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MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares fall; Wrightson dips

20 November 2009 6:15pm | Businesswire

Nov. 20 (BusinessWire) – New Zealand shares fell, with rural services group PGG Wrightson declining after announcing its capital-raising plans, as investors prepare for revival in initial public offerings and share sales. Carpet maker Cavalier Corp. ... More >>

Career Services CE takes role w career devlpt org

20 November 2009 5:27pm | Career Services

Career Services New Zealand Chief Executive, Lester Oakes, is to head the global career development body, the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance (IAEVG). Current IAEVG President, Prof. Bryan Hiebert announced the handover ... More >>

Super city boundaries a difficult task done well

20 November 2009 4:39pm | Employers and Manufacturers Association Northern

The Local Government Commission has done a difficult task very well for Auckland's future ward and local board boundaries, the Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern) says "Twelve wards and nineteen Local Boards is close to what we recommended ... More >>

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All Blacks Aim for Kicking Excellence with Adidas

20 November 2009 4:33pm | Adidas

London, November 19th, 2009 – The new PREDATOR®_X adidas rugby boot will be worn by Dan Carter this Sunday when the All Blacks continue their European end of season tour against England at Twickenham. Introducing a pioneering PowerSpine technology, ... More >>

SMELLIE SNIFFS THE BREEZE: Oil Fever Follows Wind

20 November 2009 4:29pm | Businesswire

Nov 20 (BusinessWire) - What an irony it would be if, after nine years of a government pushing uneconomic investment in wind power, it was followed by an equally uncommercial push by the current government to establish a bigger oil and gas industry in New ... More >>

Parliament Must Update Easter Trade Laws

20 November 2009 4:25pm | Newmarket Business Association

The country’s leading retailing district is supporting the Auckland Chamber of Commerce’s call today for Parliament to fix the annual Easter trading circus once and for all. Reignited calls from Auckland’s Chamber of Commerce and the Newmarket ... More >>

Ocean Spray to Partner with Heinz Australia

20 November 2009 4:01pm | Ocean Spray

Ocean Spray and Heinz have announced that, from 1 March 2010, Heinz will manufacture and distribute the Ocean Spray range of beverages and sauces in Australia. The agreement covers Ocean Spray’s existing cranberry and other fruit juice drinks, cranberry ... More >>

Space Agents to Witness Premier of SpaceShipTwo

20 November 2009 3:43pm | House of Travel

House of Travel outlets in Botany Junction, Nelson and Palmerston North are the only travel retailers in New Zealand to be invited to attend the world premiere of SpaceShipTwo, the space vehicle developed by Scaled Composites to take private passengers to space. More >>

ANZ to flick off Custodian Services to JP Morgan

20 November 2009 2:54pm | Businesswire

Nov. 20 (BusinessWire) – Australia New Zealand Banking Group, the parent bank of ANZ and National Banks, intends to sell its custodian services businesses in Australasia to investment bank JP Morgan. ANZ’s group managing director Shayne Elliott said ... More >>

Fonterra sells stake in UK joint venture

20 November 2009 2:48pm | Businesswire

by Paul McBeth Nov. 20 (BusinessWire) – Fonterra Cooperative Group, the world’s largest exporter of dairy products, has sold its stake in a joint venture to market Anchor products to the U.K. Fonterra sold its 25% interest in AFF for an undisclosed ... More >>

Navy Wins Gold, Productivity Doubles in Ten Years

20 November 2009 2:00pm | New Zealand Defence Force

Navy wins gold – productivity doubles in ten years The Royal New Zealand Navy has become the first public sector organisation in New Zealand, and only the third New Zealand business in 10 years, to win an internationally recognised Baldridge Gold ... More >>

NZMEA: Changes to Monetary Policy Needed

20 November 2009 1:53pm | NZMEA

Changes to the monetary policy framework are needed to put an end to wealth transfers from the tradeable sector say the New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA). Other countries with exchange rate stability as the central focus of monetary ... More >>

Rare whisky goes under the hammer for charity

20 November 2009 1:27pm | Mango Communications

Auckland, 20 November 2009 A rare vintage single malt Scotch whisky is to be auctioned in New Zealand next month – a chance to secure the ultimate Christmas gift for the whisky connoisseur. More >>

PGC takes up PGG Wrightson rights

20 November 2009 1:24pm | Pyne Gould

PGC chief executive Jeff Greenslade said that PGC, which currently owns 20.7 percent of PGG Wrightson, will maintain its cornerstone shareholding, although its share will fall to 18.3 percent due to the dilution effect of the Agria placement. More >>

Joyce gives Telecom more time for separation

20 November 2009 1:07pm | Businesswire

by Paul McBeth Nov. 20 (BusinessWire) – Communications Minister Steven Joyce has granted Telecom Corp. nine months to cut down potential information-sharing among its units as part of the company’s government-enforced operational separation. ... More >>

People choose Wellington Zoo at the SBN Awards

20 November 2009 12:33pm | Wellington Zoo

Wellington Zoo is celebrating its recent success at the National Sustainable Business Network (SBN) Awards in Auckland, where it picked up the coveted People’s Choice Award on the night. More >>

Agria emerges as biggest Wrightson shareholder

20 November 2009 12:22pm | Businesswire

Nov. 20 (BusinessWire) – Agria Corp. will become the biggest shareholder of PGG Wrightson after the unprofitable rural services group raises a total of $249.4 million selling shares and notes to slash its debt levels. More >>

Agreement between management, unions at Port Otago

20 November 2009 12:16pm | Maritime Union of New Zealand

The Maritime Union of New Zealand says an agreement it has reached with Port Otago Limited is a "win win" situation that will prevent job losses. Maritime Union National President Phil Adams says a meeting of 150 cargo handlers held yesterday at Port ... More >>

A more equitable monetary policy welcomed by PEC

20 November 2009 12:10pm | Productive Economy Council

It's good to finally see a politician stand up and say we have got it wrong with our monetary policy and it's time to fix it, says Selwyn Pellett the spokesperson for the Productive Economy Council. But Labour's shift in position is only the first ... More >>

Kiwi Excellence in Learning Gets Int'l Recognition

20 November 2009 12:08pm | Wavelength

Custom learning designers, Wavelength, received a Gold and a Silver award in today’s Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Awards ceremony. This is the 15th year that these awards have been held. Wavelength was the only New Zealand company to be placed in ... More >>

Fiji-NZ Business Council warns trade is at risk

20 November 2009 11:30am | Fiji New Zealand Business Council

Since the expulsion of New Zealand's acting High Commissioner and Australia’s High Commissioner earlier this month, key business interest groups in Fiji, New Zealand and Australia have come out of the closet to express their views on how trade in ... More >>

Silcon Valley Company Acquires BookHabit

20 November 2009 11:18am | Bookhabit

Silicon Valley based Smashwords, Inc. has acquired Wellington New Zealand company BookHabit Limited, consolidating Smashwords' position as the world's premier ebook publishing and distribution platform for independent authors and publishers. BookHabit ... More >>

NBHA Manager Awarded Churchill Fellowship

20 November 2009 11:12am | North Harbour Business Association

The North Harbour Business Association (NHBA) welcomes the announcement yesterday by Tariana Turia that its General Manager, Gary Holmes, has been named as one of 13 recipients of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowships for 2010. Mr. Holmes ... More >>

Pacific Blue Adds Cook Islands Flight

20 November 2009 11:03am | Pacific Blue

Friday 20 November 2009: Pacific Blue has added a fourth flight from Auckland to Rarotonga for the holiday season. The Thursday non-stop service departs Auckland at 6.30pm and arrives in Rarotonga at 11.25pm (previous day). The return flight leaves ... More >>

Sept '08 quarter job creation lowest in five years

20 November 2009 11:02am | Statistics New Zealand

There were 102,770 jobs created and 129,290 jobs were destroyed during the September 2008 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said today. This was the smallest number of jobs created during a quarter since March 2003. Job creation was down 14.3 percent ... More >>

Fire Service Gains Silver in Business Excellence

20 November 2009 10:58am | New Zealand Fire Service

The New Zealand Fire Service has improved its business and organisational practice to reach some of the most demanding standards in the world. To prove it, the Fire Service has just been awarded Silver status in the prestigious Business Excellence ... More >>

Two New Appointments Strengthen Hirepool

20 November 2009 10:48am | Hirepool Limited

20 November 2009 – New Zealand’s leading rental solutions provider, Hirepool, has strengthened its position in the South Island with two important new signings. David Bainbridge and Daniel Manning, both previously with Hirequip, have left to ... More >>

Wrightson to raise $180M in discount rights issue

20 November 2009 10:47am | Businesswire

Nov. 20 (BusinessWire) – PGG Wrightson, the rural services company aiming to shed debt to woo a new cornerstone investor, plans to raise $180.a million in a rights issue at a deep discount. More >>

Web Development Innovation Set To Disrupt Matters

20 November 2009 10:35am | Server Automation Ltd

The days of spending thousands of dollars on web development fees for small to medium sized businesses are over, that’s according to Andrew Hendrie, Managing Director of Server Automation Limited. More >>

NZ dollar sinks as global share markets tumble

20 November 2009 10:30am | Businesswire

by Paul McBeth Nov. 20 (BusinessWire) – The New Zealand dollar sank as share markets around the world tumbled amid nervousness about the strength of the global recovery as investors eschewed higher-yielding, riskier assets. Stocks on Wall Street slid ... More >>

BNZ Weekly Overview - November 19 2009

20 November 2009 10:24am | BNZ Weekly

Last week we looked at how some sectors of the economy are still shrinking and why one could therefore not describe the upturn as robust. This week we look at factors which have the capacity to boost our economy by near 2.5% next year and 3.5% over ... More >>

Tokanui Dairy Research Farm Aims to Lessen Gases

20 November 2009 10:16am | AgResearch

Calculation of AgResearch’s 200 hectare Tokanui Dairy Research Farm Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Footprint suggests it will be about 20% lower than the average Waikato dairy farm and key data will be measured in 2010 to ensure it is meeting this target. ... More >>

Stocks to watch: CAV, FPH, PPP, Wrightson

20 November 2009 10:07am | Businesswire

Nov. 20 (BusinessWire) – The following stocks may be active on the New Zealand exchange after developments since the close of trading yesterday. All prices are in New Zealand dollars unless specified. More >>

New SOE based on Kupe gasfield would boost NZ oil

20 November 2009 10:05am | Businesswire

by Pattrick Smellie Nov 20 (BusinessWire) - A partially privatised, government-backed oil and gas exploration business emerges as a practical option for kick-starting a higher level of activity in the New Zealand oil and gas sector, says a report prepared ... More >>

Cairns Lockie Mortgage Commentary 21 Nov 2009

20 November 2009 9:59am | Cairns Lockie Mortgage

Welcome to the twenty-first fortnightly Cairns Lockie Mortgage Commentary for 2009. We aim to keep you informed on developments at Cairns Lockie, Home Loans and the mortgage market in general. Previous issues of this commentary can be found on our ... More >>

Easter trading rule changes will be opposed

20 November 2009 9:48am | National Distribution Union

The union for retail workers says that fresh attempts to open shops for business on Easter Sunday will be met with strong opposition from shop workers, community groups and churches. A new bill to liberalise Easter trading was drawn from the ballot ... More >>

PPG Wrightson shares go into trading halt

20 November 2009 9:19am | Businesswire

Nov. 20 (BusinessWire) – Shares in PGG Wrightson Ltd., the country’s biggest rural services company, have been put on a trading halt pending an announcement later today. More >>

While you were sleeping: BoA downgrades chipmakers

20 November 2009 8:47am | Businesswire

Nov. 20 (BusinessWire) – Stocks dropped on Wall Street and in Europe after Bank of America downgraded computer chipmakers and a rising U.S. dollar weighed on commodity prices. More >>

MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares gain; PPP, FPH advance

19 November 2009 5:56pm | Businesswire

Nov. 19 (BusinessWire) – New Zealand shares rose for the first day in three after Pan Pacific Petroleum said it may yet can exposure to a Vietnam exploration block and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare posted a record first-half profit and was upbeat ... More >>

Hanover Finance - Correction

19 November 2009 5:30pm | Hanover Finance

The Independent Chairman of Hanover Finance, Mr David Henry, today stated the suggestion that Hanover’s major shareholders are “relieved of the Shareholder Support package obligations” under the Allied Farmers’ Proposal is manifestly incorrect. “It’s ... More >>

New Wheelchairs Incorporate iPhone

19 November 2009 5:21pm | Dynamic Controls

Drawing on its tradition of engineering excellence Dynamic Controls has integrated an iPhone with its power wheelchair electronics – thus enabling power wheelchair users to enjoy all the benefits of an iPhone or iPod touch. The solution connects ... More >>

Waimea Wines Awarded in Sydney

19 November 2009 5:11pm | Waimea Estates

Waimea’s Chardonnay 2008 and Bolitho SV Pinot Noir 2007 have just been awarded Blue-Gold Medals at the prestigious Sydney International Wine Competition. The Waimea Dry Riesling 2006 was not only also awarded a Blue-Gold Medal, but additionally included ... More >>

Kiwi Start-Up Makes Finals in SF Challenge

19 November 2009 5:08pm | Global Entrepreneurship

Wellington, 19 November 2009 – A kiwi company that has designed a fuel conversion system for cars made the final cut in the San Francisco based International Cleantech Open Ideas Competition – part of Global Entrepreneurship Week. Nova Eco-Tech Ltd ... More >>

Gift Buying Tips for a Safe Holiday Season

19 November 2009 4:59pm | Safekids

Picking the right gift for the kids, family and friends can be quite challenging. This holiday and summer season, show that you love them by treating them with gifts which they can enjoy and at the same time, help protect from injuries at home, at ... More >>

Coffee Cupid -- Modern Day Mistletoe?

19 November 2009 4:54pm | Coffee Cupid

Mistletoe is a thing of the past. It has a tendency to resurface once a year in the plastic variety by the old fat man in your office who has a thing for that red suit that has a slight smell of wee about it. Getting drunk at the work Christmas party, ... More >>

Quintessence Launches Online Health Consulting

19 November 2009 4:51pm | Quintessence

Specialists in natural health therapies during pregnancy, Auckland-based Natural Health Dispensary, Quintessence, this week launched New Zealand’s first live online natural health consultation and treatment service for pregnant women via its website, ... More >>

Ziptrek Prepares Launch From Queenstown Skyline

19 November 2009 4:47pm | Ziptrek Ecotours

A two hour, brand new and unique adventure activity action opens next month as Ziptrek Ecotours launches its flying fox operation from Skyline on Bob’s Peak overlooking Queenstown. Ziptrek was founded in Whistler, Canada, where it is a must-do, award-winning ... More >>

Federated Farmers gets in behind Books in Homes

19 November 2009 4:33pm | Federated Farmers

Educating young New Zealanders from low decile schools about farming is why Federated Farmers backs the efforts of Christine Fernyhough - philanthropist, farmer, inventor and author of Ben and Mark, Boys of the High Country. “Duffy Books in Homes provides ... More >>

Prices Rise Across Board at Wool Sales

19 November 2009 4:30pm | New Zealand Wool Services

New Zealand Wool Services International Ltd reports that prices at today’s wool sales rose across the board, despite a stronger New Zealand currency. Measured against a weighted indicator of the main international wool trading currencies, the New Zealand ... More >>

Goff talks gobbledygook on monetary policy

19 November 2009 4:30pm | Employers and Manufacturers Association Northern

Labour Party leader Phil Goff's reasons for the party withdrawing from the bipartisan consensus over the Reserve Bank policy targets and instruments are gobbledygook, says the Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern). "Goff apparently wants ... More >>

Gull Holds Petrol and Diesel Prices

19 November 2009 4:16pm | Gull Petroleum

Auckland, 19 November 2009 –Gull notes that there is no increase in prices at Gull outlets today. “Increasing international prices have led some companies to increase pricing today,”notes Graham Stirk, Gull Retail Manager. “But Gull wants to be ... More >>

Finalists Announced for JRA Best Workplace Awards

19 November 2009 4:12pm | JRA Ltd

Auckland, Thursday, 19 November 2009 – Do you spring out of bed in the morning, puff out your chest and look forward to another fulfilling day at work? The JRA Best Workplaces Awards 2009 is celebrating those organisations that make work a positive ... More >>

Santa’s bandaged face too scary for Christmas

19 November 2009 3:34pm | Newmarket Business Association

The bandage that’s tightly wrapped around Queen Street’s giant Santa Claus is upsetting children and too scary for Christmas, says the chief executive of the Newmarket Business Association Cameron Brewer. “This bandage is literally suffocating and ... More >>

Minister fails miners

19 November 2009 3:06pm | Engineering Printing and Manufacturing Union

The National Government has failed New Zealand’s miners by turning its back on sensible safety recommendations, says the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union. The call follows a decision by the Minister of Labour to reject reintroducing ... More >>