Top wool advocate bales out
The conversion of productive farmland into trees has pretty much annihilated the wool industry.
The South Island offering of 14,157 bales saw a 70% clearance, New Zealand Wool Services International's marketing executive, Paul Steel reports.
The weighted indicator for the main trading currencies was barely changed, down 0.27%.
Coarse fleece and second shears generally firmed by up to 2.5%.
Merino and half-bred fleece prices followed the Australian trends of the past two weeks with prices declining.
Fine crossbred fleece and second shears came off the highs of the last South Island sale and settled around levels of last week's North Island offering.
Combing oddments were generally unchanged.
Competition was dominated by China with support from Western Europe, Australasia and India.
Next sale on the 5 October 5 comprises approximately 10,000 bales from the North Island.
Westpac NZ has announced new initiatives that aim to give customers more options to do their banking in person.
New Zealand red meat exports experienced a 29% increase year-on-year in September, according to the Meat Industry Association (MIA).
The head of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) biosecurity operation, Stuart Anderson, has defended the cost and the need for a Plant Healht and Environment Laboratory (PHEL) being built in Auckland.
BNZ says its new initiative, helping make the first step to farm ownership or sharemilking a little easier, is being well received by customers and rural professionals.
The head of Fonterra's R&D facility in Palmerston North is set to literally cross the road and become the new vice chancellor at Massey University.
Allan Freeth, chief executive of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has announced he is resigning.

OPINION: The Greens have taken the high moral ground on the Palestine issue and been leading political agitators in related…
One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact…