MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares up as Gentrack hits record, Mercury, Contact, Fletcher gain

MARKET CLOSE: NZ shares up as Gentrack hits record, Mercury, Contact, Fletcher gain
Sophie Boot
By Sophie Boot May 2 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand shares gained, with Gentrack Group hitting a record and electricity companies Mercury New Zealand and Contact Energy gaining. The S&P/NZX 50 Index rose 58.27 points, or 0.7 percent, to 8,494.24. Within the index, 27 stocks rose, 13 fell and 10 were unchanged. Turnover was $146.6 million. A2 Milk led the index higher, up 3.5 percent to $12.54, with Spark New Zealand rising 2.3 percent to $3.53 and Kathmandu Holdings up 1.9 percent to $2.66. Gentrack rose 2.9 percent to $7.40, its eigh...