It’s been a soggy start to the year for some of the major listed retailers, even though the rest of the share market has got off to a flying start.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/warehouse-kathmandu-shares-depressed-jr-p-198531

KiwiRail’s decision to dump its unreliable electric freight trains for an all-diesel fleet is a major setback to the anti-fossil fuel brigade.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/editor’s-insight-kiwirail-embraces-fossil-fuel-over-billions-‘green’-alternative

ASB Bank and Bank of New Zealand were the big winners in the battle for market share in the mortgage market in the September quarter as the nation’s largest bank, ANZ Bank, continued to lose ground.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/asb-bnz-win-mortgage-market-share-anz-loses-ground-jr-p-198258

About a third of ASB Bank’s customers who are business owners are aging baby boomers who are looking to retire within the next five years.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/wave-retiring-baby-boomer-business-owners-expected-next-five-years-jr-p-198259

Spark sees good news and bad news in the Commerce Commission's decision to back away from deregulating its wholesale voice service — but mainly bad news.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/spark-more-disappointed-over-comcom-voice-decision-ck-p-198210

My mother taught me it’s rude to stare. Certainly it’s profoundly uncomfortable to be stared at. I have no doubt being ogled is much worse.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/hidesight-sensation-seekers-show-their-sinister-side-198136

Ending the year on a positive note for motoring is this newly updated Mazda3. The Japanese manufacturer’s bread-and-butter hatchback was the first to get the latest round of design updates (grouped together under the ‘Kodo’ – or ‘Soul of Motion’ – moniker) back in 2014.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/motoring-updated-mazda3-pushes-‘premium’-mainstream

A couple of domestically authored texts published this year merit Christmas holiday reading by those wishing to keep abreast of controversial contemporary economic and political matters.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/money-iwi-china-texts-sound-future-warnings-198167

For more than a century, Hawke’s Bay has been known as the country’s most versatile region for winemaking.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/vidals-winemaker-blends-hawkes-bay-heritage-his-legacy-ng-p-198278

The prime minister and deputy prime minister are under fire from the Wellington liberal media elite (WLME) for their hesitancy in labelling themselves feminists.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/hooton-english-and-bennett-know-feminism-better-left