Scoop Link: World On Course For Catastrophic 6° Rise
The world is now firmly on course for the worst-case scenario in terms of climate change, with average global temperatures rising by up to 6C by the end of the century, leading scientists said yesterday. More>>

ALSO:

• Global Carbon Project - 2008 Carbon Budget Highlights
• CSIRO - Human emissions rise 2% despite GFC

Agri-Rhethoric: Feds Threaten To Cut Out Pound Of Flesh Nearest Heart
“Hath not a farmer eyes? Hath not a farmer hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as townies?” More>>

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - Speech: Key - Federated Farmers National Council
• Scoop Business - ANZAC’s “not bludgers”, Smith tell farmers
• Scoop Business - Get in behind the ETS, Key tells Federated Farmers
• Scoop Business - Fonterra’s farmers agree to raise share cap
• Federated Farmers - The future of perpetual compensation
• Word of Mouth Media - Irrigators could suck rivers dry
• Oxfam NZ - Working with vulnerable farmers

Eureka!: Brownlee To Unlock NZ’s "Potentoleum"
Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee today announced the Government’s Action Plan for unlocking and maximising New Zealand’s petroleum potential, with a specific focus on exploration of New Zealand’s offshore deepwater basins. More>>

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - Speech: Brownlee - Unlocking Our Petroleum
• Scoop Business - Encouraging gas finds "crucial for NZ"
• TV3 Video - Petroleum sector could increase tenfold - Brownlee

Copyright: NZ Authors Officially Out Of Google Books Settlement
Objections raised by rightsholders (authors and publishers) in a number of countries including New Zealand have led to the new agreement filed last Friday. It affects all local authors whose works have been scanned by Google. More>>

ALSO:

• NZ Society of Authors - Google Book Settlement - not time to celebrate yet

Commerce Commission: Inghams Warned Over GM Free Chicken Claims
The poultry producer Inghams has received a warning from the Commerce Commission that it risked breaching the Fair Trading Act with claims that its chickens contained no genetically modified ingredients. More>>

ALSO:

• Greens - Ruling highlights need for proper GE labelling

High Finance: Hanover Confirms Investors Will Get 70%
Hanover Finance, which convinced its investors to agree to a moratorium on repayments last year, has confirmed they’ll now get 70% of their money back at best. More>>

ALSO:

• Hanover Finance - Allied Farmers Proposal to Hanover Finance
• Scoop Business - Allied Farmers offers hand of welcome to Hanover
• Scoop Business - Allied Farmers to buy Hanover, United assets
• Hanover Finance - Hanover result impacted by property market
• EUFA - Accountability needed over Hanover-Immediately
• Exposing Unacceptable Financial Activities - Hanover/Allied Farmers - CommComm should intervene
• TV3 Video - Allied Farmers take over Hanover Finance
• TV3 Video - Money matters - Hanover Finance and their new bedmates Allied Farmers

Indicators: Job Ads Up
New job advertisements placed on seek.co.nz, New Zealand’s largest job source, are up an encouraging 12.2% in the four months from July to October 2009. More>>

ALSO:

• Peoplemax - A Lawyer, Accountant or Doctor, from just $20hr

Statistics: If Trend Holds, Death Will Be Abolished By 2059
There were 28,680 deaths registered during the September 2009 year, down 2 percent from 29,130 in 2008, Statistics New Zealand said today. More>>

Trade: Educate For Asia, Business Partnership Urges
Leading New Zealand business and employee organisations are urging schools to prepare young New Zealanders for the future by teaching them more about Asia, says Asia New Zealand Foundation Director Dr Richard Grant. More>>

ALSO:

• Wellington Chamber Of Commerce - NZ businesses needs better understanding of Asia
• Employers and Manufacturers Association - Deeper understanding of Asia called for
• Business NZ - Asia Aware Education Nurtures Future Success
• Federated Farmers - Farmers sign-on to Asia business ed partnership

APEC: Obama Will Proceed With Pacific Trade Deal
Trade Minister Tim Groser has welcomed today’s announcements by President Obama and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk that the United States intends to proceed with the Trans-Pacific Partnership. More>>

ALSO:

• Connie Lawn - President Barack Obama Talks To Scoop About NZ Relationship
• Scoop Business - While you were sleeping: APEC pledge on stimulus
• Scoop Business - hile you were sleeping: APEC, Disney profit
• NZ Govt - Key: Speech to the APEC CEO Summit 2009
• APEC - 16th APEC Finance Ministers’ Meeting
• NZUS Council - US TPP Announcement Significant for NZ Trade
• Federated Farmers - Barack in the free trade business
• Meat And Wool NZ - Obama support for TPP announced today
• Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce - US New Zealand Free Trade Agreement A Step Closer
• CAFCA - US Free Trade Agreement A Poisoned Chalice For NZ
• Pundit.co.nz Out-Link - A fuss about not much: the truth about a trade deal
• TV3 Video - Obama confirms trade deal with NZ
• TV3 Video - Key meets Obama to discuss 'holy grail' of FTAs

Hong Kong:

• NZ Govt - NZ - Hong Kong step towards trade liberalisation
• Business NZ - NZ, Hong Kong CEP - opportunities for NZ exporters
• Meat And Wool NZ - Another important FTA secured

Scoop Business: Kathmandu Gains On Debut As Owners Sell Out
Kathmandu Holdings rose on its debut on the ASX and NZX as investors bet retailing is climbing out of its year-long slump, stoking the prospects for the outdoor equipment chain. Shares of the Christchurch-based company rose as high as $2.29 and recently traded at $2.22, a 4.1% premium on the IPO price of $2.13, valuing the company at $442 million. More>>

Trade: NZ And Hong Kong Get Closer
New Zealand – Hong Kong, China Closer Economic Partnership Agreement a further step towards trade liberalisation Bilateral trade relations between New Zealand and Hong Kong, China have taken a further significant step following conclusion of negotiations for a New Zealand – Hong Kong, China Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEP). More>>

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - NZ-Hong Kong trade agreement strengthens bond
• Wellington Chamber Of Commerce - Hong Kong Agreement Excellent News for NZ economy
• Business NZ - Opportunities for NZ exporters

Tourism: Whale Watch Kaikoura Takes Out Supreme Award
Whale Watch Kaikoura has outshone some of the world’s leading tour operators to claim the Supreme award at this year’s Responsible Tourism Awards in London. The awards were held last night (NZ time), as part of World Responsible Tourism Day at the World Travel Market in London. More>>

ALSO:

• NZ Govt - PM congratulates Whale Watch Kaikoura
• Labour - Whale Watch Kaikoura win well-deserved
• YHA Wellington - YHA Wellington City Wins Responsible Tourism Award

Scoop Business: NZ Consumers Stay Subdued Before The Xmas Stretch
New Zealand’s consumers are still subdued going into the annual Christmas spending splurge, according to government data. More>>

ALSO:

• Statistics NZ - Sales values up for second quarter, volumes flat
• Scoop Business - NZ dollar may fall on lukewarm retail data
• J P Morgan - NZ retail sales growth consolidated in September
• Nielsen Media Research - Kiwi Confidence Rebounds

Scoop Business: Dollar Unsustainably High, Says Bollard
New Zealand’s dollar is “unlikely to be sustainable” at current high levels while the return to looser lending conditions for home-buyers risk return to a debt-fuelled housing cycle, Reserve Bank Governor, Alan Bollard, said this morning. More>>

ALSO:

• Reserve Bank - November 2009 Financial Stability Report released
• Scoop Business - NZ dollar holds above 74 cts after Bollard comment
• Scoop Business - RBNZ looks to new economic stabilisers to help OCR
• Scoop Business - The W-shaped recovery gets new kinks
• Scoop Business - Bank margins have shrunk, say two new studies
• NZ Govt - NZ comes through financial crisis in good shape
• Labour - Reserve Bank reinforces Banking Inquiry findings
• J P Morgan - RBNZ concerned banks more lenient in lending

Gambling: Clamp-Down On Pokie Grants To Trotting Clubs
Gambling Compliance Director Mike Hill said that a new gambling licence condition will prevent the Lion Foundation, Perry Foundation and Infinity Foundation from granting pokie funds to the Thames Harness Racing Club and the Manukau, Kumeu and Franklin Trotting Clubs. More>>

ALSO:

• Lion Foundation - Lion Foundation rejects Dep. of Internal claims
• NZ Coalition for Gambling Reform - Curb on pokie money for racing 'Long Overdue'

Solid-Energy-darity: Engineering Union "Irresponsible"
Solid Energy Chief Operating Officer, Barry Bragg, says the union has been irresponsible in drawing Solid Energy staff into a separate dispute between miners in the Waikato and their employer which has nothing to do with the company’s South Island operations. More>>

ALSO:

• EPMU - Solid Energy ‘out of touch with workers’

Acronyms: Low-Flying HIPPO Takes Slice Of Atmosphere
Pole-to-pole flights provide a global picture of greenhouse gases: this month a team of international scientists will fly from the Arctic to the Antarctic aboard an exceptional jet. NIWA scientists play a vital and integral part in this work on greenhouse gas measurements. More>>

ALSO:

• The Royal Society of NZ - Future Scientists Of New Zealand Get Funding Boost

Scoop Business: MARKET CLOSE: NZ Shares Gain On Fonterra Payment
New Zealand shares rose after Fonterra Cooperative Group raised its forecast payment to farmers, buoying shares of PGG Wrightson and NZ Farming Systems Uruguay. More>>

ALSO:

• Scoop Business - Fonterra lifts pay-out in big positive for economy
• Scoop Business - NZ Dollar Outlook: Kiwi may rise on Fonterra, IMF
• Scoop Business - NZ dollar surges on increase in Fonterra pay-out
• Fonterra Shareholders Council - Shareholders’ Council Welcomes Payout Increase
• Federated Farmers - Revised Fonterra payout provides economic relief

Bloomin’ Marvellous: Oceanic Bloom Identified
Scientists at the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA) have identified the source of the giant plankton bloom featuring in spectacular NASA satellite images. The NIWA deep water research vessel Tangaroa travelled through the bloom last week and collected water samples for analysis. More>>

Fruits Of Your Labour: Big Boost For Kiwifruit Research
The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology has committed $15.2 million over seven years to a research partnership between Zespri International and Plant & Food Research, with Zespri putting in $20.5 million. More>>

RAAAAR! Dinosaur Footprints Discovered In The South Island
Scientists have found 70 million-year-old dinosaur footprints in northwest Nelson. They are the first dinosaur footprints to be recognised in New Zealand and the first evidence of dinosaurs in the South Island. More>>

One Year On: Smellie Sniffs The Breeze - Central Planning
When everyone from Rodney Hide to the Listener start asking “where’s the plan, John?” is there something for Prime Minister John Key to worry about? Quite the contrary, Key should be quite happy about such speculation. More>>

Scoop Business: Bonds. Transpower Bonds.
Transpower is contemplating a domestic bond issue of around $200 million early in the New Year as it gears up for $5 billion of capital expenditure on national grid upgrades over the next decade. More>>

ALSO:

• Scoop Business - NZAX suspends trading in Windflow shares

Scoop Business: Telecom In Court Over Alleged Loyalty Offer Breach
Telecom will face the Commerce Commission in the High Court over its alleged breach of its operational separation undertakings in a wholesale loyalty offer, the Commerce Commission announced this morning. More>>

ALSO:

• Commerce Commission - Proceedings against Telecom over loyalty offers
• Scoop Business - Telecom lifts FY guidance as 1st-qtr profit gains
• Scoop Business - Telecom’s results mixed as regulation distracts
• TV3 Video - Telecom Q1 profit announcement - extended video

Economy: New Zealand Is Not Australia: Bollard
The New Zealand dollar’s relatively stable performance against its Australian counterpart may indicate misplaced confidence that the local economy will keep up with the cranking pace across the Tasman, according to Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard. More>>

ALSO:

• Reserve Bank - NZ is not Australia, could be the lucky neighbour
• JP Morgan - NZ And Australian Economies Compared

Secret Shopping: Consumer Condemns Financial Advisers
Far-ranging reforms in the financial adviser industry are too little, too late, according to Consumer NZ chief executive Sue Chetwin in the wake of a damning investigation into the state of the industry. More>>

ALSO:

• Gareth Morgan Investments - Ban Commissioned Advisers
• Exposing Unacceptable Financial Activities - Consumer Financial report not a surprise