Former Conservative party leader Colin Craig believes he is in a good position in his defamation battle against Taxpayers Union co-founder Jordan Williams, following a ruling by a judge that a jury’s damages award should be set aside. Yesterday, Justice Sarah Katz released a judgment that set aside a jury’s decision that Mr Craig should pay Mr Williams $1.27 million after it found him guilty of defamation. She said there had been a miscarriage of justice because the damages award was too high in comparison to previous defamation cases.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/craig-feels-vindicated-judge-overturning-defamation-jury-decision-cg-p-201903

A transtasman merger that could create a monopoly in office supplies in New Zealand appears to be up in the air in the wake of confirmation that it will not necessarily be rubber-stamped in Australia. Lawyers for the Beverly Hills-based private equity firm behind the deal are believed to be weighing up their options after they initially expected the merger would not be opposed.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/office-products-merger-hits-hurdle-ks-p-201808

The Prime Minister’s top official, Andrew Kibblewhite, has revealed to a select committee three more CERA staff are under investigation for alleged conflicts of interest. This follows an investigation by the State Services Commission that found two former Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) staff members had obvious conflicts of interest between their roles and private business interests.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/more-cera-staff-members-under-investigation-conflict-interest-allegations-jw-201848

An $80 a fortnight increase in mortgage payments won’t worry most homeowners as banks anticipate interest rate rises but a $120 rise is a different story. For most homeowners, a mortgage repayment increase at the lower end will be overcome by cutting a few luxuries, according to BNZ Financial Futures research.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/mortgage-interest-rate-rises-little-concern-homeowners-sl-p-201841

Mobile payments app developer Pushpay is on track to make $US72 million in annualised committed monthly revenue by December this year. The Kiwi tech company, which capitalises on the US church sector’s tithing practice, increased annualised committed monthly revenue (ACMR) by $US8.3 million in the March quarter to a record $US50.5 million, up 19.4% from the previous quarter and up 158% on the same period last year.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/pushpay-pushes-play-sales-tactics-attract-larger-churches-cs-p-201855

The Real Estate Institute will be launching a new house price index on Thursday, which should provide a better guide to current market activity. The new index, developed by the Reserve Bank at the institute’s request, improves on the stratified median house price index both organisations had been using since 2009 and removes some of the misleading “noise” thrown up in the earlier index.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/new-index-should-provide-better-fix-housing-market-jr-p-201857

Property developers are the lifeblood of many law practices. They're the clients that keep giving. On the way up, they open floodgates of fees and on the way down, which is an inevitability, they open the litigation fees floodgates. The problem with the latter, of course, is fees recovery, but a smart firm can leverage fees out of the litigation as they fight the banks, investors, the IRD, tenants and Uncle Tom Cobley. Domestic conveyancing is awful – form filling and tedious but generally less stressful than infighting developers. A good developer client can turbo-charge or even create a good law firm which, if smartly managed, can survive clients' bankruptcy, imprisonment or both.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/briefcase-property-developers-big-problem-estate-agents-bankruptcy-attempt-lawyer-big-issues

Despite publicity over a key appointment, Orion Health fell 4.2% yesterday to a new post-IPO low of $1.37 yesterday – making negotiations with potential new investors more challenging, or at least less lucrative. The past 48 hours has seen good publicity over a key appointment: US “sales star” Teri Thomas, has moved to Auckland to become new vice-president of sales, marketing and strategy. Until 12 months ago, Ms Thomas worked for Epic Systems, a Wisconsin-based competitor which claims to have 190 million patient records in its system to Orion’s 110 million.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/more-pain-orion-ck-201825

A banking expert reckons the problem with Kiwibank’s quasi-equity issues is that the special purpose vehicle (SPV) it has issued from may be liable for paying the tax liabilities for the whole Kiwibank and New Zealand Post group. Kiwibank has sold about $350 million of quasi-equity or capital notes but the Reserve Bank has questioned the validity of their contribution to the bank’s capital although it hasn’t explained why.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/kiwibanks-capital-problem-its-tax-liability-banking-expert-opines-jr-p-201826

Five of the world’s top multilateral agencies have gone in to bat for the World Trade Organisation against anti-globalisation forces that claim it produces unfair results and increases inequality. The defence of the WTO has come from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank with support from the International Labour Organisation and the OECD.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/editors-insight-how-make-world-safer-trade-and-benefit-poor