.62 Australian cents over the weekend and was trading at 91.89 cents at 8am in Wellington from 92.45 cents on Friday. …

The optimism triggered by the US Federal Reserve’s decision to begin tapering its bond-buying program next month as the world’s biggest economic recovery gathers speed appears likely to extend into this Christmas-holiday shortened week. In the previous five sessions, the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 3 percent, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rallied 2.4 percent and the Nasdaq Composite …

New Zealand shares weakened ahead of the Christmas holiday period in mixed trading as investors cash up for profits. The NZX 50 slipped 25.869 points, or 0.55 percent, to 4,681.191. Within the index, 31 stocks fell, 13 rose and six were unchanged. Turnover was $221.9 million. “Our market has been a little bit disappointing in recent weeks,” said Grant Williamson, …

Carter Holt Harvey, owned by Graeme Hart’s Rank Group, and Fletcher Building, the country’s biggest listed company, admitted to the Commerce Commission that they agreed to fix prices for structural timber for some commercial customers in Auckland in late 2012 and early 2013. The Wellington-based anti-trust regulator today filed proceedings in the High Court against Carter Holt and its manager …

Conservation Minister Nick Smith has ordered an independent financial review of the controversial Fiordland Experience monorail project, ahead of a final decision on whether to allow the project to proceed over DoC land in the Fiordland World Heritage area. Smith is due to deliver a decision early next year on the application by Riverstone Holdings, backed by Wanaka property developer …

The cost of labour in Christchurch is increasing, especially in the construction industry, driven by a tight labour market with low unemployment and strong demand due to the earthquake rebuild, according to the latest September quarter Canterbury Rebuild Report by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment. The mismatch between supply and demand saw salary and wages in the Canterbury …

The liquidators for the Ross Asset Management group of companies found to be a Ponzi scheme are in talks with three former investors over about $3.8 million of payments they received in the two years leading up to the group’s eventual collapse last year. PwC’s John Fisk and David Bridgman are looking at transactions they might be able to reverse …

Contact Energy, the second biggest listed power company on the New Zealand stockmarket, is looking at issuing a $225 million retail bond to help refinance $534 million of maturities coming next May. The Wellington-based company is considering an exchange offer to existing holdings of the 2009 bonds which mature on May 14, 2014, as well as a general offer to …

Veritas Investments, which bought the Mad Butcher franchisor business in March this year, will spend at least $3.4 million in cash and shares for a half-stake in the meat patty supplier for the local Burger King franchise. The Auckland-based firm will buy half of Kiwi Pacific Foods for $2.8 million in cash and $400,000 in shares at $1.38 apiece, with …