The current account deficit widened slightly in the June quarter as drought took a toll on exports of primary products.

Prime Minister John Key has seized on David Cunliffe's reticence about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks to accuse him of taking Labour to the far left at the behest of unions and to talk up TPP.

As Emirates Team NZ push hard for victory in the America's Cup, marine companies are pinning their hopes on a win and a boost to the industry.

North American investors are understood to have paid around $30 million for one of New Zealand's biggest farms.

DB Breweries is eyeing Europe as a potentially lucrative market for its Monteith's beer brand.

Two Fonterra managers "on leave" as a result of the botulism scare are now awaiting a board review to find out their fate.

AgResearch has defended its testing of Fonterra's whey concentrate products that led to a false alarm over the presence of a botulism toxin.

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but engineering firm Howick has had its innovative machinery ripped off at least five times.

Seasonz Travel is in the business of exporting New Zealand's scenery, adrenalin-pumping thrills and sumptuous luxury lodges to the world.

Airline industry veteran Mark McCaughan says paying for good advice is the best investment he has made in building up his business overseas.

Taking a bite out of the Australian snack market has created opportunities for Abe's Bagel Crisps, but the venture hasn't been without its challenges.

A foreign-owned Marlborough winery's attempt to stop Moa Beer from expanding its brewery "reeks of French snobbery", says chief executive Geoff Ross.

Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings says he wasn't informed of the contamination event that led to the company's botulism fiasco quickly enough.

National Australia Bank boss Cameron Clyne believes the key to tapping into trade in China is patience.

Fonterra has found reprocessing that occurred after plastic was found in whey protein at its Hautapu plant led to its recent contamination scare.

Export commodity prices rose 0.7 per cent last month in both world price and New Zealand dollar terms.

China is fast becoming our dominant trading partner, but Kiwi business leaders based there say many New Zealand exporters are still taking a naive approach.

Export and import prices moved in New Zealand's favour in the June quarter, but the effect was swamped by lower export volumes and rising imports.

World-leading Kiwi exporters need to champion New Zealand more ardently in foreign markets as the country is still perceived by some as being slow to innovate.

Allied Farmers, in talks with the Inland Revenue Department to settle a $4.2 million tax bill and avoid liquidation, posted a narrower annual loss.