Farm and Finance news - The Southland Times

Business

Local economy is in good heart

Southland's economy is better than it has been in years, members of the Otago Southland Employers' Association have been told.

Golf resort appeal hearing resumes

An Environment Court appeal hearing into a planned $75 million golf resort near Wanaka is expected to finish today.

Liquidator mum over appeal

A liquidator of failed Queenstown-based insurance firm Western Pacific declined to say whether an appeal against a High Court decision was being considered.

Treasury lays out tax vision to ministers

OPINION: The Treasury has provided briefings to all government ministers.

Reward the good, and discourage the rest

OPINION: Lately we have been hearing a lot about leadership, writes Brian Richardson in this week's Work to Rule.

Supreme Court rules on tax avoidance

OPINION: Following on from our recent general introduction to tax avoidance, this week we are looking at the issue of tax avoidance in light of recent decisions by the Supreme Court, writes Jay Changlani in Taxing Times.

Deep south beats rest of nation in jobless

Southland and Otago's unemployment remains well below the national average.

Get-it-right approach delays airport upgrade

Invercargill Airport Ltd is still months away from making a decision on a multimillion-dollar upgrade of the main terminal building.

Upgrade for city store

The H & J Smith building in Invercargill is getting a spruce up as part of a three-month redevelopment project.

Dairy boom propels firm's expansion

An Invercargill-based company is expanding after riding the dairy boom to the top of its field.

Tiwai smelter value cut by 30pc

The Tiwai Point aluminium smelter is among a group which has had its valuation cut.

Chopper maintenance firm in liquidation

Liquidators have been appointed to administer a Queenstown helicopter repair firm, part of a debt-struck group of aviation companies.

Low inflation target likely to stay

OPINION: The Reserve Bank governor, Alan Bollard, has announced that he will step down at the scheduled end of his second term in late September, writes Tony Alexander.

Sports bar owes creditors $300,000

A defunct Queenstown bar that is in liquidation owes creditors almost $300,000.

Business feels pinch from library's freebie

A potential internet war could be brewing in Invercargill's Dee St.

Tiwai expects to shed 100 jobs in 5 years

About 100 jobs at the Tiwai aluminium smelter are expected to go during the next five years.

Kathmandu outgrowing store

COLLETTE DEVLIN - © Fairfax NZ News

Kathmandu is planning to shift its Invercargill store in Leven St to larger premises so it can display more stock.

Workers may get return to Hillside jobs

Former KiwiRail Hillside Engineering Workshops workers made redundant in July are about to be given the chance to return to the plant.

Taxpayer behaviour not always expected

OPINION: Much is being made about the reluctance of Mitt Romney (he is seeking the Republican nomination for the United States Presidential election) to release his past tax returns, writes Murray McClennan in this week's Taxing Times.

Lorneville stock sale

A small yarding of prime sheep met with firm demand at the Lorneville Saleyards yesterday.

Indonesian family buys stake in Blue River Dairy Products

An Indonesian family has bought a 50 per cent share in Blue River Dairy Products in Southland.

Out-of-hours email policy needs thought

OPINION: Should dealing with work emails out of office hours be classed as overtime?

New K & K womenswear shop a big plus for city

A women's plus-size clothing store will open its doors in Invercargill in mid-April, creating up to five jobs.

Drilling snags still to be ironed out

Problems that derailed the coal seam gas pilot well in Ohai have continued to delay the project.

Speaker lineup impressive

An impressive lineup of business speakers will make an appearance at the Entrepreneurs' Organisation Queenstown University conference in February.

Record for smelter

The Tiwai Point smelter has hit a record in production.

The fine art of legal tax mitigation

OPINION: When tax schemes such as the Trinity Investments case arise, in which high-profile people get caught up in tax avoidance, it serves as a reminder to all taxpayers that there will be no tolerance for not legitimately paying tax, writes Jay Changlani in this week's Taxing Times.

Firm's goods go under hammer

Cunningham Building and Construction's loss was someone else's gain on Saturday as most of the company's residual plant and equipment went under the hammer at a receivership auction in Invercargill.

PowerNet boss calls it quit

Martin Walton went from a young engineer to the man who ran Southland's entire electricity supply for more than a decade.

Land investors could maximise opportunity

OPINION: Ignore race, ignore culture, writes BNZ chief economist Tony Alexander.

Creditors may not receive $1m

Almost $1 million owed to small Southland businesses by Cunningham Building and Construction may never be paid.

Power prices force smelter cuts

The Tiwai Point aluminium smelter has shut down part of its production as low lake levels continue to keep spot power prices high.

Southern manufacturing leads the nation

Southland and Otago manufacturers have outperformed the nation for the fifth consecutive month.

The science of hiring

OPINION: I have been on medication for high blood pressure since I had my eldest boy 11 years ago, writes Mary-Jane Thomas in this week's Work to Rule.

Demand has city brewery bubbling

Invercargill Brewery brewer Gina Kearney

An increase in the popularity of craft breweries in New Zealand has led to a growth in sales for the Invercargill Brewery.

Firm Mosgiel-bound

An Invercargill and Queenstown real estate company has invested tens of thousands of dollars in its new office at Mosgiel.

Quad bike sales booming

Soaring quad-bike sales are a sign the Southland farm sector is "booming".

Southern boatbuilder cracks US market

An innovative Southland company owner believes an uplift in the New Zealand economy could be responsible for a boom in his business.

Mixing probation and trial periods

OPINION: Once the probationary period has concluded the employee becomes a permanent employee or, if the improvement was not to the degree expected, his or her employment may be at an end, writes Mary-Jane Thomas in this week's Work to Rule.

Government faces tax revenue challenge

What will 2012 bring from a tax perspective? Much will depend on how our economy fares, writes Murray McClennan in this week's Taxing Times.

Open Country moves to more-frequent payouts

Open Country Dairy is breaking tradition by paying its farmers more regularly for their milk during the year - – a move sure to get some Southland Fonterra farmers agitating.

Opportunity knocks with China's development

OPINION: Tony Alexander looks at what is likely to happen in the NZ economy in the coming year.

New CEO has got the power

Ex-Tiwai director moves on to PowerNet

New PowerNet boss Jason Franklin is no stranger to handling the demands of electricity.

Meridian quits project

Meridian Energy has today withdrawn from one of the most controversial energy projects in NZ.

Doubt wool will make a comeback

Federated Farmers believes wool could be New Zealand's "sleeping export dragon" but statistics, an Invercargill woolbuyer and sales figures do not agree.

Consent hearing set for wind farm plan

A public consent hearing for the proposed Flat Hill wind farm near Bluff will be held at Invercargill's Civic Theatre on February 20.

Lorneville stock sale

A medium yarding of prime sheep met with strong demand, and a medium yarding of prime cattle and small yarding of store cattle sold with good demand at the Lorneville sale yesterday.

Square Pegs stays around for birthday

A Riverton businesswoman believes business is booming in the seaside town, with more retail outlets and cafes opening up.

Ex-council boss takes the wheel in new role

He headed up one of the fastest-growing local authorities in the country for 12 years, but these days former Queenstown Lakes District Council chief executive Duncan Field is Driving Miss Daisy.