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Vladimir Putin is famously late. He stood-up the Ukraine president for four hours while he stopped off for a catch-up with Russian bikers called the “night wolves”. He’s even reported to have kept the Queen and the Pope waiting. Last week he kept influential international investors – including a big Chinese delegation – cooling their heels at the Apec chief …

By China Business Summit China offers huge opportunities for New Zealand businesses, but too few are taking the plunge and entering the market, says Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett. Auckland Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with NZ INC Ltd is holding a China Business Summit as a platform to increase business engagement between New Zealand and China. …

Trade Minister Tim Groser will throw his hat into the ring for the top international trade job – director-general of the World Trade Organisation. Groser has yet to formally announce his candidacy for the leading role in international trade diplomacy. He was due to leave New Zealand today for trade talks in Cambodia and Vladivostock, but has confirmed to the …

Bill English has sent a clear message to China that New Zealand is open for business. New Zealand needs direct foreign investment and China should be at the table was the upshot of the Finance Minister’s speech to the Victoria University-Peking University Conference on Contemporary China in Wellington this week. Not only does the Government need to sell its bonds …

The Court of Appeal emphatically threw out the Sir Michael Fay-led challenge to Shanghai Pengxin”s bid for the 16 Crafar farms and with it, hopefully, one of the most xenophobically charged episodes of commercial behaviour in New Zealand. Lest I be accused of “triumphalism”, let me just say that the court”s robust decision restores much-needed clarity to New Zealand”s foreign …

The Court of Appeal emphatically threw out the Sir Michael Fay-led challenge to Shanghai Pengxin's bid for the 16 Crafar farms and with it, hopefully, one of the most xenophobically charged episodes of commercial behaviour in New Zealand.

By Brierley Penn Tourism New Zealand is leveraging the global profile of The Hobbit by promoting the Middle-earth fantasy as an attainable experience to prospective Chinese tourists. “New Zealand features on the bucket lists of many international travellers,” says TourismNZ chief executive Kevin Bowler. “The key is providing them with an incentive to actually make the trip, and the Middle-earth …

The 2012 report saw widespread praise for John Key’s “rightward turn” following the 2011 election, with a sense that the Prime Minister was beginning to govern in the interests of the country rather than the polls. Mixed-ownership models and asset sales featured prominently, while the age-old issues of infrastructure deficits and skills shortages reared their heads once more.

It was hard to suppress the image of a black-singleted John Clarke singing, “If it weren’t for your gumboots, where would ya be?” when I took part in a Federated Farmers debate on foreign ownership. The proposition that “if foreigners want to own dairy farms in New Zealand, they should put on their gumboots and come and live here”, got …

Fonterra’s top brass emerged from their Monday board meeting claiming a clear mandate to proceed with the controversial trading among farmers (TAF) scheme. It’s going to take a lot of work to rebuild trust between the Fonterra board and management, and many of their farmer shareholders if TAF is to be bedded down without more public brawling. A week before …