About 60 jobs are expected to be cut in a merger between the Ministry of Fisheries and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry announced today, but the Public Service Association says restructuring will cost more than it saves.

Redback spiders could thrive in some areas of NZ, posing a real threat to native wildlife, a scientist says.

New Zealand recorded a trade surplus of $276 million for the month of June, equivalent to 7.3 per cent of exports.

New Zealand's farm and forestry exports are bouncing back in the wake of the global recession, agricultural economists say.

Carter Holt Harvey is putting 29 dairy farms on the market, asking $224.5 million in the biggest single offering of farm land seen in NZ.

Rising dairy prices continue to underpin gains in the ANZ Commodity Price Index, which has recorded its seventh straight monthly gain last month.