Dene Mackenzie

Competitive wages being paid in New Zealand's agricultural sector could help solve the country's unemployment problem, a report released this morning suggests.

The listed aged-care sector is unique in the New Zealand market as it offers significant domestic-based growth potential. Business editor Dene Mackenzie talks to Forsyth Barr broker Peter Young about the investment potential of the sector.

The Reserve Bank is warning that escalating house prices are placing risks on the New Zealand financial system.

Regional manufacturing appears to be having difficulty finding a realistic level of stability, the Otago-Southland Employers' Association chief executive, John Scandrett, says.

Finance Minister Bill English has joined the chorus expressing concern about the New Zealand housing market and the debt funding its growth.

Deloitte Dunedin tax partner Peter Truman yesterday raised concerns about the potential sharing between government agencies of information gathered by Inland Revenue.

Some Yahoo! Xtra customers have been hacked or spammed again but the damage does not look as bad as the last attack on Xtra's email system, when all users were encouraged to change their passwords.

Economic activity was strong in the March quarter, maintaining the momentum set in December.

The New Zealand dollar has risen to a five-year high against the yen following the Bank of Japan's announcement last week it will inject about $NZ90 billion into the Japanese economy in less than two years.

The Otago businesswoman behind Dunedin's proposed waterfront hotel stepped into the public arena yesterday, talking about her passion for the city and the vision for the future.

All the cards do not rest with Rio Tinto in the stalled negotiations over electricity contracts with the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, WHK New Zealand chief executive Phil Mulvey says.

Mighty River Power is expected to list on May 10 with the indicative price range for the shares coming in at between $2.35 and $2.80 per share.

An air of fear and uncertainty hangs over Invercargill and Southland as politicians and bureaucrats decide the fate of thousands of jobs in the area. Negotiations on electricity supply to the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter have reached a stalemate - but not all hope is lost, business editor Dene Mackenzie finds.

Meridian Energy is being accused of deliberately withdrawing from talks with Pacific Aluminium on the eve of Easter, leaving the operator of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter with no room to move.