Simon Hartley

Annual inflation is up slightly to 1.9%, just shy of Reserve Bank expectations it would hit 2%, the mid-point of its 1%-3% target range.

Inflation figures due for the December quarter are expected to remain flat, the annual rate sitting at around 1.9%.

Solid tourism numbers underpinned a good December for Otago and Southland's service sector but labour shortages continue to rankle with many employers.

The $4 million expansion of Scott Technology's Dunedin site is well under way and is now on-track for completion later in the year.

Levels of economic confidence in Otago and Southland are among the highest in the country while Otago households have posted a third consecutive quarterly rise.

Fonterra's first Global Dairy Trade auction of the year has resulted in the overall index rising 2.8%, the third consecutive rise of the fortnightly auction.

Otago's residential housing price index appears set to end 2018 on a high.

New Zealand's sharemarket may have weathered the recent storm of sell-offs better than other larger bourses, but global economic uncertainty still prevails, heading into the new year.

Otago continued its pre-Christmas retail spending splurge into Boxing Day sales, with a more than 11% increase in underlying sales.

Oceana Gold appears set to end its calendar year production on a high. ODT senior business reporter Simon Hartley and Craigs Investment Partners broker Peter McIntyre look back on Oceana’s year.

Despite the geopolitical and economic turmoil during the past 12 months, gold as a commodity and go-to hedge against hard times did not fare overly well.

Consumer confidence rebounded just in time for Christmas, coming off an October low to claw its way just a little above the historic average.

Oceana Gold's Waihi mine in the central North Island has received a new decade-long lease on life, as consent has been granted for a new underground mine development by the Hauraki District Council...

A 20-year mining permit has been issued to private Australian company Tasman Mining to redevelop the historic Blackwater mine near Reefton on the West Coast, mooted as an overall $500 million project.

Southland has displaced Otago to take first place in the latest ASB regional economic scoreboard, underpinned by growth in tourism, house prices and a strong rural economy.

The New Zealand Whisky Company has raised more than $780,000 from crowdfunder Pledge Me as it looks to expand operations in Otago.

Otago business costs are up, skilled staff are increasingly hard to come by and more than a third of surveyed Otago businesses think the economic situation will deteriorate.