Stream returns* had a big impact on Fonterra Co-operative Group’s first-half profit announced today and will also be key to whether it achieves the target $6.40 payout to farmers for this season.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/why-fonterra-reckons-2-profit-increase-not-bad-fr-p-200993

The government asked the Productivity Commission to carry out an inquiry into “new models of tertiary education.” It has delivered in a mammoth 525-page final report but already one of its major recommendations has been rejected.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/editors-insight-tertiary-education-report-any-government-shouldnt-ignore

New Zealand’s chief financial officers feel under pressure to improve their company’s performance, as their workloads increase. About half (49%) of 100 Kiwi CFOs surveyed say the top challenge this year is pressure to improve performance and margins at their company, annual research commissioned by recruitment firm Robert Half finds.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/what-keeps-kiwi-cfos-awake-night-cs-p-200991

Prime Minister Bill English says he has had a briefing on Nicky Hager’s book but won’t be rushing into an inquiry. “The threshold of anything that is going to be worthy of investigation is pretty high,” he told reporters this afternoon.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/nothing-new-hager’s-book-pm-says-jw-200996

A new Sheraton hotel will open in Auckland at the end of the year. The brand disappeared from the market when the previous Sheraton in Symonds St rebranded as The Langham some years ago.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/sheraton-hotel-brand-returns-auckland-after-long-absence-sl-p-200960

The opposition parties are moving more firmly on to election footing this week. Friday morning sees a combined Labour-Green fiscal strategy announced in Auckland: That is expected to allow different policies within an agreed fiscal framework that will allow, for example, the Greens to tout higher taxes than the Labour Party is prepared to advocate, at least before an election.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/labour-shifts-gears-election-poll-puts-ardern-ahead-leader

China’s Ministry of Commerce says it now wants to maintain the stability of cross-border e-commerce and has back-tracked on introducing some new regulations.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/back-track-china-e-commerce-regulations-boosts-a2-comvita-jr-p-200958

Rocket Lab has raised $US75 million in its latest funding round (its fourth), and is now claiming a private equity value of more than $US1 billion. Founder and chief executive Peter Beck says the money will be used to increase production of his company’s 18m, Electron rocket, which can take small satellites into low earth orbit of the (by aerospace terms) bargain price of $US5 million.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/rocket-lab-hits-us1b-valuation-ck-p-200954

Well, someone has it very very wrong. And this time it's a serious matter, not just about who wrote what on which blog or which person leaked what to whom. At the end of this process, someone's credibility is going to be shredded forever.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/well-someones-lying-verdict-hager-stephenson-book

The demand pressures on the housing market are mounting with the latest migration figures showing the nation gained another 6000 residents in February, the sixth successive month of gains above that figure.

Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/continuing-record-net-migration-adds-pressure-housing-market-jr-p-200957