MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares down, Air NZ and Contact drop while Scales, Oceania Health rise

MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares down, Air NZ and Contact drop while Scales, Oceania Health rise
Sophie Boot
By Sophie Boot Dec. 18 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand shares dropped, led lower by Air New Zealand and Contact Energy while Scales Corp and Oceania Healthcare gained. The S&P/NZX50 Index fell 16.71 points, or 0.2 percent, to 8,344.15. Within the index, 26 stocks rose, 16 fell and eight were unchanged. Turnover was $197 million.  "It's a real mixed bag today, which is a bit surprising given Australia is up quite nicely," said Grant Williamson, director at Hamilton Hindin Greene. "Volumes haven't been too bad, institutions are doing a bit...