"A few names feel like they're bouncing back after being under a little bit of pressure for a few days," said James Lindsay, a senior portfolio manager at Nikko Asset Management. "Some of the stocks related to the pipeline incident - Auckland Airport, Air New Zealand - feel better bid today."
That didn't extend to New Zealand Refining which fell 0.8 per cent to $2.42. The refinery operator still expects to resume service on the pipeline some time between Sunday and Tuesday.
Lindsay said other companies bouncing back had been sold off in recent days, such as telecommunications network operator Chorus, power company Mercury NZ and breathing mask maker Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, which rose 2.3 per cent to $4.01, 2.9 per cent to $3.355, and 2.5 per cent to $12.45 respectively. Mercury led the index higher.
"A number of offshore orders were driving the market's performance and maybe they've cleared or finished their lines and allowed the stock to recover from weakness," Lindsay said. "It's a wee bit of a relief rally in a few names."
Synlait Milk was the worst performer on the day, falling 2.5 per cent to $5.40. However, the stock reached an all-time high tonight after posting an 11 per cent increase in annual profit and has been a beneficiary of the rapid growth at A2 Milk, which it supplies. A2 rose 1.9 per cent to $6.
Fletcher Building slipped 0.1 per cent to $8.16 after kicking off a boardroom refresh with the departure of directors John Judge and Kate Spargo, who has joined ASX-listed Cimic Group's board. Fletcher wants their replacements to have construction and contracting experience.
A number of companies held their annual meetings today, including Genesis Energy which increased 0.2 per cent to $2.40, and Oceania Health which was unchanged at 95c.
Outside the benchmark index, Orion Health rose 1.7 per cent to $1.17 after chair Andrew Ferrier told shareholders the board is whittling down the options on the table in a strategic review, while Turners Automotive Group rose 1 per cent to $3.18 after providing guidance that pre-tax earnings could rise by as much as 26 per cent.
SeaDragon was unchanged at 0.6 of a cent after telling shareholders it expected to report a smaller annual loss in the upcoming year and was exploring toll manufacturing of concentrated fish oil rather than redeveloping its old omega-2 refinery for boutique applications.
