Simon Hartley

Confidence in house buying continues to slide - for the third consecutive quarter - and there remains a continued decline in new house listings.

Big business forestry owners and farmers with small forestry interests are on a collision course over a proposal for an industry-wide compulsory levy order.

Fonterra is appointing NZX to operate the Fonterra Shareholders Market as part of Trading Among Farmers.

A referendum of forest owners is being sought by the Forest Owners Association which is proposing an industry-wide compulsory levy order under the Commodity Levies Act, to replace largely voluntary annual donations.

Coast coal miner Bathurst Resources expects to spend potentially up to $A6 million ($NZ7.8 million) this financial year in coal exploration, assaying and mine design concepts.

Weakness in employment growth continued through the last quarter of 2011 and the outlook for New Zealand's labour market recovery remaining "gradual", ASB economist Jane Turner said.

The multibillion-dollar Harvard University endowment fund has achieved what the former owners of the Maniototo's Big Sky dairy farm only envisioned - profitably milking more than 6000 cows in a "super herd".

The changing dynamics of retailing and recession-led volatility have been reflected in a cautionary Warehouse profit downgrade and an expectant sales and profit boost for Hallenstein Glasson.

High unemployment levels are unlikely to have changed and wage growth is likely to remain subdued, bank economists have predicted for the quarterly household labour force survey due out tomorrow.

Directors and company chairmen in New Zealand who received a pay rise during 2011 got between 11% to 12% in median fee increases.