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The worst kept secret of the Government’s privatisation programme has been all but confirmed, with the Australian media reporting that Mighty River Power will be on sale to Australian investors, says Clayton Cosgrove, Labour’s State Owned Enterprises spokesperson. The Australian Financial Review, Australia’s most respected business news source, has reported today that Mighty River Power will be listed on both …

ANZ Bank announced an assistance package to help drought-affected farmers get through the Big Dry.  Parts of Northland have had their driest February since records began. This week the Government declared a state of drought in Northland, and Federated Farmers expects other regions to follow soon. “As with any serious weather event that impacts on dairy and meat production, the …

New Zealand’s terms of trade unexpectedly fell to a three-year low in the fourth quarter as prices of dairy exports extended their slide and fish export prices fell. The terms of trade fell 1.3 percent in the fourth quarter from three months earlier, according to Statistics New Zealand. A 1.3 percent gain was expected, based on a Reuters survey. The …

Postie Plus Group, which last year avoided breaching its banking covenants, is in talks with its banks again after posting a wider first-half on dwindling sales and thinner margins and bracing for an annual loss. The shares tumbled. The Auckland-based company made a pretax loss from continuing operations of $2.56 million in six months ended Feb. 3, compared to a …

Price cuts imposed by the Commerce Commission are negative for Vector though the gas distribution network owner has enough of a cushion to ensure its credit rating doesn’t need to be cut, says Moody’s Investors Service. The competition regulator yesterday confirmed Vector will have to cut its prices by 18 percent, and cut its wholesale gas transmission charges by 29.5 …

State-owned national electricity grid operator Transpower returned to a first-half profit after taking a smaller unrealised hit on its financial instruments than a year earlier, and its earnings margins are tracking ahead of its annual target. The Wellington-based company made a profit of $70.7 million in the six months ended Dec. 31 from a loss of $51.5 million a year …

The New Zealand dollar slipped back below 83 US cents after US growth figures came in lower than economists were expecting, weighing on commodities. The International Monetary Fund said it may cut its US forecast if spending cuts kick in on March 1. The kiwi dollar fell to 82.73 US cents from 83.15 cents at 5pm in Wellington yesterday. The …

– Postie Plus Group, which last year avoided breaching its banking covenants, is in talks with its banks again after posting a wider first-half on dwindling sales and thinner margins and bracing for an annual loss. The shares tumbled. The Auckland-based company made a pretax loss from continuing operations of $2.56 million in six months ended Feb. 3, compared to …

State-owned national electricity grid operator Transpower returned to a first-half profit after taking a smaller unrealised hit on its financial instruments than a year earlier, and its earnings margins are tracking ahead of its annual target. The Wellington-based company made a profit of $70.7 million in the six months ended Dec. 31 from a loss of $51.5 million a year …

Price cuts imposed by the Commerce Commission are negative for Vector though the gas distribution network owner has enough of a cushion to ensure its credit rating doesn’t need to be cut, says Moody’s Investors Service. The competition regulator yesterday confirmed Vector will have to cut its prices by 18 percent, and cut its wholesale gas transmission charges by 29.5 …