
FIRST CUT: Mercury delivers special dividend on 2.3% operating earnings lift
By Pattrick Smellie Aug. 23 (BusinessDesk) - Mercury, the electricity generator and distributor formerly known as Mighty River Power, has delivered a 2.3 percent lift in operating earnings and declared a special dividend, reflecting its limited capital needs and the sale of su...

Bluescope seeking another A$15M of annual savings from NZ Steel operations
By Pattrick Smellie Aug. 22 (BusinessDesk) - Australian steel manufacturer Bluescope is seeking another A$15 million a year in savings from its New Zealand operations, which broke even on an operating earnings basis, after depreciation and amortisation, in the latest financial...

Permanent independent hearings panel proposed for all urban planning
By Pattrick Smellie Aug. 19 (BusinessDesk) - The Productivity Commission recommends creating a permanent independent hearings panel like the one that cut through local politics to settle Auckland’s Unitary Plan, for the whole country. The commission has published the interi...

NZ seeks credibility in the rush for early climate change pact ratification
By Pattrick Smellie Aug. 18 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand is seeking a place at the negotiating table by ratifying by the end of November the global climate change accord agreed in Paris last year, fearing loss of influence over crucial rule-making if it doesn’t do so. “New...