UK Ag Lender Oxbury Enters New Zealand with Livestock Finance Focus
Specialist agriculture lender Oxbury has entered the New Zealand market, offering livestock finance to farmers.
OPINION: Noted economist and self-promoter Cameron Bagrie took one look at KPMG's recently released Financial Institutions Performance Survey on banks and zeroes in one key number that suggests banks are so risk averse in this country that they are probably stifling growth and innovation.
That number is 0.08%, the ratio of impaired asset expense to average gross loans and advances.
Bagrie says this is incredible considering the economy is supposed to have experienced the worst economic climate since the global financial crisis.
"What risk have banks been taking?" he asks.
The low impairment charges and lift in banks' profitability tells a fundamentally different story relative to the economy's performance.
"We are not going to get an appetite to take risk in this economy - which is desperately needed - if the banking sector is not on board taking risk."
Fifth generation farmer Stu Muir believes dairy farming and conservation can go hand in glove.
Taupiri farmer Chris Woolerton is tipped to take over as Federated Farmers Waikato president from next week.
Respected farm accountant Pita Alexander says with the present fuel crisis there are many ways farmers can reduce their consumption of petrol and diesel.
Strong demand for high dairy protein products is keeping prices elevated but the Middle East crisis could make an impact in the coming months.
The New Zealand red meat sector has signed an open letter to parliamentarians from BusinessNZ, urging swift ratification of the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Wools of New Zealand is joining calls for New Zealand to urgently ratify a Free Trade Agreement with India.
OPINION: Who will replace Miles Hurrell as Fonterra's next CEO?
OPINION: Governments all over the world are dealing with the fuel crisis.