The first cohort of international students are preparing to return to New Zealand under a new border exception announced by the government last month. Universities New Zealand, which represents the country’s eight universities, said 194 eligible students have been contacted and will now start their visa process. It said the students are from China, the […]

Dairy prices firmed at the global dairy auction overnight with the average price rising by 1.8 percent. The average price is now $US3157 ($NZ4582) a tonne. This compares with a 2 percent fall at the last auction two weeks ago. The price of wholemilk powder increased 1.8 percent to $US3037 a tonne. Prices for other […]

A New Zealand trade specialist is welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping statements about his desire to open trade doors with the world. Addressing Apec leaders yesterday Xi promised he will cut tariffs and indicated he wants to forge new partnerships. Xi said he has even reached out to the United States – declaring China doesn’t […]

Asia Pacific leaders have set aside differences with their first joint communique in three years, calling for free and predictable trade to help a global economy laid low by the coronavirus pandemic. Leaders of the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), who included US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping, also said they would […]

Covid-19 has done little to dampen investment in New Zealand startups. A report from the business advisory firm, PwC, shows angel investment in the six months to June was down by just 5 percent on the year earlier, with $33.6 million pumped into fledgling firms. A total of 41 deals were completed over the period, […]

The government should stop focusing on unproven hydrogen energy technology to tackle climate change, says an expert. Canterbury University professor of mechanical engineering Susan Krumdieck said the government was enthusiastic about the development of green hydrogen, but it was a waste of time and money. Green hydrogen is a potential future vehicle fuel that would […]

The windfarm operator and developer Tilt Renewables has more than doubled its profit for the six months to September, mostly through accounting provisions, as it juggles developments in a changing energy sector. The company reported an after-tax profit of $AU11.8 million up from $AU6.8m on the year earlier. Its revenue was down after selling a […]

Speciality dairy company Synlait will raise $200 million through share issue to strengthen its balance sheet and complete the investment required under a new partnership it has with a global company. There had been speculation the company would raise funds after it was placed in a trading halt yesterday. The placement has been underwritten at […]

A 10 percent increase in the government’s GST returns this year is raising further questions about the huge uptake of the government’s $14 billion wage subsidy scheme. Latest figures show total net GST paid by businesses to Inland Revenue increased by $1.184bn for the first seven months of the year. There was a drop off […]

KiwiRail is working around the clock to improve the movement of freight to and from the country’s two biggest ports, Auckland and Tauranga, which are congested. The domestic supply chain is congested, with industrial action at Australian ports and disruption in other key markets, combined with the annual pre-Christmas freight rush and peak export season. […]