Fonterra’s previous food safety scares were contributing factors leading to its new partnership with Alibaba to beef up its food safety standards,

Yesterday, Alibaba – one of the world’s largest online commerce companies – unveiled a memorandum of understanding with Fonterra and NZ Post to help build a food safety framework using blockchain technology.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/previous-food-safety-scares-factor-fonterra’s-partnership-alibaba-jw-p-201291

An American private equity firm could be about to shake up the $2 billion office products industry in New Zealand. An industry analyst says about half a million New Zealand businesses may need to brace for price rises if Platinum Equity succeeds in its bid to snap up the two biggest players on both sides of the Tasman.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/shake-store-2-billion-office-products-market-ks-p-201326

New material provided to the Commerce Commission by merger candidates NZME and Fairfax NZ may be a last-ditch effort to head off a negative decision, says a competition law specialist. Andy Glenie of Anderson Cragh Lai told NBR Radio a 28-page submission filed to the commission last week indicated their concern.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/hold-husigns-anxiety-stuffme-submission-th-p-201309

A leap of research and development spending by 29% in two years sounds pretty impressive. It is, kind of.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/r-d-spend-leaps-theres-catch-rh-p-201327

Samsung today unveiled its comeback phone: the Galaxy S8, which will launch in New Zealand on April 20 for $1299 (for a 5.8-inch display version) or $1499 (for the 6.2-inch S8+). NBR got a quick hands-on preview yesterday, and the new phone is a stunner.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/samsung%E2%80%99s-redemption-phone-has-nifty-trick-business-users-ck-201322

The move to legalise the sale of nicotine e-cigarettes has been welcomed by health experts but one warns the government could be sending mixed messages. The new rules for e-cigarettes were revealed yesterday by Associate Health Minister Nicky Wagner, who said although “scientific evidence” on e-cigarettes is still developing, there is a “general consensus” they are much less harmful than smoking.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/new-vaping-rules-create-mixed-messages-expert-says-jw-p-201315

Synlait Milk is sticking to its forecast of a modest increase on last year’s $34.4 million annual net profit, despite indications the result may be better than that. But investors were clearly disappointed with Synlait’s first-half results, its shares falling nearly 6% after the company reported a 4% rise in statutory profit which was hit by a number of one-off costs.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/synlait-sticks-its-forecast-modest-annual-increase-jr-p-201325

The Taxpayers’ Union has pre-empted Budget 2017 with five different proposals for tax rebates totalling $3 billion. The economic case for reducing the burden of income taxes has been strong for some time – particularly since the government accounts have come back into surplus.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/editor%E2%80%99s-insight-five-ways-lift-country%E2%80%99s-tax-burden

Kiwi sperm startup Engender Technologies has secured a $1 million deal with Asia’s biggest animal genetics company. Engender is commercialising a laser technology that separates male- and female-bearing sperm cells primarily for the dairy industry. It builds off the photonics work of Associate Professor Cather Simpson of Auckland University's Photon Factory.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/hold-huengender-signs-1m-deal-chinese-artificial-insemination-company-fr-p-201311

Accounting software company Xero has passed a major milestone of a million paying customers. The global cloud accounting platform reached 862,000 customers at the end of September last year and has more than doubled customer numbers in the past two years.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/xero-passes-million-subscribers-jr-p-201337