Dene Mackenzie

Home affordability has improved markedly in the south of the South Island, but the Central Otago Lakes district median house price remains out of reach for many.

The Inland Revenue Department is becoming increasingly vigilant about recovering outstanding tax as the credit crunch continues to hurt businesses, three Dunedin tax practitioners say.

ING chief executive Helen Troup yesterday fronted up to disgruntled investors in Dunedin and Invercargill to explain the latest final offer in the long-running saga of frozen funds.

After 20 years of modern portfolio theory being the currency of investment for financial planners and advisers, some rethinking is taking place as the ongoing credit crisis and recession places restraints on earnings for investors.

Two new floors with 16 new rooms will be added to the top of the Dunedin City Hotel as the Scenic Hotel Group prepares for an influx of tourists during the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

The two recently-appointed Gen-i managers in Otago-Southland say the arrival of Telecom's fast mobile broadband XT network has changed the game in the way they deliver high-speed mobile technology to customers.

The latest BNZ Capital-Business New Zealand performance in manufacturing index provided some sobering yardsticks for the region, Otago-Southland Employers Association chief executive John Scandrett said yesterday.

It is likely to be some time before the recovery becomes self-sustaining and monetary policy support can be withdrawn Alan Bollard.

Westpac responded to criticism by MPs that banks were keeping mortgage rates artificially high and maintaining high profits by lifting some of its lending rates yesterday, although it was the last retail bank to do so.

The slump in the construction industry continued in March but economists were surprised by how resilient activity remained in the first three months of the year.

Contact Energy is expecting full-year underlying earnings after tax to fall by as much as a third.

Local Government Minister Rodney Hide is to meet Stop the Stadium representatives when he visits Dunedin in two weeks but no-one is saying what topics are on the agenda.

Improved returns on the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, ACC and the Earthquake Commission helped the Government report better-than-expected accounts for the 10 months ended April.

Investors receiving the ING offer to partially pay out funds from its frozen diversified yield and regular income funds should seek financial advice, financial adviser Craig Myles said yesterday.

The launch yesterday of the XT fast mobile network will prove to be an important driver of growth for many of Telecom's business units.